YGBVERSE
YGBVERSE is a game-based K–5 STEM learning platform built for kids who rarely see themselves in science and tech. Through four culturally relevant characters, each representing a STEM discipline, kids learn by playing, not by sitting still. It’s education that looks like them, and wins like them.
OVERVIEW
STEM that looks like us and wins like us.
Only 9% of STEM workers in the U.S. are Black, and 8% are Hispanic, despite these communities making up over 30% of the population. The representation gap starts early, long before college or careers. It starts in the classroom, and in the stories kids are told about who belongs in science. YGBVERSE was built to close that gap, starting at K–5. An AI-driven, game-based learning web app where culturally relevant characters guide kids through science, technology, engineering, and math.
My role was to help bring this world to life, building the content ecosystem, visual assets, and multimedia strategy that would make YGBVERSE feel as real, urgent, and exciting on screen as it was in the founders’ vision. This is the story of how an edtech startup on a mission used content, design, and storytelling to launch an MVP, grow a waitlist of 2,500 families, and go live on Kickstarter.
ROLE
Content Creator / Jr. Graphic Designer
YEAR
2025
SERVICES
- Branding
- Content Creator & Strategist
- Product Design & Prototyping
100%
Crowdfunding achieved
Fully funded by the community. Every dollar of the goal met.
Goal reachedMVP
Live and tested
Product built, shipped, and running in a real environment.
DeployedLA
School district pilot
Validated with real students and educators in Los Angeles.
Real-world validatedPROCESS
From brief to launch.
Translating a bold vision into a visual language that kids, parents, and educators could feel instantly, across the platform, in every asset, at every stage.
Step 01
Discovery
Understanding the gap, not just the brief.
The starting point wasn’t aesthetics. It was data. Only 9% of STEM workers in the U.S. are Black, and 8% are Hispanic, despite representing over 30% of the population. The research shaped everything: this product needed to close a representation gap that starts in early childhood, not just build a cute app.
Step 02
Concepting
Four characters. Four disciplines. One world.
The core concept was simple: kids don’t connect with what they can’t see themselves in. The team developed four original characters: Jade (Science), Zuma (Technology), Mason (Engineering), and Maya (Math). Each was designed to mirror the communities historically left out of STEM. Not mascots. Mirrors.
Step 03
Production
Building the content ecosystem.
Executed a full multi-platform rollout: visual assets, multimedia content, product design, and prototyping across Desktop and iOS. Every deliverable was built to serve three audiences simultaneously: kids who play, parents who trust, and educators who evaluate.
Step 04
Refinement
Tested by the people it was built for.
Validation came directly from the community. When BIPOC children met the characters for the first time, the reaction was immediate. They pointed, self-identified, and didn’t want to stop playing. The result: 2,500+ families on the beta waitlist, 97% would recommend, and a live pilot inside an LA school district.
BY THE NUMBERS
The numbers that matter.
K–5th
Target age range
2,500+
Families on beta waitlist
97%
Would recommend to other families
4
STEM Tribes: Jade, Zuma, Mason, Maya
DELIVERABLES
What I built and shipped.
Developed and implemented AI-driven multimedia content strategies.
Delivered for the platform, boosting content visibility, engagement, and educational storytelling impact at scale.
Designed graphic assets and visual identity elements.
From Tribe character visuals to social media graphics and Kickstarter campaign imagery that felt bold, inclusive, and on-brand.
Managed cross-platform digital communication.
Tailored to youth audiences, parents, and educators, optimizing reach through compelling visual design and interactive media.
Used AI tools to enhance production efficiency.
Rapidly iterating on assets and scaling content creation for the web app, social, and crowdfunding without sacrificing creative quality.
Coordinated multiple simultaneous content projects.
Delivering on creativity, precision, and alignment with the mission across every format and deadline.
Contributed to the Kickstarter launch strategy.
Building the visual and multimedia content that helped YGBVERSE go live on crowdfunding and grow a community of early believers.