Startup Profile: Raspberry Pi

  • Raspberry Pi is a series of small single-board computers developed in the UK.
  • The Raspberry Pi Foundation promotes the teaching of computer science in schools and in developing countries.
  • In December 2019, computer sales surpassed 30 Million. 

 

About Raspberry Pi

 

The Raspberry Pi Foundation was founded in 2009 as a registered charity based in Cambridgeshire, UK. In 2013, the organisation split into two parts; the Raspberry Pi Foundation, responsible for charitable and educational activities, and Raspberry Pi (Trading) Ltd, responsible for engineering and trading activities. Raspberry Pi offers a range of low-cost, high-performance PCs with several generations of Pis released since 2012. By December 2019, computer sales had surpassed 30 Million. 

 

raspberry pi 3
The Raspberry Pi 3 single-board computer.

 

 

 

How Does it Work?

 

Raspberry Pi continues to invest in hardware and their latest product, Raspberry Pi 4, was launched in June last year. The tiny, dual-display desktop computer is about the size of a credit-card and plugs into a computer monitor or TV. It enables people of all ages to explore computing and learn programming languages such as Scratch and Python. 

 

The $35 computer also provides a comprehensive PC user experience, including web browsing, high-def video, word-processing, and gaming. It aims to help its users make the transition from content consumption to content creation. These products promote access to affordable general-purpose computing hardware for everyone, particularly young people, to ensure they achieve their full potential. Raspberry Pi hopes to see kids all over the world using these tiny-computers to learn to program and understand how they work. 

Raspberry Pi also maintains forums on which engineers engage with users to help them get the most out of their platforms and products. The Raspberry blog offers additional information about using Pis, suggests exciting projects and informs about upcoming events.

 

 

The Raspberry Pi Foundation

 

The Raspberry Pi Foundation is a charity working globally to share the power of computing and digital technologies. It aims to educate more people on how to harness these technologies for work, problem-solving or creative expression. The Raspberry Pi Foundation helps millions of young people to learn computing through a thriving network of clubs and events, and partnerships with youth organisations. They also work alongside schools to offer students the opportunity to study computing and computer science through curriculums, resources, and teacher training. The Piacademy is a free face-to-face professional development programme supporting educators in computing. The two-day training event is held at venues around the UK and North America.

 

A Piacademy event
Piacademy training teachers in the US.

 

The foundation runs events throughout the year, including Coolest Projects UK and Coolest Projects International events where Raspberry Pi enthusiasts can show off their work. These occasions are hailed as the world’s leading technology events for young people. Unfortunately, amid Covid-19, this years events have been cancelled. However, The Cambridge Computing Education Research Symposium went ahead yesterday (1/04/20), conducted online. The research symposium was a first for the Raspberry Pi Foundation who hosted alongside the University of Cambridge.