NEWS

New Annie Mals brand attracts £500k investment

Published on: 9th March 2022

Pembroke VCT has invested in the children’s book and multimedia brand Annie Mals, which equips children to deal with contemporary issues.

Pembroke VCT, the venture capital trust focused on backing early-stage businesses with exceptional founders and management teams, has invested £500k into Annie Mals, a children’s education brand launching its maiden offering, a series of books devised to give children confidence to engage with contemporary issues, such as mental health, diversity and introversion.

Annie Mals was founded by award-winning charity fundraiser Emily Samuels. She was inspired to create Annie Mals after turning her own life-changing problems of severe epilepsy and partial sight into a remarkable call to action. During her time volunteering in hospitals and reading to young children, Emily recognised a need for educational resources that address contemporary issues.

Emily is the wife of well-known toy industry figure Nikki Samuels, and Nikki will be taking on the role of CEO of the business, in addition to his role as commercial director at Hunter Price. Nikki will be responsible for liaising with the media businesses that are interested in Annie Mals and working with the private equity company that has invested in the brand.

Each story in the Annie Mals series features a protagonist animal that confronts and overcomes a problem, such as Freddie the Jellyfish who is struggling to survive in a sea contaminated by plastic. This story, the first in the series of illustrated books, will be published in June. Annie Mals has received positive feedback from publishers and has already secured an offer from Purple Mash, the publishing arm of 2Simple Ltd, an award-winning provider of digital resources for UK primary schools.

Annie Mals plans to develop its book series into a multimedia offering. Following the publication of the first three books, the company will be licensing its characters for television animation and short form YouTube content with toys, clothing and accessories also in the pipeline.

Andrew Wolfson, CEO of Pembroke Investment Managers commented: “When we first met Emily and heard her story, we admired how she had conquered her own personal challenges. It was overcoming these very challenges that gave her resilience and drove the inspiration for Annie Mals. Each story has a well-crafted, engaging narrative that tackles significant personal and global issues. We are delighted to be supporting Emily and Annie Mals and look forward to the publication of the first books.”

Emily Samuels, founder of Annie Mals added: “My wonderful teenage boys Harry and Jack were brought up on fantasy stories and I see, through the children’s charities I have helped, just how much our younger generation love to use their imagination. I want Annie Mals to give children and their families as much pleasure reading these tales as I have had in devising them. I dedicate these books to children around the world in the hope they can turn adversity into positive change.”

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