Since 2016, Makeblock experienced significant growth, expanding its workforce to over 300 employees. Makeblock will use this latest round of funding to invest in further STEM education distribution, global expansion, and the development of new initiatives built upon its recent work with Microsoft, Intel and beyond. The company will also be expanding its retail reach in the coming months, deepening its partnership with Barnes & Noble and SoftBank to put Makeblock products in more stores across the globe.
“Creation is happening everywhere at an explosive rate. From schools using Makeblock to teaching STEM concepts, to tech giants like Microsoft, Intel, Apple Education tapping Makeblock to unleash creativity in the classroom, down to parents at home trying to aid in their child’s education, the true power of Makeblock is to inspire creation,” said Founder and CEO Jasen Wang, “Our goal is to get Makeblock in every school, home and creative space to give anyone, at any age the ability to be a creator or inventor.”
Additionally, the funding will support the launch of Makeblock’s first annual robotics competition later in 2017, which will encourage students to compete with their creative projects using the Makeblock platform. This competition is in support of Premier Li Keqiang’s “Thirteenth Five Year Plan” on education announced in 2016.
Makeblock’s latest products, Airblock, a modular STEM drone that raised $830,000 in December 2016 on Kickstarter, will be available for purchase in retail stores starting May 2017, and Neuron, the new product Makeblock also announced via Kickstarter in March– a programmable electronic blocks platform for open-ended gadget building, which raised over $100,000 in less than 12 hours.
About Makeblock
Makeblock Co., Ltd is a robotics startup from Shenzhen established in 2013. Its main brand Makeblock, founded in 2011, is a leading DIY robotics construction and STEM education platform for makers, hobbyists, STEM learners, and educators. Makeblock empowers people to turn ideas into reality by providing STEM Kits, Tech Kits, DIY Kits, a building block platform of over 500 mechanical parts, and easy-to-use electronic modules, graphical programming software, and online and offline courses.
For more information, follow @Makeblock on Facebook, @Makeblock on Twitter or visit https://www.makeblock.com.