Our journey began in lockdown 2020. My youngest had just started at one school and my wife had recently begun a new job as what she called “the office lady” in another. That made her a key worker, so when schools had to close, I suddenly became the main parent for the first time. Like many, I was trying to figure out what to do about home learning, while schools heroically juggled educating some children in person and others remotely.

But in truth, this story started five years earlier. I’d long suspected that endless repetitive questioning wasn’t the best way to master times tables. With a background in EdTech, I’d been searching for a better approach — and lockdown gave me the perfect chance to try something new. I was “between jobs,” with a bored five-year-old willing to be my guinea pig.

While she watched phonics videos, I started coding an idea that became Stick and Split. Every day, she’d play, and I’d watch, refine, and improve. Within weeks, she was learning — not just playing. Soon, she was multiplying, dividing, and even discovering patterns like the commutative law, all before school had even introduced them.

I tweeted about the game, and a local school asked if their students could try it. A friend built a simple system to manage accounts, and suddenly something magical happened: schools were signing up and children were choosing to play — a lot.

Word spread and before long, over 300 schools across 15 countries had joined, with thousands of children playing millions of levels — all for free. The feedback from teachers and students was incredible, and those months were joyous.

Then came a challenge: making Stick and Split sustainable. It’s been a long, difficult journey, to find investment, one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.

Today we’re officially launching NumberClub as the new forever home for Stick and Split. The investment means we’ve built a new platform for schools worldwide and are also launching two new games — Number Ramble and Brick Up — at super-affordable pricing.

Our mission is simple: make it easier for every child to get good at mathematics through the power of play. We’ve seen how transformational it can be — and now we’d love you to join us.