A company determined on teaching children about emerging technologies through a fun and supportive club environment has successfully completed its latest funding round. The investment comes from Creative England, the Coast to Capital Growth Equity Fund, managed by the FSE Group and Emerge Education. MakerClub came to life in 2014 and was founded by Simon Riley, named in the 2015 top 100 most influential EdTech leaders.
The company offers weekly technology workshops and online learning to inspire and teach children how to use 3D printers and programme robotics. Starting them off with ice lolly sticks and taking them all the way through to professional 3D printed prototypes.
Simon Riley, Managing Director at MakerClub comments, “Here at MakerClub we feel that not enough emphasis is being put into teaching new and exciting technologies to young children. With the sudden rise of 3D printing this is a great opportunity to teach children about technology that could, in the not too distant future, be a regular part of everyday life. This investment will enable us to open more centres, encourage engagement and reach out to even more children.”
Mehjabeen Patrick, CFO, Creative England, “MakerClub is a great example of an innovative company with fantastic potential, they have a mission with social purpose and it has been inspiring to see how they have grown and developed their business. Simon and the team are passionate about what they do, and have the skills and expertise to take MakerClub to the next level."
Avent Bezuidenhoudt, Senior Fund Manager at The FSE Group, “The MakerClub brand is clearly recognisable and scalable with admirable objectives. The technological expertise of the team paired with their educational knowledge gives the company huge potential. We are delighted to add the company to our portfolio and look forward to watching them grow and prosper.”
Jan Matern, CEO of Emerge education, said “MakerClub is able to deliver high-quality instruction in digital skills consistently and at scale, which speaks of the team’s engineering, customer service and operations prowess. We are proud to be working with them to build a much needed institution for delivering these types of skills to the next generation.”
About MakerClub: MakerClub is an award-winning weekly invention and technology community for ages 8 to 13, we are based in Brighton but have centres all around the UK. Our sessions are project-based, hands-on and created by real technologists who believe that every child has the ability to become an inventor. For more information visit: www.makerclub.org
About Creative England: Creative England invests in and supports creative ideas, talent and businesses in film, TV, games and digital media. We aim to grow the brightest, the best, and those with the most promise so that individuals and businesses can achieve their full creative and commercial potential. We help identify future opportunities to grow the economy and generate jobs. www.creativeengland.co.uk
About The FSE Group: The Coast to Capital Growth Equity Fund is part of the Coast to Capital Funding Escalator, a £5million initiative funded by Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership. The escalator, which also includes an expansion loan scheme, provides eligible companies with loans and equity funding between £50,000 and £500,000 for activities that will deliver high-growth and employment opportunities.
About Emerge Education: Emerge Education is Europe’s leading edtech accelerator. It provides exceptional edtech entrepreneurs with access to the capital, networks and expertise they need to prove their impact and scale globally so that billions of people can lead more fulfilling lives. Emerge Education provides up to £100k in funding for edtech startups and is based in Hoxton, London. For more information, please visit http://emerge.education/ or contact Jan Matern, CEO at jan@emerge.education
