London-based leading coding and robotics learning provider pi-top has secured a new funding round of $4 million to accelerate the growth of the company.
Founded in 2014, pi-top is a creative design company that provides project-based learning (PBL) to teach coding, robotics and other STEAM subjects to students in middle schools, high schools and technical colleges. Built based on the simple idea that a ‘maker-mindset’ is important, it believes learning by making is essential to develop the skills we all need to be future ready. The pi-top hardware platform is used around the world in thousands of homes, maker spaces and schools worldwide.
With the new investment, pi-top has so many plans in store to be executed in the coming months and years. This November, the company will launch the new game-changing, programmable computing device pi-top [4]. Blending physical computing and project-based learning, students and inventors will be able to design, code and invent with pi-top [4] in one easy-to-use system.
The company also plans to increase investment in software development. Its new SaaS-based learning platform is designed to support project-based learning to teach computer science. It provides hands-on projects, mapped to learning standards with integrated assessment capability. Embedded coding windows directly power programmable devices like pi-top [4] and enables students to power and test the projects they build with the code that they write. This deeper level of learning equips students with real-world technology skills and prepares them for high growth careers.
Pi-top also plans to renew their focus on core markets, particularly in US education, to ensure that they continue to deliver market-leading products and services.
Welcoming and lauding the new Executive Chairman, Stanley Buchesky, for his instrumental role, Jesse Lozano, pi-top’s Co-Founder and CEO, said.
“It’s been great to welcome Stanley to the pi-top team and to have him spearhead this round of funding. He has played an instrumental role in helping us to realign our business focus so that we are better positioned to understand and meet the needs of our global community of customers.”
He added saying, “The future strategic direction for pi-top lies very much in us continuing to deliver world-class teaching solutions that get students around the world learning by making and equipping them with the right skills to get the jobs of tomorrow.”
New Executive Chairman Stanley Buchesky also commented saying,
“I’m delighted to join pi-top at such an important stage of growth. With the imminent release of pi-top [4] this November, investors were very supportive of the new strategy. The fact that this bridge round was oversubscribed is a testament to the strength of pi-top and our future as an education technology company.”
With the launch of pi-top [4] in November, the company is looking to inspire a generation of makers. Learning, designing and making is in the DNA of pi-top.
