Maram Ahmed
SPIRIT OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP AWARD • TECHNOLOGY
A Reading Companion Children Can Hold
BearBot
Reading practice can feel very different when the learning tool is something a child wants to hold.
Maram Ahmed helped create BearBot with Bintou Manneh, Marangelis Uben, and Ashley Romero. The stuffed reading companion is designed to combine literacy practice with comfort and play, using a built-in scanner and personalization features intended to help children strengthen reading skills in a more engaging setting.
The team was motivated by declines in reading levels after the pandemic and by the challenges children with reading disabilities can face. BearBot asks whether technology can support learning without making the experience feel clinical or intimidating.
What your support made possible:
Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award funding and recognition to help the BearBot team continue developing and testing its reading companion.
Because of you... Maram can keep exploring whether a comforting toy can also become a useful tool for building a child's reading confidence.