A Tunbridge Wells entrepreneur is seeking to raise £25,000 through crowdfunding in order to launch a new range of construction-based toys.
Matthew Wright is using the crowdfunding website Kickstarter in order to roll out the first five sets of Playpress – a series aimed at children aged 5-10 which allows them to build anything from skyscrapers to shops and farms out of the cardboard-based sets.
His campaign has already received 66 backers, some of whom are from places as far afield as Singapore and New York, while one supporter has pledged £500 or more to receive their own customised building.
Mr Wright, who co-founded the company, explains: “I was inspired by lots of amazing toys as a kid and wanted to create something as inspiring which was not only super fun to play with but also something I would have been able to buy with my own pocket money.
“With our play world, boys and girls can play any stories they can imagine with our houses, parks, skyscrapers, airports, shops, farms, pets, and characters. The sets are fun to put together and even more fun to play with.”
Two years in development, the products, which are made from 100 per cent recyclable cardboard, will be manufactured in London to ensure they are as eco-friendly as possible by keeping down air miles.
The company will also benefit from support from other London businesses to help with production and distribution, Mr Wright said.
He added: “Having spent a lot of time testing and learning how to produce the sets to the highest standard possible, from different materials to designs, we’re ready to go and are launching on Kickstarter to give us the best possible footing for our start-up.
“We’ll be able to reach an audience who can buy directly into what we’re doing, help us with our final tooling and production costs, and literally kick-start our second range.”
The Playpress Kickstarter campaign launched on August 3 and will run for 30 days, ending on September 2.
