Fluid Ventures Invests In Shumee Toys The sustainable wooden toy brand will use the funds to expand its product line and build a parent community

Fluid Ventures, a direct to consumer focused Venture Capital fund, has backed Shumee Toys, a Bangalore-based brand that makes sustainable wooden toys and games for children aged 0 to 7 years.

"Due to the lockdown and an increase in import duty on toys, domestic toys market has seen a surge of more than 25 per cent in the demand of the toys and Shumee team has been on the frontline to cater to that demand with product innovation and robust automation," said Amit Singal, general partner at Fluid Ventures.

"Children learn through play, learning should not be forced on them. We have over 100 toys and games at Shumee and none of them is educational in the typical sense. They encourage open-ended play led by the child's own imagination and will. As the child plays, they hone age-appropriate skills, including fine and gross motor and sensory skills in early months and problem-solving, creativity and communication later," said Meeta Sharma Gupta.

Every Shumee toy is designed by in-house creators from India's top design schools and handcrafted by local artisan partners with an aim to develop cognitive, social, emotional, communicative and physical development of children in the most formative years. They specialize in open-ended play that encourages children to develop creativity, problem-solving and sensory skills. With the current capital in hand, Shumee plans to expand its product line and build a parent community with a focus on building a premium wooden toy brand globally, said a statement.