BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Scratch, the creative coding platform for kids, announced today a five-year commitment from Vista Equity Partners (“Vista”), a leading investment firm focused on enterprise software, data, and technology-enabled businesses. The partnership will enable Scratch to expand creative learning opportunities for youth from underserved communities, enhancing access to education across the globe.
Vista will provide financial assistance and explore additional opportunities to support Scratch’s mission to engage children in thinking creatively, reasoning systematically, and working collaboratively, while gaining valuable coding experience. Vista’s support will help Scratch continue to provide its programming language free of charge in more than 40 languages, reaching children from all backgrounds in more than 150 countries around the world. Additionally, the partnership will help Scratch strengthen its robust efforts to attract new users; currently, approximately 1 million new users join the platform each month.
“We’re excited about our new partnership with Vista, a company that has done so much to spread access to technology and education to so many people and bring about change in the world,” said Scratch Founder and Chair Mitchel Resnick. “Vista’s commitment will help us expand opportunities for children to engage in creative learning experiences through coding.”
In October, Scratch honored Vista Equity Partners’ Founder, Chairman, and CEO Robert F. Smith at its annual Scratch Foundation Benefit for his work in spreading access and opportunity in computer sciences to underserved communities.
“We’re proud to partner with Scratch to support the tremendous work they’re doing helping children of all ages, from all backgrounds, to challenge themselves and expand their imaginations through code,” said Robert F. Smith, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Vista. “Scratch’s cause fits perfectly with the values we’ve worked for years to promote as a company and a global community, and we look forward to helping them advance it even further.”
About Scratch
Millions of young people around the world (mostly ages 8-16) are using the Scratch coding language to create their own interactive stories, games, and animations—and sharing their creations with one another in the Scratch online community (scratch.mit.edu). As young people create and share Scratch projects, they learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively, essential skills for everyone in today’s society.
