New York, New York – November 9, 2021
The innovative social-emotional learning (SEL) solution, Robin, recently closed a $2M Series Seed round of funding. The investment is led by Eagle Proprietary Investments Ltd. with participation from Limitless Ventures and top education investors including Deborah Quazzo of GSV Ventures.
Robin is the only SEL solution that connects students with coaches and curriculum to build skills to thrive when faced with life’s toughest challenges.
“Robin’s innovative, student-centered approach to social-emotional learning supports educators in creating a more positive, compassionate and connected school culture where each student feels seen, heard and valued,” says Deval Dvivedi of Eagle Proprietary Investments Ltd.
With rising rates of anxiety, depression, isolation and suicide, teens’ mental health is at risk. The responsibility falls on schools to provide students with support, but there are several barriers to addressing individual students’ mental health needs, including overwhelmed school counselors and lack of educator training.
According to the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), the average school counselor to student ratio is 461:1, well above the ASCA recommended 250:1 ratio. Further, 82 percent of teachers have reported that they want more training around social-emotional learning, according to “The Missing Piece: A National Teacher Survey on How Social and Emotional Learning Can Empower Children and Transform Schools” conducted by Civic Enterprises and Peter D. Hart Research Associates.
Sonny Thadani and Scott Farber co-founded Robin to provide educators with programming and support to engage students’ mental health and well-being. Robin coaches create safe spaces in school for all students to open up about their challenges, provide support for each other and ask for help when they need it. Students learn skills to build self-esteem and resilience, create deeper connections, process negative emotions and thoughts and manage stress and anxiety. Coaching can be combined with curriculum, 5-minute activities and meditations to provide continuous skill development and emotional growth throughout the year.
“Developing core social and emotional skills is just as important as academics in preparing students for a meaningful and successful life,” said CEO Sonny Thadani. “Our unique approach really engages students because our coaching focuses on teaching and practicing tools to deal with the real challenges young people face—like anxiety, loneliness and grief.”
Robin works with thousands of students and school communities around the country and is proven to make an impact. Ninety-five percent of teens say they have learned a new skill after just one Robin coaching experience. “I learned that taking time, even if it’s just one minute, to either breathe or tell myself that I’m worth it can make a big change in how I feel about myself,” said one 8th grade student at Ho-Ho-Kus Middle School.
Robin has developed a nationwide network of coaches with expertise in a variety of social-emotional topics. Coaches include: George Mumford, Phil Jackson’s “secret weapon” to winning eight NBA championships, who empowers students to adopt a growth mindset; Nyeesha Williams, a mental health counselor who teaches self-awareness and resilience by sharing her own story of overcoming childhood trauma; and Dr. Ned Hallowell, child and adult psychiatrist and best-selling author, who works with educators and parents on forging more meaningful, supportive relationships.
About Robin
Robin is the only SEL solution that connects students with coaches and curriculum to build skills to thrive when facing life’s toughest challenges. Partnering with schools, Robin customizes SEL programming to address students’ specific needs. Robin’s unique group coaching experiences can be combined with a flexible toolbox of on-demand Tier 1 curriculum. Students learn and practice skills to build self-awareness, self-esteem, resilience, connection, purpose and the critical thinking skills to make good choices. Learn more at my-robin.com.
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