Pimoroni
1 known investors
Sheffield-based hobbyist electronics company that designs, manufactures and sells Raspberry Pi and microcontroller add-ons and kits.
Also known as Pimoroni Ltd · Pimoroni Ltd.
Investors · 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Pimoroni Ltd is a British hobbyist electronics company based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, that designs, manufactures and sells hardware for makers, educators and hobbyists. Founded in 2012, the company started by selling a laser-cut acrylic case for the Raspberry Pi (the Pibow) and has since expanded into a broad catalogue of add-on boards and components for Raspberry Pi, Raspberry Pi Pico, micro:bit and other small computers, as well as RP2040-based microcontroller boards.
The company operates its own PCB production lines at its Sheffield workshop, which it says can be reconfigured quickly for smaller development runs, and continues to laser-cut Pibow cases. Its production team tests each board it manufactures. Alongside boards, Pimoroni produces assembled kits including Picade, a desktop arcade machine, and Trilobot, an educational robot, and markets product lines such as Badgerware badge devices (Badger 2350, Tufty 2350, Blinky 2350), Inky Impression e-ink displays, the Hey Presto touchscreen desktop companion, Matter-enabled air quality monitors and the SPOKE USB touch controller.
In addition to its own products, Pimoroni is an official reseller for Raspberry Pi, Adafruit, micro:bit, SparkFun and other brands, and publishes tutorials and open-source software, including custom MicroPython firmware builds and C/C++ libraries for Raspberry Pi Pico and RP2040/RP2350 boards.
Founding story
Pimoroni Ltd was founded in 2012 in Sheffield by Jon (Jonathan) Williamson and Paul Beech, initially with the aim of selling a colourful laser-cut acrylic case for the then-new Raspberry Pi single-board computer. The company name stands for Pirate, Monkey, Robot, Ninja (Pi-Mo-Ro-Ni).
Business model
Pimoroni combines in-house design and manufacturing of electronics products with distribution and retail of third-party maker hardware. Products are sold directly through its own online store, which ships internationally, via a wholesale store aimed at schools, universities and maker groups, through more than 100 distributors worldwide, and at community events. The company also undertakes bespoke product development for institutional and corporate clients.
Revenue comes from sales of self-manufactured electronics, kits and cases, resale of third-party maker and education brands, bulk/wholesale purchasing by schools, universities and maker groups, and bespoke product development contracts.
Traction
The company employs forty people across engineering, creative, administration, production, shipping, support and logistics. It sells through more than 100 worldwide distributors, has sold over 175,000 units of its original Raspberry Pi acrylic case, and has run crowdfunding campaigns including Picade and 32blit, the latter raising £93,480 on Kickstarter by 1 July 2019. It has produced bespoke products for universities and companies including Google, Microsoft and GitHub.
Latest developments
Current product lines promoted on the company's store include the Badger 2350, Tufty 2350 and Blinky 2350 badge boards, Inky Impression six-colour E Ink displays in three sizes, the Hey Presto 4-inch touchscreen desktop companion, Pibow frames for the Raspberry Pi 5 and 10-inch touch display, an Aye Arr infrared remote kit, Matter-enabled air quality monitors and the SPOKE USB touch controller. Pimoroni's documentation notes support for Raspberry Pi Pico W and, as of 2024, the RP2350-based Pico 2 and Pico 2 W.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Pimoroni describes itself as one of the best-known maker suppliers in the UK and is an official reseller for Raspberry Pi, Adafruit, micro:bit and SparkFun. In 2017 the University of Sheffield named it the second fastest growing manufacturing company in the UK. Its original Raspberry Pi acrylic case has sold more than 175,000 units.
Pimoroni designs and manufactures its own products locally in Sheffield rather than outsourcing, operating in-house PCB assembly lines and laser cutters that allow short and flexible production runs. It pairs this with a curated reseller catalogue, custom MicroPython firmware and open-source libraries for its boards, and beginner-oriented documentation and tutorials.
Technology
In-house PCB production lines including a Europlacer atom3 pick-and-place machine installed in 2020, plus five laser cutters used for acrylic Pibow cases. Products include add-on boards (HATs, packs, breakouts) for Raspberry Pi, micro:bit and Raspberry Pi Pico, RP2040-based microcontroller boards, e-ink and IPS display devices, air quality sensors with Matter support, and robotics kits. Software includes a custom MicroPython build with bundled drivers for Pimoroni boards and Breakout Garden breakouts, distributed as .uf2 images via its pimoroni-pico GitHub repository, along with C/C++ SDK examples and libraries. Reported web technologies include Nginx and Ubuntu.
Go-to-market
Direct-to-consumer sales through its own web store with international shipping, a wholesale store offering bulk discounts to schools, universities and maker groups, a network of over 100 worldwide distributors, and presence at community events. The company supports demand through free online learning guides, open-source software and sponsorship of maker events and projects.
Hobbyists, makers and electronics enthusiasts; beginners learning microcontroller and physical computing; schools, universities and maker groups buying in bulk; and corporate/institutional clients commissioning bespoke boards, including Google, Microsoft and GitHub.
Geography
Headquartered and manufacturing in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK, at Unit 1 Parkway Business Centre, Parkway Drive. The company opened its first international branch in Essen, Germany in 2017, ships directly to many countries from its online store, and sells through more than 100 distributors worldwide. Its store quotes prices in GBP, USD, EUR, JPY, AUD, NOK, CHF, NZD and CAD, with orders billed in GBP.
History
Pimoroni Ltd was founded in 2012 in Sheffield by Jon (Jonathan) Williamson and Paul Beech to sell a laser-cut acrylic case for the Raspberry Pi. Its Picade arcade machine kit was described as the UK's first Kickstarter campaign, and by 1 July 2019 the company had raised £93,480 on Kickstarter for 32blit, a retro-style handheld console with an open-source SDK. In 2017 the University of Sheffield named Pimoroni the second fastest growing manufacturing company in the UK, and that same year the company opened its first international branch in Essen, Germany. In 2020 it installed a Europlacer atom3 pick-and-place machine, and in 2021, after negotiating a 10-year lease, it consolidated staff and operations into a new Sheffield headquarters at Parkway Drive, doubling production, research and development, and warehousing space.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 5
launches, deals, and filingsAfter negotiating a 10-year lease on a new headquarters building, the company consolidated all staff and operations onto one site at Parkway Drive, Sheffield, doubling production, R&D and warehousing space.
Pimoroni upgraded its main pick-and-place machine to a Europlacer atom3, which the company describes as the first in the UK and five times faster than its previous iineo+ machine.
By 1 July 2019 Pimoroni had raised £93,480 on Kickstarter to fund 32blit, a retro-style handheld console with an open-source SDK.
The University of Sheffield named Pimoroni the second fastest growing manufacturing company in the UK.
Pimoroni opened its first international branch, located in Essen, Germany.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- The ultimate Maker store - Pimoronishop.pimoroni.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Pimoroni do?
- Sheffield-based hobbyist electronics company that designs, manufactures and sells Raspberry Pi and microcontroller add-ons and kits.
- Who are Pimoroni's investors?
- Pimoroni's investors include Coral Reef IO.