Maitao Parent-Child Secures RMB 70 Million Series B Funding to Build a Scenario-Based Experiential Education Platform for Children

VCBeat has learned that on February 22, Metao Parent-Child held a strategic financing press conference. Xie Zhen, founder and CEO of the company, announced that Metao had completed a RMB 70 million Series B financing round, led by Fosun Tonghao Capital, with participation from Semir Investment and Chenhui Venture Capital. Zuoyu Capital served as the exclusive financial advisor.The funds raised in this round will be primarily used for product upgrades, market expansion across China, and the development of a more robust upstream and downstream ecosystem.

Maitao Parent-Child byXie Zhen, former COO of eLong Travel Network, founded it in September 2014.The core of MaiTao isAdopting a "self-operated + platform" business model to serve parent-child demographics, self-Cultivate brand tonality and uniqueness, while the platform builds scale and diversity. Proprietary products, including the Maitao Lab, Maixueyou, Mai Scouts, and Museum Exploration series, accounted for 25% of sales volume. Platform-based products cover segments such as parent-child venues, family-friendly hotels, outdoor activities, winter and summer camps, and family travel/study tours, contributing 75% of sales volume, with over 2,000 stable supplier partners.

In terms of specific business operations, the company entered the market through high-frequency, low-cost parent-child activities, and then continuously penetrated into markets such as low-frequency, high-priced parent-child travel and summer camps. This has enabled Maitao to form a unique model of acquiring transaction users through high-frequency, low-cost offerings while enhancing transaction value through low-frequency, high-priced services.

In terms of data, Maitao Lab established ten teaching centers in Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, and other cities in 2016, recruiting over 30,000 children to participate in its activities. MaiTongJun developed a comprehensive product lineup including half-day camps, one-day camps, and multi-day camps, with more than 20,000 participant visits in 2016. MaiXueYou created several classic parent-child travel routes to destinations such as Japan, Singapore, and Bali.

It is reported that in 2016, multiple suppliers on the platform acquired over 5,000 customers through traffic redirection via the Maitao Parent-Child Platform, accounting for more than 60% of their business volume. Currently, Maitao has attracted hundreds of thousands of purchasing users in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai region and Beijing, with an average annual purchase frequency of 4.5 times per user, and 60% of new customers are referred by existing ones.

Xie Zhen stated that the company achieved positive cash flow by the end of 2015 and reached break-even during the peak season in 2016.In March 2016, it became the exclusive partner of Shanghai Disney Resort in the family-oriented sector. In September 2016, Maitao Parent-Child participated in the 5th China Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition and was honored as one of the Top 100 Outstanding Enterprises.

The lead investor in this Series B round was Fosun Tonghao Capital, a subsidiary of Fosun Group. Fosun Group has already invested in enterprises across the infant and child industry, including parenting websites, family-friendly resort hotels, stroller brands, family entertainment companies, and healthcare groups. This investment in MaiTao further enhances Fosun’s “family ecosystem” strategy, specifically strengthening its offerings in parent-child travel and education for children aged 3 to 12.

Following its Series B financing, Maitao Parent-Child’s primary initiative was to further upgrade its product philosophy. The upgraded philosophy aims to build a scenario-based experience platform by creating diverse scenarios and pairing them with appropriate educational content. The second initiative involves nationwide franchising and expansion, led by the Maitao Laboratory. As an independent IP under Maitao Parent-Child, Maitao Laboratory has already developed a range of offerings, including science show series, science-themed winter and summer camps, outdoor science activities, and one-minute online science experiments. These core offerings have given rise to diversified product types such as birthday parties, graduation parties, and large-scale science fairs in shopping districts and communities.

In addition, Maitao Parent-Child will further refine its ecosystem layout within the parent-child industry. Maitao Parent-Child has fully acquired an international travel agency to enhance its qualifications and product system for study tours. It has made strategic investments in science schools to strengthen the ongoing research and development of science-themed parent-child products. Meanwhile, it will achieve deep integration with Club Med, invested by Fosun, and engage in brand collaboration with Balabala, a subsidiary of Semir, to jointly create a parent-child club.