Education technology start-up SAM Labs has raised 拢5.1m in a Series A聽investment round led by Touchstone Innovations and E15 Ventures.
The London-based company will use the funding to develop a number of new聽educational products aimed at inspiring students to discover the fun in coding and creating.
SAM Labs has already made an impact on coding and computer science education with its current offerings.
The start-up鈥檚 STEAM Kit provides a solution for teachers who are looking to bring computer science to the classroom, but may not have received the training or resources needed to properly teach coding.
鈥淎s a technology company delivering solutions for teaching STEAM and computing, we鈥檙e thrilled to deepen our research and development efforts to bring new products to the classroom,鈥� said founder and chief executive Joachim Horn (pictured below).
鈥淭his round of funding will increase our time spent working closely with teachers, administrators, and standards like NGSS to develop the most engaging teaching materials, hardware, and software to excite students about the possibilities of STEAM.鈥�
Philip Liang, managing partner at E15 Ventures, added: 鈥淪AM Labs keenly understands the importance of democratizing coding 鈥� making coding education accessible for all students across all skill levels and interests.
鈥淓15 Ventures is proud to invest in tomorrow鈥檚 coding experts. We鈥檙e pleased to be a partner to SAM Labs as it drives mainstream interest in coding and computer science.鈥�
Robert Bahns, director of technology ventures at Touchstone Innovations, said he鈥檚 seen an increased focus from edtech companies on improving education standards around the world.
鈥淲ith products like the STEAM Kit, SAM Labs has been at the forefront of this innovation since it was founded in 2014 鈥� and in many ways, it has set the standard for coding and computer science education both at home and in the classroom,鈥� he added.
鈥淎 proficiency in computer science is something from which all students should benefit, and SAM Labs is allowing for this possibility across the globe.鈥�
SAM Labs will also continue growing its partnerships with government organisations like the City of Helsinki and the UAE Ministry of Education, as well as companies like Microsoft Education and Intel Education.