bitlink

What bitlink does

Bitlink is a Tasmanian-based technology education company that designs, builds, and sells classroom-ready Internet of Things (IoT) learning resources for Australian primary schools, targeting years 3-6 of the Australian Curriculum. Founded in 2013 in Launceston by James Riggall and Troy Merritt, who met at the University of Tasmania's Human Interface Technology Laboratory (HITLab), the company spent nearly a decade running face-to-face programs including after-school clubs, teacher professional development, and a community makerspace before pivoting to a kit-plus-curriculum product model around 2021. The core offering is the Bitlink IoT Education Kit, built around the BBC micro:bit microprocessor with a custom sensor:bit expansion board, ten input/output sensors and actuators, child-friendly connectors, and resealable classroom packaging, paired with a web platform of 20 ACARA curriculum-linked lessons spanning four modules (Introduction to IoT, Smart Homes, Smart Farms, and Smart Cities) supported by the 20-episode Makers Treehouse video series.

The business operates a hybrid hardware-plus-software revenue model: physical IoT kits (including 15-kit class sets serving up to 30 students) sold direct to schools through the company's online store, alongside digital subscriptions to the lesson and teacher-resource platform, with no public pricing disclosed. Go-to-market is sales-led and community-led in parallel, combining direct engagement with school procurement and education department partnerships, on-the-ground workshops (notably at remote schools funded through the 2022 Innovate with nbn grant), and content marketing via a free design thinking newsletter lead magnet. Bitlink holds no patents or disclosed external funding, is structured as Bitlink Pty Ltd, and operates a distributed team across Launceston, Hobart, and Melbourne.

Strategic positioning is built on three reinforcing assets: a teacher co-designed curriculum (18 months of piloting with 10 Tasmanian schools), deep relationships with the Tasmanian Department of Education and multiple not-for-profit partners, and compatibility with the broader BBC micro:bit ecosystem. Long-term collaborators include nbn, the Australian Federal Government, Tasmanian State Government, Launceston City Council, University of Tasmania, Independent Schools Tasmania, Catholic Education Tasmania, and cultural institutions such as the Queen Victoria Museum and MONA, supporting both credibility and distribution within a tightly defined Australian K-12 STEM niche.

Name

bitlink

Legal name

Bitlink Pty Ltd

Website

https://bitlink.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bitlink is a Tasmanian EdTech company that designs and sells BBC micro:bit-based IoT education kits and ACARA curriculum-linked lessons for Australian primary schools, monetizing through hardware sales, digital subscriptions, and school workshops.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

STEM Education Kits

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Electronic Components & Accessories (3670)

akta.pro primary industry

Curriculum, Lesson Planning & Instructional Content Platforms (EDAJAMAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Core Digital Curriculum & Courseware (Full Programs & Units) (EDAFACAA), Learning Device Ecosystems & 1:1 Program Solutions (Devices, MDM, Charging) (EDAJAMAL), Project- & Inquiry-Based Digital Learning Modules (EDAFACAD)

Keywords

• STEM education kits
• IoT education tools
• Curriculum-linked lessons
• K-12 technology education
• BBC micro:bit kits

Headquarters

HQ city

Launceston

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. IoT Education Kit Sales: Sale of physical Internet of Things education kits to schools. Each kit includes a micro:bit, sensor:bit, and ten input/output devices (sensors, motors, lights). Class sets available for up to 30 students.
2. Digital Subscriptions: Digital subscription access to teaching resources, lesson plans, slide decks, and curriculum materials. Referenced in privacy policy as a purchase option alongside physical products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Bitlink designs, assembles, and sells Internet of Things (IoT) education kits built around the BBC micro:bit for Australian K-12 classrooms, including a sensor:bit expansion board and ten input/output sensors, motors, and lights. The kits are paired with 20 ACARA curriculum-linked lessons across four modules (Introduction to IoT, Smart Homes, Smart Farms, Smart Cities), the Makers Treehouse video series, IoT documentaries, and teacher resources including slide decks, lesson plans, solution code, and assessment rubrics.

Product overview

Bitlink is a technology education company offering a unified platform for teaching Internet of Things (IoT) concepts in Australian classrooms. The core offering consists of the Bitlink Internet of Things (IoT) Education Kit—a physical kit built around the BBC micro:bit with sensors and expansion boards—paired with an online lesson platform containing 20 curriculum-linked lessons across four thematic modules (Introduction to IoT, Smart Homes, Smart Farms, and Smart Cities). Supporting the curriculum are the Makers Treehouse video series (20 educational videos with student characters) and IoT Documentary series. Teacher resources including slide decks, lesson plans, and assessment rubrics are provided as part of the platform. The company also offers a free teacher account system for accessing digital resources and sells physical kits through their store.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Makers Treehouse: A web series featuring teenagers Alex, Chewie, Eva, and Nick solving problems and building gadgets using the Bitlink IoT Kit. Contains 20 episodes across four themes: Introduction to IoT, Smart Homes, Smart Farms, and Smart Cities.

Products and services

• Bitlink Internet of Things (IoT) Education Kit A classroom-ready IoT education kit built around the BBC micro:bit, including an expansion board (sensor:bit), and ten input/output devices (sensors, motors, lights). Features resealable packaging, visual indicators, simple connectors for young learners, and comes in a calico bag for storage. Designed for Australian primary school teachers and students.
• IoT Lesson Platform A web-based learning platform containing 20 curriculum-linked lessons organized across four modules: Introduction to IoT, Smart Homes, Smart Farms, and Smart Cities. Each lesson includes slide decks, lesson plans, guiding questions, reflection questions, solution code, and ACARA curriculum links for years 3-6. Targeted at Australian primary school teachers.
• Makers Treehouse Video Series A series of 20 short educational videos featuring four teenage characters who solve problems and build gadgets using the Bitlink IoT Kit. Episodes are embedded within lessons and model soft skills such as problem-solving, computational thinking, resilience, and collaboration. Aimed at primary school students years 3-6.
• IoT Documentary Series

Quantifiable outcome

• Co-designed with 10 pilot schools and Tasmanian Department of Education
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• nbn (National Broadband Network Company)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Winner of Innovate with nbn Grant Program in education and overall champion categories. nbn funded Bitlink to visit and run workshops at Tasmania's most remote schools (Flinders, Cape Barren and King Islands) and donated kits to these schools.
• Tasmanian Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorked with the Tasmanian Department of Education and ten schools across Northern Tasmania for IoT kits product development. Collaborative and consultative design process that transformed the end product.
• Australian Federal GovernmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partner organization that Bitlink has worked with over the past ten years.
• Tasmanian State GovernmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partner organization that Bitlink has worked with over the past ten years.
• Launceston City CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partner organization. Featured in IoT documentaries showing how the council uses IoT devices for smart city applications.
• University of TasmaniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounders James Riggall and Troy Merritt met at the Human Interface Technology Laboratory (HITLab) at University of Tasmania in 2013. James is an industry fellow and visiting scholar. Troy is a unit coordinator. Bitlink continues academic partnerships.
• Independent Schools TasmaniaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partner organization that Bitlink has worked with over the past ten years.
• Catholic Education TasmaniaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partner organization that Bitlink has worked with over the past ten years.
• The Smith FamilyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNot-for-profit partner organization that Bitlink has worked with over the past ten years.
• Beacon FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNot-for-profit partner organization that Bitlink has worked with over the past ten years.
• Healthy TasmaniaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNot-for-profit partner organization that Bitlink has worked with over the past ten years.
• Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery (QVMAG)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural institution partner. Bitlink ran a community makerspace in collaboration with QVMAG. James Riggall serves as chair of the QVMAG Governance Advisory Board.
• MONA (Museum of Old and New Art)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural institution partner that Bitlink has worked with over the past ten years.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Scratch Foundation: Curator of Scratch and ScratchJr block-based programming environments plus associated curricula and educator resources for K-8. Competes for the same primary-school Digital Technologies teacher adoption and lesson-time share that Bitlink targets.
• micro:bit Educational Foundation: The non-profit steward of the BBC micro:bit hardware and lesson ecosystem that Bitlink's kit is built around. It is comparable as the upstream platform provider whose curriculum resources and classroom programs compete for the same teacher budget and shelf space.
• Code.org: Provider of free K-12 computer science curricula, teacher professional learning, and Hour of Code. Competes for teacher attention and Digital Technologies/STEM curriculum time at the same primary and secondary school level.
• Raspberry Pi Foundation: Provides low-cost microcomputers (Raspberry Pi Pico/Zero) with extensive free online project resources and lesson content for K-12 and beyond. Adjacent competitor in classroom electronics/computing education with similar teacher-developer audience.
• LEGO Education: Global K-12 STEM education brand with classroom kits (SPIKE, WeDo) and curriculum-aligned lesson plans for primary and secondary schools. Competes with Bitlink for the same school STEM budget lines and teacher adoption decisions.
• Tinkercad (Autodesk): Free browser-based 3D design, electronics simulation and block-coding tool widely used in classrooms. Comparable as a complementary/competing digital platform where teachers deliver introductory electronics and coding lessons.

Emerging players

• SAM Labs: UK-based provider of wireless block-coding electronics kits and STEAM lesson packs for primary and secondary classrooms. Comparable as a niche IoT/STEAM kit-plus-curriculum vendor targeting the same teacher persona as Bitlink.

Direct peers

• Arduino Education: Sells classroom-ready electronics/IoT kits (CTC kits) plus project-based curricula targeting secondary and tertiary STEM. Directly comparable as a hardware-plus-curriculum IoT/electronics education provider serving schools.
• DFRobot (Boson/Micro:bit accessories): Manufacturer of STEM/IoT classroom kits and micro:bit-compatible expansion boards, sensors, and accessories. Comparable as a direct supplier of similar IoT classroom hardware and STEM lesson content for schools worldwide.
• Sphero (BOLT / indi): Sells classroom robotics/coding kits (BOLT, indi) with cross-curricular STEM lessons and a teacher-friendly lesson platform. Directly comparable as a hardware-plus-curriculum K-12 STEM kit vendor with similar teacher-co-design positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/results?search_query=Makers+Treehouse+Bitlink
• Facebookfacebook.com/BitlinkAU

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 bitlink