GoNoodle Now Engages 10 Million Kids per Month; Company Receives $5 Million Investment to Support Growth

NASHVILLE, TN--(Marketwired - Dec 8, 2015) - GoNoodle, the leading provider of online movement videos and games helping teachers and parents get their kids moving, today announces a $5 million strategic investment from Children's Health(SM), one of the nation's leading pediatric health care providers. GoNoodle will use the investment to expand its reach, sales and marketing efforts, and to accelerate product innovation at school and home.

Inactivity in children negatively impacts behavior, cognitive function, and academic performance, and sedentary lifestyles are a major risk factor in developing diseases. Unfortunately, screen time and isolating individual technology, such as mobile phones and tablets, are contributors to the increasingly sedentary lives of kids. GoNoodle is reversing this trend by turning screen time into active time with entertaining videos and games that get kids moving to positively affect their bodies and brains.

"GoNoodle is game-changing when it comes to getting kids to move at school and home. We have seen first-hand how GoNoodle excites and inspires North Texas kids to be more active," said Peter Roberts, executive vice president - population health at Children's Health. "As we look for new and innovative ways to engage families and schools in a child's healthy development, GoNoodle stands out for uniquely turning technology and entertainment into healthy habits."

The strategic investment in GoNoodle will help improve health outcomes for children throughout Texas and further Children's Health mission to make life better for children. Children's Health, which currently sponsors GoNoodle for elementary schools in the Dallas, McKinney, Plano, Frisco and Allen independent school districts, will be expanding its sponsorship of GoNoodle to more Texas schools in 2016.

GoNoodle, launched in August 2013, has doubled its engaged audience over the past year, with 10 million kids moving more with GoNoodle each month. GoNoodle is used in 75% of U.S. public elementary schools. Nearly 500,000 teachers are actively using GoNoodle at school to get kids moving and learning, and nearly 1 million families have signed up to use GoNoodle at home. GoNoodle has users in all 50 states and 168 countries. In the past year, kids have generated 3 billion minutes of physical activity on GoNoodle.

"Together with teachers, parents, schools, and businesses we are on a mission to get kids moving," said Scott McQuigg, chief executive officer and co-founder of GoNoodle. "The response to GoNoodle is amazing. In just over two years we've built an audience that rivals the top websites for kids, with one unique difference -- GoNoodle gets kids moving. The investment from Children's Health will help expand our offerings at the intersection of education technology, wellness and digital media all in an effort to get kids, families and communities moving more."

GoNoodle's three-to-five minute movement videos get kids moving at school and at home, applying research that connects physical activity to improved health and learning. Teachers use GoNoodle to transition between subjects and to energize and focus their classrooms. Some of GoNoodle's movement videos and games incorporate math, language arts and science. And parents use GoNoodle to turn screen time into active time.

"Kids are bursting with energy and constantly need to get the wiggles out. At school, there's less time devoted to physical play, and at home kids are increasingly drawn to screens for entertainment. Unfortunately it's becoming harder for kids to stay active in our culture," said John Herbold, GoNoodle's chief product officer and co-founder. "It will take new and creative ways to keep kids active, and GoNoodle is excited to be at the forefront of addressing this challenge."

GoNoodle's customers include teachers, schools, school districts and sponsors. Sponsors such as Children's Health, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee and Passport Health Plan underwrite GoNoodle's premium version for use in their respective communities.

Children's Health joins GoNoodle's two growth equity investors, Chrysalis Ventures and SSM Partners. The company also has a venture-debt investment from Gefinor Capital and Rand Capital.

For more information about GoNoodle or to join the team, visit gonoodle.com

About GoNoodle
GoNoodle gets kids moving to be their smartest, strongest, bravest, silliest, bestest selves. Short, interactive movement videos make it awesomely simple and fun to incorporate movement into every part of the day with dancing, stretching, running and even mindfulness activities. At school, teachers use GoNoodle to keep students energized, engaged, and active inside the classroom. At home, GoNoodle turns screen time into active time, so families can have fun and get moving together. Currently, 10 million kids play GoNoodle each month. GoNoodle launched in 2013 and recently released an app for Apple TV. Learn more at www.gonoodle.com

About Children's Health(SM)
Children's Health(SM) is the the seventh-largest pediatric health care provider in the nation and the leading pediatric health care system in North Texas, providing a full spectrum of health care services -- from daily wellness and primary care to specialty visits and critical care. Holding eight disease-specific care certifications from The Joint Commission, Children's Health has been consistently named one of the nation's top pediatric providers by U.S. News & World Report. The Children's Health system includes the flagship hospital Children's Medical Center Dallas, as well as Children's Medical Center Plano, eight specialty centers, 20 Children's Health Pediatric Group primary care practices, nine Our Children's House rehabilitation facilities, home health, physician services and the Children's Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern. For more information, please visit www.childrens.com.