Venture 313·Tech Founders to Watch 2026
Maka
Isabel Sheinman · CEO & Co-Founder
A streaming app for ages zero to six with no ads and no engagement algorithms, built on a framework vetted by child development experts.
Sheinman is reinventing children’s television with Maka, a streaming app for ages zero to six. Every episode is vetted by child development experts through a patent-pending framework built with the Yale Child Study Center. No ads, no autoplay and no engagement algorithms, just shows kids love, parent-set session limits and wind-down cues that help them turn it off. It is her second company with co-founder Tanyella Leta; their first, NABU, raised $10M and reached 15 million children across 26 countries. Sheinman is based in Detroit. Maka has raised a $3M pre-seed and will soon open its seed round. The app launches October 2026.
Proof
- 01 · Pre-seed raised
- $3M
- 02 · App launch
- October 2026
- 03 · Previous company · $10M raised, 15M children reached
- NABU
Maka is one of ten companies recognized in Venture 313's Tech Founders to Watch for 2026, a sponsored feature in Crain's Detroit Business. Venture 313 is an initiative consisting of TechTown Detroit, ID Ventures and Detroit Development Fund.