In this member spotlight published in November 2020, the Whitewater University Innovation Center features Liz Eversoll, founder and CEO of Meeper Technology.
What does the company do? What products/services do you offer?
meeperBOT 2.0 + STEM
Meeper is on a mission to close the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Gap in early education. Meeper provides electronic meeperBOTS to help children learn how to code as well as provides a supplemental educational curriculum and lessons. Meeper enriches play and promotes STEM learning with robotics, coding, and building experiences.
Who is your target market?
Meeper strives to build cool, exciting STEM toys that kids love so that they can create a fun, educational, and unique experience for all.
As a consumer product, the meeperBOT appeals to children ages 5 to 12. The MeepBOT 2.0 STEM turns your brick creations into moveable masterpieces! It is a versatile remote control toy that is controlled by the meeperBOT controller app and purchased on their website. The Meeper Smart Home Circuit Kit features the Meeper circuit control, STEM circuit lessons, and over 20 projects with hundreds of parts.
As an early education product, the Meeper robotics cover all four pillars of STEM and is ideal for children ages 5 to 12. Teachers integrate Meeper kits and curriculums into the classroom. Meeper offers various curriculums including robotics lessons (i.e. ROBOT:IT), STEM lessons for coding (i.e. STEM:IT), and game design and development (i.e. GAME:IT). Additionally, Meeper offers both student, teacher, and classroom robotic kits. Meeper aims to engage girls and boys at early ages to make learning fun!
What was your company's latest and greatest achievement?
The Remote Robotic curriculum allows students to control and code the teacher BOTS and Circuits via the Meeper Control Room.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, students were transitioned to a remote learning environment. Meeper quickly realized the need to teach STEM in a remote learning environment and launched a new Remote Robotic curriculum in 60 days!
Digital lessons were not sufficient, rather children needed access to the physical roBOTS and circuits to code control, experiment and learn, and bring the digital lessons to life. Remote Robotics allows teachers with the physical circuits and BOTS to host a Meeper Control Room where students see the BOTS, control the circuit or BOT remotely, and share the code with a teacher to execute on the BOTS and circuits.
Who is the team?
Liz Eversoll is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Meeper Technology. Eversoll has over 30 years of experience in the IT industry and extensive experience as a business owner. Eversoll is supported by a small team including a developer, her husband who specializes in electronics and designs, and countless interns.
Meeper has formed valuable partnerships over the years. Meeper teamed up with Elenco Electronics, Inc. to integrate Snap Circuits® Parts into the Meeper Circuit Control. In another example, NASCO Education provides distribution.
Why did you start your company? How has the company evolved?
Founded in 2014, the meeperBOT was inspired by an engineer whose 6-year-old son wanted a Lego ™ that moves. The first meeperBOT was soon created, which enabled the child to move the BOT and Legos via a smartphone app. Kids would wait in line for hours to play with one of the meeperBOTS!
As teachers, librarians, and STEM-minded parents saw the product, they requested to add it to their curriculum. This encouraged Meeper to move beyond a consumer product into a learning tool for STEM education. This fueled Meeper to close the STEM Gap in early education and to engage girls.
As Eversoll observed children with Meeper products at events and school functions, she observed that boys were eager to play with the toy. Parents with both a son and daughter would ask the boy if they wanted to play with the toy many times, but not ask the daughter. Other times, when asked to play, the girls would hesitate or just say no because they did not know how. Sometimes the daughters would play with the BOTS but remain hesitatant with the APP and controls. Meeper aims to close the STEM gap and engage young girls in STEM Learning.
Ultimately, Meeper recognizes that STEM is hard to teach and there is STEM gap. The meeperBOT and curriculum aim to overcome this challenge by promoting STEM learning with robotics, coding, and building experience at home and in the classroom.
What is your favorite thing about your job and/or the company?
Eversoll has extensive experiences as a business owner, IT executive, technology services and reseller executive, and consultant. She is a serial entrepreneur who loves the startup world and enjoys conquering new challenges. Eversoll loves wearing multiple hats – one day she is doing product development and another day the sales and marketing.
What inspires you to keep going, pursuing your dream?
Eversoll loves STEM, technology, and computer science. As she moves further along in her career, Eversoll wants to “provide young girls with expose to STEM so that girls can pursue STEM related careers.”
When did you join the Whitewater Innovation Center?
Choton Basu introduced Meeper to the Innovation Center. In the initial Innovation Center tour provided by Choton and Mark, Eversoll recalls their excitement of what the center brings to the community and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. The excitement and entrepreneurial spirit drew Meeper to the Innovation Center. Meeper joined the Innovation Center in 2014 and is in Suite #220.
Why do you work out of an incubator? And more importantly, why the Whitewater University Innovation Center?
As a small, lean company, Meeper needed affordable, professional space with all the amenities. With proximity to the university, Meeper has facilitated countless internship classes of 6-10 interns. The Innovation Center has also provided introductions and connections to community members who helped support the growth of Meeper.
Furthermore, the Innovation Center has provided support in raising capital and facilitating introductions. Meeper is currently in an open investment round. Meeper has a lead investor but is always seeking individuals who want to support STEM education.
Have you collaborated or partnered with other clients at the Innovation Center?
In the early years, Meeper teamed up with other electronic companies in the Innovation Center and learned valuable lessons. Even though the internship program has recently been challenged due to COVID-19, Meeper has provided dozens of student internships and intends to continue to do so in the future. Eversoll also works with the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater’s Coding and Gaming Program and has served as an advisor.