Ava N. Simmons, also known as Ava the STEM Princess®, is an author and entrepreneur at just 10 years old. She is the creator of Team Genius Squad, a women-owned, Black-owned business that aims to create engaging, encouraging, and empowering educational STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) books and toys for children aged 5-13.
Team Genius Squad was founded during the pandemic when Ava was diagnosed with Dyslexia, which affected her reading abilities. With the support of her parents, Tita and Terrence Simmons, and her grandmother Mary Foy, Ava began creating STEM experiment videos on YouTube to aid her learning process.
Their efforts brought improvement in her reading and math skills through skit writing and developing amazing experiments, and the videos garnered positive responses from the YouTube community. As a result, they started receiving numerous requests for in-person STEM experiments, so the team began their transition from virtual content to real-life events.
To bring STEM education to underserved areas, the family designed a STEM Mobile Lab and traveled across the country, sharing the joy of STEM with children. When they started, they bought the STEM experiment kits, eventually, they decided to develop their own kits after realizing that the cost would limit how many children they could serve.
Chynah Jeter, Ava’s sister, revealed in an interview with Black News that the first Team Genius Squad STEM Experiment Kit was created at their kitchen table using materials like wire, alligator clips, and plastic pouches. Ava focused on developing the experiments and promotional material, while Chynah handled the packaging and marketing of the final product.
Since then, Team Genius Squad has refined the design and packaging of their first kit, “Lemon Electricity.” This kit utilizes three lemons to generate electricity, powering a light and a clock. It has become one of their best-selling STEM experiments among the 15 STEM toys they currently have on the market.
Today, Ava and her sister Chynah have partnered with retailers across the United States and Canada to launch their Team Genius Squad educational STEM Toy Line.
“My sister Chynah Jeter and I did an amazing thing! Our cost-effective Educational S.T.E.M. Kits that we started with wire & plastic pouches at our kitchen table are now available on store shelves. We are so proud to bring our products to shelves across the US and abroad!” Ava wrote in an Instagram post.
The line includes Experiment Coloring Books, DIY Slime, and Experiment Kits that explore alternative sources of electricity such as food, wind, and the sun. Their first in-store launch took place at Marbles PlayStore in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, and they have plans for additional in-store launches at major retailers over the next 12 months.
“Once Marbles PlayStore partnered with Team Genius Squad, it paved the way for other retail partnerships. We greatly appreciate Marbles PlayStore for believing in our brand and the quality of our products,” said Chynah.
In addition to creating products, Team Genius Squad authors books, designs toys, and conducts peer-to-peer experiments within the community. Their experiment videos have been viewed globally by over 700,000 people, and they have conducted over 3,000 STEM experiments within their community.
“My goal is to share my learning journey and, through purposeful play, encourage others never to let their challenges define their success or future. I am so thankful for everyone who supports Team Genius Squad!” Ava said.
