Cambridge computer company Raspberry Pi considers stock exchange float valuing firm at £500m
UK computer firm Raspberry Pi has confirmed plans to list on the London stock market in a move that could value the firm at a reported £500m.
The Cambridge-based company - known for affordable credit card-sized computers designed to boost coding skills among children - has said it is considering an initial public offering (IPO) on the London Stock Exchange's main market.
It has hired advisers ahead of a possible float and plans to publish a registration document.
It's the latest milestone for a company which was only launched just over a decade ago.
Raspberry Pi timeline
When did the mini-micro computer launch?
When did the mini-micro computer launch?
Raspberry Pi was founded by computer scientist Eben Upton in 2008, before releasing its first product in 2012, It'saim was to inspire the next generation of computer scientists.
Has it been something of a success?
Has it been something of a success?
You could say that.
It's has since sold more than 60 million of its single board computers alone and The group's products are sold across more than 70 countries worldwide.
It even became the fastest-selling computer of all time in 2015.
Raspberry Pi reported revenues of £211.1 million in 2023, with operating profits of £29.8 million.
So people seem to like it?
So people seem to like it?
And then some.
It's proved massively popular with a community of makers, who've created everything from weather monitoring stations to robots.
There's a dedicated community of Raspberry Pi fans - they hold events - called Raspberry Jams (of course!). They're held all over the world - with upcoming events being held in countries as far afield as Malaysia, India, Morroco and China.
The success of Raspberry Pi is the latest landmark in Cambridge's connection to computing.
The city can trace its lineage back to the 19th century. The father of computing was arguably Charles Babbage.
The Lucasian Professor of Mathematics - a post held by Sir Isaac Newton and Stephen Hawking - was the brains behind the Difference Engine.
A video of a recreation of Babbage's machine
Code breaker Alan Turing created a computer called The Bombe to crack the Nazi Enigma code during World War Two. He's also credited with starting the move towards artificial intelligence.
In the 1980s Sir Clive Sinclair helped popularise home computing with the affordable machines the ZX80 and ZX Spectrum.
At around the same time the city helped launch the BBC Micro - which got a generation of schoolchildren hooked on coding.
And earlier this year the UK's fastestever supercomputer became operational and its operators hope it could help crack the challenge of producing limitless green energy.
Eben Upton, founder and chief executive of Raspberry Pi, said: "Raspberry Pi enthusiasts will see the next phase of our development offer unprecedented opportunities for creativity and innovation.
"Our commitment to low-cost computing, a fundamental part of what is special about Raspberry Pi, is unchanged."
The group is a subsidiary of the Raspberry Pi Foundation - a UK charity founded when the company was set up in 2008, with the goal of promoting interest in computer science among young people.
As a major shareholder in Raspberry Pi, the foundation has received around £40m in dividends since 2013, which has been used to advance its educational mission globally, according to the group.
Mr Upton said: "For the Raspberry Pi Foundation, a patient and supportive shareholder, this IPO brings the opportunity to double down on their outstanding work to enable young people to realise their potential through the power of computing.
"We've hugely appreciated their support on our journey so far and are delighted that the foundation will remain a major shareholder."
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