We enable people to learn through play and exploration of technology. Our groundbreaking build-it-yourself kits have inspired children and adults to break through their own barriers and learn to build and code whilst having fun.Our kits are fully Open Source. This means that as well as providing the physical and computational parts you need to build them we provide all of the design and production files you need to reproduce them. We think by sharing them you can learn more from the products, and we can learn more from you!Mime Industries has been formed from two independent companies. Mirobot and MeArm Robotics. Both had great success with their own laser cut, open source robot kits, but their founders Ben Pirt and Benjamin Gray thought that together they’d have a better chance of taking over the world!Ben Pirt has been working as a CTO in startups since 2002 when he founded the energy monitoring hardware company Onzo. Since then he’s worked on platforms for the Internet of Things (Pachube / Xively) and on renewable technologies for the developing world. After creating Mirobot in his spare time for his two kids he decided to shift it up a gear and make it a product others could use. Two successful Kickstarters later and Mirobot is being used in over 50 countries around the world to help kids learn about technology, coding and engineering.Benjamin Gray has been around the Maker scene since 2003 when he founded Phenoptix, an online purveyors of fine electronic goods. Since then he’s completed a PhD in Theoretical Chemistry, attended Oktoberfest five times, run a couple of marathons and fathered three wonderful children. Also over a few days in 2014, with the help of a friend, he stumbled on the viral success of the MeArm which went on to raise nearly £25k on Kickstarter.

The MeArm is your robot. A flat pack personal robot arm that you can build with nothing but a screwdriver and enthusiasm.MeArm Limited was founded to manufacture, promote and develop the interest in the MeArm robot arm. It has had an excellent start with a very successful campaign on the crowdfunding site Kickstarter. Recently hailed as the world's first viral robot, the MeArm has been built on six out of seven continents and has a growing community of international builders and contributors. It's success has been made possible by the Open Source nature of the design which allows the plans to be spread and shared as long as the original design is credited. My role within MeArm is ever changing as the demands of the business grow. We are currently growing at a rapid pace!

At Kitronik I was responsible for the introduction of new products from external sources, and also managed the licencing of the MeArm product line. Kitronik produces the MeArm under licence and sells worldwide. The MeArm is a robot arm kit for STEAM education.

What started as a pocket money project with an initial investment of £20 ended eleven years later with a peak turnover of £250,000.This business focused on the hobby market for electronics components, incubating on eBay in the UK and growing into several market places including a popular website www.phenoptix.com.The product range grew from a single line to over two thousand products, taking on interesting new technologies as they evolved onto the market, like the Arduino and Raspberry Pi. The MeArm robot spun out of this company and became the focus of product development within the business and in late 2014 the decision was made to spin out a new start up to develop and launch the MeArm product in its own right.

Working from everyone from the 'Big Four' accountancy firms to sole practitioners this recruitment role honed my sales skills with practical experience and excellent training.In addition to this was the primary point of contact for internal Audit and Tax in Industry, specialising in: audit, accounts, taxation, corporate finance, corporate recovery, insolvency, internal audit, risk, assurance.Working in recruitment for a blue chip firm was an invaluable learning experience and in the time spent at Michael Page I made some excellent friends.