From a traffic jam-inspired idea to a global online sensation: Meet the Mann family, creators of nerdle, a captivating math puzzle game that’s changing the way the world engages with mathematics, earning them a spot as finalists in the Great British Entrepreneur Awards 2023.
Richard Mann, his wife Samantha and children, Alex and Imogen are the family entrepreneurs behind nerdle, the hugely popular daily online maths puzzles played by millions around the world. Launched in January 2022, nerdle was inspired during a traffic jam when Richard and Imogen chatted about how there must be a maths equivalent of the word game Wordle. Within minutes, the rules were devised and the name “nerdle” was coined.
That same evening, Alex calculated all 17,723 possible nerdle puzzles. Within a week of launching, over a million people had played nerdle. Eighteen months later, nerdle has become a significant player in the casual gaming sector, turning a side hustle into a successful global business.
The Mann family has achieved phenomenal success in a short space of time. Their games are played in homes and schools worldwide, helping to make maths more fun and accessible. Celebrities like Bill Gates, Louis Theroux and Stormzy are self-confessed nerdle fans. But the entrepreneurs say their proudest achievements are the stories from teachers using nerdle in class and retirees gaining confidence with numbers.
In 2023, the Manns plan to invest further in growing their audience, developing new games and translating into different languages to expand into new markets, especially schools. They will stay focused on creating entertaining puzzles for people who aren’t afraid to show their nerdy side, while supporting charities through their Positive Numbers initiative.
The Mann family has built something very special with nerdle. As finalists in the Great British Entrepreneur Awards 2023, known as “The Grammys of Entrepreneurship”, they are deservedly recognised as some of the UK’s most inspiring entrepreneurs. To learn more about these math magicians and try your hand at nerdle, visit www.nerdlegame.com.
