Piper raises $2.1M in seed funding for kids’ DIY computer kits and education push

Technology is changing fast, and the next generation of inventors and engineers will need to follow their curiosity to take on new challenges. One company has raised some cash to facilitate exactly that.

Piper is a startup that designs, builds, and sells computer kids aimed at children, and it has secured $2.1 million in a seed-funding round. Investors include Princeton University, Reach Capital, 500 Startups, FoundersXFund, Skype cofounder Jaan Tallinn, and Makey Makey founder Jay Silver. The company plans to use this cash to build out its PiperEDU initiative that will attempt to introduce its kits to educators who want to teach students about making, coding, and engineering in the classroom. It will use a new version of Piper’s $299 computer kit paired with Microsoft’s brick-building game Minecraft.