LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Learning company pi-top™ has secured $16 million in funding, the company announced today. The investment, led by Hambro Perks and Committed Capital, brings pi-top’s total funding to $22.5 million to-date.
“I am excited to be working alongside so many talented people to bring pi-top into the hands of our customers”
“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,” said Jesse Lozano, pi-top’s CEO and co-founder. “We will use the investment to continue to expand our capabilities in manufacturing, marketing, sales and operations to drive our global growth.”
The funding by Hambro Perks and Committed Capital follows a number of recent business achievements by pi-top. On July 4, Jesse Lozano, CEO and co-founder, was named by global services firm Ernst and Young as London Entrepreneur of the Year. The company received Tech and Learning Magazine’s “Best of Show” award at the International Society of Technology in Education conference in Chicago in June. In January, the company was named “Innovator of the Year” at the BETT education trade show in London – the industry’s largest trade show.
Company Growth and Progress Currently, pi-top products are in more than 2,000 schools around the world, having manufactured more than 100,000 devices. Since the company’s last round of funding in 2016, pi-top has grown to a team of over 80 people worldwide, adding offices in Austin, Texas and Shenzhen China, while expanding the team at its headquarters in London, UK.
The company has added a broad array of talent across all areas of the business, including:
- Graham Brown-Martin, pi-top’s Chief Education and Product Officer, a well-known education thought leader and best-selling author of Learning {Re}imagined, who has consulted for some of the world’s largest corporations and leading government agencies;
- Dr. William Rankin, pi-top’s Director of Learning and Research, former Director of Learning for Apple, Inc, who is an award-winning educator and technology executive known for promoting and enhancing educational innovation around the world;
- Tim Bush, pi-top’s Global Chief Marketing Officer, former education marketing lead at Microsoft in the UK;
- Mark Stewart, pi-top’s Chief Commercial Officer, responsible for the company’s global sales efforts, and former Microsoft Strategic Education Partner Lead;
- Paul Callaghan, pi-top’s Chief Operating Officer, was Head of Transformation at Thomas Cook and a former executive at Farnell and Motorola.
“I am excited to be working alongside so many talented people to bring pi-top into the hands of our customers,” said Lozano. “The company has progressed a long way since it was just my co-founder Ryan and I working in my living room in London. We’ve grown quickly and added fantastic talent because of our continued focus on education and learning outcomes in the classroom. We continue to stay true to our mission to deliver inspirational learning by making outcomes to students.”
To address its focus on the global education market, the company recently announced the pi-top Learning System, a learning solution that includes all the hardware, software, curriculum content, training and support needed to deliver an experiential computer science and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) curriculum with a learning by making focus.
Commenting on the pi-top Learning System, Lozano said, “The program includes a 3-year contract with subscription prices ranging from $10,000 – $15,000 per year. Our goal is to provide schools, districts and governments with all they need to deliver the best learning outcomes possible, preparing students to be active and engaged contributors to a modern society and workforce.”
Founded in 2014, pi-top’s mission is to give every learner the opportunity to be inspired by making. Through its pi-top Learning System, the company provides students around the world with valuable STEAM knowledge, while building the skills they need to take on the future, such as problem-solving, teamwork, creativity and critical-thinking.
