Edtech startup SAM Labs pulls in $6.75 mln Series A

London-based SAM Labs, an edtech startup, has closed $6.75 million in Series A funding. Touchstone Innovations and E15 Ventures led the round.

PRESS RELEASE

LONDON – November 14, 2017 – SAM Labs, an edtech startup that empowers teachers with the most engaging STEAM classroom solutions, today announced the completion of a $6.75M Series A round of financing led by Touchstone Innovations and E15 Ventures. SAM Labs will use the funding to develop a number of new educational products that support its mission to inspire every student to discover the fun in coding and creating. With the global edtech market set to reach $252B by 2020, SAM Labs is on track to lead the industry with its STEAM innovations for the classroom.

“As a technology company delivering solutions for teaching STEAM and computing, we’re thrilled to deepen our research and development efforts to bring new products to the classroom,” said Joachim Horn, founder and CEO of SAM Labs. “This 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.”

“U.S. schools are lagging in computer science education, with no unified government standards to drive curriculum,” said Philip Liang, Managing Partner, E15 Ventures. “SAM Labs keenly understands the importance of democratizing coding – making coding education accessible for all students across all skill levels and interests. E15 Ventures is proud to invest in tomorrow’s coding experts. We’re pleased to be a partner to SAM Labs as it drives mainstream interest in coding and computer science.”

SAM Labs has already made an impact on coding and computer science education with its current offerings. The company’s STEAM Kitprovides 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.

By focusing on learning outcomes and efficacy, SAM Labs will continue to improve student and teacher experiences. This includes adding new technology, cross-curricula lesson plans and schemes of work, professional development, and hands-on customer support.

“We’ve seen an increased focus from edtech companies on improving education standards in the U.S. and around the world,” said Robert Bahns, Director of Technology Ventures, Touchstone Innovations. “With products like the STEAM Kit, SAM Labs has been at the forefront of this innovation since it was founded in 2014 – and in many ways, it has set the standard for coding and computer science education both at home and in the classroom. A proficiency in computer science is something from which all students should benefit, and SAM Labs is allowing for this possibility across the globe.”

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.

“SAM Labs graduated from the Intel Education Accelerator in 2016, and ever since it has grown its efforts to bring STEAM education to classrooms around the world,” said Elizabeth Broers, Global Program Director, Intel Education Accelerator. “With an increasing demand for quality resources to teach coding and computer science, the importance of products like SAM Labs’ STEAM Kit is magnified, and additional funds to support SAM Labs’ education program will only help increase its impact worldwide.”

For more information about SAM Labs and its products, please visit https://www.samlabs.com/.

About SAM Labs
SAM Labs an edtech company that empowers teachers with the most engaging STEAM solution including lesson plans, apps and electronics. Its goal is to inspire every student to discover the fun in coding and creating. With a focus on building products that capture all students’ imaginations, SAM Labs is democratizing the edtech industry. By combining highly engaging software with intuitive, user friendly hardware, SAM Labs teaches coding and engineering to children of all skill sets and interests. Offering projects across a variety of subjects — from biology, to probability, to music — SAM Labs builds edtech products for the athlete and the artist.

SAM Labs offers a solution for teachers who are teaching computer science by providing in-classroom support around the STEAM Kit for both the early adopter and the tech-hesitant teacher by offering fully integrated and curriculum-based lesson plans and hands-on educator support. With partners like Intel Education and Microsoft Education, SAM Labs aims to bring coding to all homes and classrooms.

Founded in 2014, the company is headquartered in London. For more information, please visit

https://www.samlabs.com/.