Television presenter Davina McCall has joined the Angel CoFund and other angel investors in backing technology start-up Hopster.

Launched at the turn of the year, Hopster serves as a learning platform for children pre-school. It merges a selection of U-rated TV shows with games and derives revenues from a monthly subscription. The application is now available on iPhones and the iPod touch having first been offered on iPads, and has been rated in the top 20 apps for children aged five and under.

Commenting on her investment in the business, McCall says, ‘As both an investor and a num, I’m excited about the potential in Hopster.

‘As a parent, you’re always concerned about screen time. You want apps that are fun but also educational, and the people behind Hopster seem to have found that sweet spot in getting that balance just right.’

Also joining McCall in the seven-figure fundraising are Bhavneet Singh (Pearson, Viacom) and Tony Orsten (twofour54, The Imaginarium). The £00 million government-backed Angel CoFund, which invests alongside business angels, has led the round and now has in excess of 40 companies in its portfolio.

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Hopster cites evidence which finds that 77 per cent of families with children aged 2-6 have access to either an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch as evidence of a market worth one million households.

Nick Walters, founder of Hopster, says, ‘Hopster’s success is evidence that the trends which inspired us to launch Hopster in the first place are really accelerating.

‘We’re seeing real demand for trusted, high-quality services like Hopster and that’s only going to increase.’

According to the business, Hopster became the first application to secure a U-rating from the British Board of Film Classification and now has one of the largest U-rated libraries of preschool shows in the UK through 700 offerings.

Angel CoFund investment director Tim Mills adds, ‘It’s no secret that technology is the bridge between education and entertainment for the youngest generation, and as such we look forward to continuing to work with Hopster as the team builds on the momentum we’ve seen from them in the past five months.’