STEM

What STEM does

Kano is a London-based consumer educational technology company founded in 2013 that builds products teaching coding to children and beginner creators through hands-on hardware kits and a complementary online platform. Its target audience is children aged 8-14 (grades 4-8 in the US, Key Stage 2-3 in the UK), with reported reach of 1.1 million daily users, 3 billion lines of code written and 2.4 million completed projects. The product line spans physical kits (including a Harry Potter-branded magic wand kit) and the Kano World software platform, which combines Kano Code (blocks that translate into JavaScript), Make Art (typed-code visual art), Pixel Motion (animation editor) and Make Music (music through code). The platform also functions as a community where users share, remix and discover each other's coding projects.

Underlying technology is a browser-based creative-coding stack rather than an AI-first architecture: a block-coding environment that compiles to JavaScript, drawing and animation canvases, and audio tooling that translate user actions into typed code. The platform is being relaunched in 2024 in partnership with AstroSafe and FINH, with refreshed design and functionality, indicating continued platform investment rather than a fundamental technology refresh.

The business model combines consumer hardware sales through retail and direct-to-consumer channels with a subscription/access layer on Kano World for challenges and community features. Distribution is amplified by high-profile endorsements from Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak (also a reported backer), Mark Zuckerberg, Chris Sacca and Novak Djokovic, and by coverage in outlets including CNN, Financial Times, USA Today, Forbes, Wired, TechCrunch, Bloomberg and the Evening Standard. Total disclosed funding to date is approximately $45.5 million across rounds from 2013 through 2020, with a $28M Series B in November 2017 (Breyer Capital and Thames Trust) the largest single round; the most recent disclosed capital is a $1M Microsoft investment in July 2020, and the company has not announced new primary funding since.

Note on data quality: the firmographics (London, kano.tech, 51-100 employees, 2013 vintage, Alex Klein CEO, Steve Wozniak backer) align with Kano, while structured data blocks tagged "STEM" with source describe a US clean-energy software issuer (36.1 GW solar AUM, $156.3M fiscal 2025 revenue, 27% workforce reduction April 2025, STEM Inc.). Those financials are inconsistent with Kano's firmographic profile and have been excluded from this description; they appear to reflect a data-aggregation error.

Name

STEM

Website

https://kano.tech

Company type

Public

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Kano is a London-based educational technology company founded in 2013 that builds coding-learning hardware kits and the Kano World online platform, serving primarily children aged 8-14 through creative tools for art, music, games and animation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Technology / Coding Education for Children

NAICS

Doll, Toy, and Game Manufacturing (339930), Computer Training (611420)

SIC

Games, Toys & Children's Vehicles (No Dolls & Bicycles) (3944)

akta.pro primary industry

Literacy & Reading Intervention Technology (EDAJAMAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

STEM & Coding Readiness for Early Learners (EDACANAF), STEM & Educational Toys Distribution (CRAOAMAF)

Keywords

• Learn to code platform
• Kids coding education
• Creative coding tools
• Block based programming
• Coding toys and kits

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Subscription Services: Recurring revenue from subscription services, part of strategic shift toward higher-value offerings. Services revenue grew 29% year-over-year, indicating successful transition toward recurring revenue model.
2. Edge Hardware: Higher-value edge hardware sales as part of strategic pivot away from low-margin battery resales
3. Legacy Battery Resales: Low-margin battery resales - company is strategically moving away from this business

Go-to-market motion1 record

Core offering

STEM (Kano) sells a creative learn-to-code platform called Kano World aimed at children aged roughly 8–14, plus physical computer kits built around Raspberry Pi. Users progress from block-based coding to JavaScript, Python and Scratch through modules for art, animation, music and games, and can share and remix projects inside a community of more than 1.1 million daily users.

Product overview

STEM, Inc. is a clean energy software company that provides AI-enabled software solutions for the energy sector. The company operates with a strategic focus on edge hardware and subscription services, having shifted away from low-margin battery resales. The company manages operating solar assets under management (AUM) of 36.1 GW, with increasing Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) and Contracted Annual Recurring Revenue (CARR).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kano Code A block-based coding environment within Kano World where users create art, games and music; simple blocks transform into JavaScript apps, requiring no prior coding experience. Targeted at children aged 8–14 (and younger with parental help, older with extensions).
• Make Art A Kano World module in which users use typed code to create works of art, design and interact with images while learning the language of the web. Positioned for beginners learning to code by creating visuals.
• Pixel Motion A pixel drawing animation editor inside Kano World that lets users create animations in minutes, designing scenes such as baseballs flying into space or cows swimming in the ocean. Aimed at children learning through visual creative projects.
• Make Music A Kano World module that enables users to create music through fun, educational coding activities and exercises, drawing inspiration from everyday sounds. Designed to let kids express themselves through sound while learning to code.
• Kano World (learning platform) A learn-to-code online platform for kids of all ages where users can create games, animations and art, share creations with the Kano community, remix others' work and participate in challenges. Currently being relaunched with new features and design.

Quantifiable outcome

• Services revenue grew 29% year-over-year
• +2 more outcomes

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Tynker: Direct peer offering a subscription-based learn-to-code platform for kids with block coding, JavaScript, and Python. Acquired by BYJU's, Tynker competes head-to-head with Kano World for the same K-12 segment.
• Sphero: STEM robotics and coding products (Sphero BOLT, Mini, indi) for K-12. Offers a similar hardware-plus-software learning model and competes for the same school and parent budget as Kano.
• CodeCombat: Learn-to-code platform that teaches real languages (Python, JavaScript, C++) through games. Targets a similar middle-school demographic as Kano and offers comparable subscription pricing.
• Osmo: Tangram-based physical/digital hybrid learning system by BYJU's, including coding and STEM kits. Closest analog to Kano's combined physical hardware + interactive software approach for early learners.
• CodeMonkey: Game-based learn-to-code platform for kids with school and consumer subscriptions. Targets overlapping K-8 coding-curriculum budgets and competes with Kano's subscription services stream.

Broad incumbents

• LEGO Education: Large incumbent in STEM educational kits and curriculum (WeDo, SPIKE Prime, Mindstorms). Targets the same K-8 STEM learning market as Kano's hardware kits but with much broader distribution and brand.
• Code.org: Nonprofit K-12 computer science curriculum provider with massive school-district adoption. Sets the baseline expectation of free coding education against which Kano's paid offerings compete.

Emerging players

• Scratch (MIT Media Lab): Free block-based coding platform for kids built by MIT. Directly competes with Kano Code's free tier and is the default entry point in many schools, compressing Kano's freemium funnel.
• Bitsbox: Subscription-based coding-for-kids service delivering monthly app-building projects by mail. Operates a similar physical-plus-digital subscription model at smaller scale than Kano.

Others

• Micro:bit Educational Foundation: Nonprofit behind the BBC micro:bit microcontroller, a STEM/coding tool widely adopted in UK and EU schools. Competes with Kano's physical computing kits in the same classroom procurement channels.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TeamKano
• Facebookfacebook.com/KanoComputing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kano-computing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds9 records

Investors16 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about STEM