Sphero builds app-enabled toy robots and consumer products, including a popular BB-8 tie-in from The Force Awakens and licensed toys for Spider-Man and Cars. The company has been shifting strategy toward education and coding toys while maintaining some consumer offerings. Earlier in the year Sphero enacted dozens of layoffs after weak demand for its Disney-branded consumer products. The latest funding will be used for working capital as Sphero pursues an education-first strategy focused on the intersection of play and learning. The company says the recent round has currently raised $12 million and may reach $20 million at final close. Crunchbase lists Sphero's total funding at around $119 million. Sphero produces app-controlled spherical robots and connected play toys (notably its Sphero and Ollie products) and created the BB‑8 droid used in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The company emphasizes technology and IP in its devices and positions products as tools to get younger people interested in computer science, with thousands of units used in coding classes. Management reports hundreds of thousands of units sold across flagship products, approaching 1 million by the end of the year. The company plans to use new funding for product research, IP development, and global expansion. Sphero was co‑founded in 2010 and is based in Boulder, Colorado. The Star Wars partnership has driven renewed momentum and broader commercial opportunity beyond a single product.

Total raised

$57M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Equity

Latest activity

Jun 2018