Sesame Street now has a venture capital arm

The nonprofit behind Sesame Street wants to help startups help kids. Sesame Workshop announced this morning that it’s forming a group called Sesame Ventures, which will largely be an advisory arm focused on working with venture capital firms and startups focused on children’s development. That means Sesame won’t be going out and funding startups entirely on its own. Instead, it’s partnering with established firms to launch new funds. The first is in partnership with the Collaborative Fund that’s being called Collab+Sesame.

Collab+Sesame will start with $10 million in funding, with up to $1 million going to each startup it decides to support. It’s interested in supporting startups with a wide range on interests, including educational technology, health, nutrition, and family development (you can see more in the graphic below). Those general interests are likely what we’ll see Sesame Ventures focusing on in future collaborations, too. Startups funded by a Sesame Ventures fund will get access to some of Sesame Workshop’s resources, be it the ability to work with its executives or access to its existing network of partners in health, education, and other children’s fields.