London firm pi-top lands $16m funding for ‘learning by making’ edtech system

Edtech business pi-top has secured $16m (c.£12m) in a funding round led by London investment firms Hambro Perks and Committed Capital.

Headquartered in the capital with offices in the US and China, pi-top is the company behind the pi-top Learning System – a package designed to support hands-on education in experiential computer science and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) subjects.

According to CEO and co-founder Jesse Lozano, the new funding will help the firm “expand our capabilities in manufacturing, marketing, sales and operations to drive our global growth”.

He added: “This latest round of funding reflects the value of the company’s vision and strategic direction as we strive to transform education through learning by making.”

pi-top, founded in 2014, has secured $22.5m funding to date.

Its Learning System includes all the hardware, software, curriculum content, training and support needed for an an experiential computer science or STEAM curriculum focused on learning by making.

The company’s products are found in over 2,000 schools globally, with more than 100,000 devices manufactured to date.

pi-top’s mission is to give students valuable STEAM knowledge while equipping them with problem-solving, teamwork, creativity and critical-thinking skills.

It employs 80 people across offices in London, Austin and Shenzhen.

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