 | Celebrating 40 Years of Innovation: How Boxlight Has Helped Shape the Story of EdTech |
A look back at the people, products and partnerships that have fueled Boxlight’s impact on education for four decades
When Boxlight was founded in 1985, the edtech industry was still in its infancy. Personal computing was just starting to make its way into classrooms. Overhead projectors were the most cutting-edge way to present content. Digital presentation tools were rare, expensive or nonexistent.
What Boxlight brought to the space, first through groundbreaking projection systems and later through integrated campus communication and safety solutions, transformed how classrooms functioned. The launch of our patented interactive projector marked a major shift in instructional technology, setting a new benchmark for classroom engagement and accelerating demand for solutions that could match its impact. Since then, Boxlight has continued to lead the industry and raise the bar for innovation.
Now, as we celebrate our Ruby Jubilee, the milestone feels especially fitting. Rubies have long symbolized brilliance, resilience and lasting commitment—qualities that reflect Boxlight’s story over the past 40 years. Their vibrant hue and enduring strength call to mind the energy, clarity and determination that have guided our work in education since the beginning.
As the edtech landscape has grown more dynamic and complex, Boxlight remains a trusted leader, adapting, advancing and helping schools confidently navigate change. In fact, our journey reflects the evolution of the industry itself.
Let’s look back at the milestones that shaped both.
1985 | Boxlight is founded by Herb and Sloan Myers in the San Francisco Bay Area. What began with two phone lines in a basement and a passion for better presentations quickly grows into a brand synonymous with projection excellence. |
1986 | Boxlight sells the third LCD projection panel ever produced, placing the company at the forefront of a technology revolution in education and business. |
1989 | The company relocates its headquarters to Poulsbo, Washington, anchoring itself in the Pacific Northwest’s growing tech landscape. |
1994 | Boxlight is named to the Inc. 500 List as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America.  |
1995 | With vivid color, compact design and brightness capable of overcoming ambient light, Boxlight’s 3080 projector sets a new standard for performance and portability. |
1996 | The company expands into a larger headquarters, launches boxlight.com and solidifies its reputation as a trusted partner for education and government, as well as business professionals on the go. |
1998 | Boxlight creates ActiveLight and Boxlight Academy while navigating the loss of co-founder Sloan Myers—a pivotal moment in the company’s journey. |
2000 | Under the leadership of Hank and Sunshine Nance, Boxlight continues to grow, launching Studio Experience for the home theater market. The brand generates $6 million in its first year and opens a new vertical for innovation. |
2001 | New divisions serve resellers and global markets. Boxlight Latinoamérica is established to meet growing demand across Latin America. |
2006 | Boxlight introduces the BumbleBee, the smallest projector in the world at the time, expanding its innovation into ultra-compact technology and earning award recognition at InfoComm. |
2007 | The company launches ProjectoWrite, the first interactive projector on the market. Boxlight owns the patent for this award-winning, category-defining technology, which also wins awards at InfoComm. |
2008 | The Nance family takes over and relaunches Boxlight, ushering in a new era of leadership, renewed momentum and a greater focus on education. |
2010 | Boxlight launches its Lamps 4 Life, the first program to offer free replacement projector lamps for life. At a time when lamp costs are a major burden for schools, this bold move reshapes the market and sets Boxlight apart. Boxlight also earns awards at InfoComm and hosts NASCAR’s Car 11 at its corporate headquarters. |
2012 | Boxlight wins Tech Innovator of the Year at the American Business Awards, continuing to build its profile as a re-emerging force in technology. |
2013 | Boxlight wins Best New Products at the American Business Awards and begins early conversations about becoming a publicly traded company. |
2014 | The company relocates its corporate headquarters to Atlanta, aligning operations with a major edtech hub.Mark Elliott leads as Chairman and CEO. |
2016 | Boxlight begins a new era of strategic growth through several key acquisitions:
Mimio was founded in 1997 when a group of MIT students launched MimioCapture. Throughout the 2000s, it expanded with MimioXi, MimioPad and an evolving MimioStudio. In 2010, under Newell, Mimio introduced a new generation of devices designed for 21st-century classrooms, with full support for Windows, Mac and Linux. By 2012, the company offered a complete suite of tools for classroom control, integration, collaboration and assessment. Mimio also launched MimioMobile, acquired WebSprout, and introduced the MimioLessons platform. By that time, MimioStudio was supported in 33 languages.   |
2017 | Boxlight (BOXL) becomes a publicly traded company, debuting on NASDAQ. |
2018 | Boxlight continues its expansion with the acquisitions of Cohubarate, EOS Education, Modern Robotics and Qwizdom.EOS Education is recognized for its high-impact professional development focused on educational technology. The acquisition strengthens Boxlight’s ability to support effective implementation, helping educators confidently use the tools their schools invest in. EOS becomes the foundation of Boxlight’s professional learning services, delivering training aligned with classroom practice and district goals.Modern Robotics, a developer of hands-on STEM kits and coding solutions, is the first in a series of acquisitions that expand Boxlight’s footprint in STEM education. Its addition opens new opportunities to engage students in robotics, engineering and computer science, reinforcing Boxlight’s commitment to real-world, future-ready learning.Qwizdom, founded by Ray Beamish in 1984, brings decades of expertise in interactive audience response systems. Known for RF clickers, presenter tablets and real-time analytics software, Qwizdom enhances Boxlight’s assessment and engagement offerings. Its Q5 and Q7 models become classroom standards, adding powerful feedback tools to the Boxlight portfolio.    |
2020 | Michael Pope takes the lead as Chairman and CEO.Boxlight acquires Robo3D, enhancing its STEM learning offerings. Founded by Braydon Moreno and Coby Kabili in 2012 at San Diego State University, Robo3D gained early recognition for its open-material 3D printers and successful Kickstarter launch. The company was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) in 2016 and expanded its product line to serve the education market.In 2018, Robo3D acquired MyStemKits, a K–12 STEM curriculum platform that provides standards-aligned lessons and 3D-printable models. Founded by Laron Walker and Hannah Daniels in 2013, in partnership with the Florida Center for Research in STEM (FCR-STEM), MyStemKits quickly became the largest library of its kind. Since then, it has expanded to support Labdisc all-in-one science labs, Xploris STEAM labs, robotics and virtual learning environments.It also acquires Sahara Presentation Systems, parent company of Clevertouch, a UK-based brand with roots dating back to 1924. Originally formed as the Express Typewriter Company, Clevertouch evolved into a leader in interactive displays and digital signage, joining Boxlight’s portfolio with nearly a century of technology innovation.   |
2021 | The launch of Clevertouch Technologies and ClevertouchLive marks a new chapter in interactive collaboration and digital signage, building on Clevertouch’s legacy of innovation in large-format displays and classroom software like LYNX Whiteboard. Boxlight also acquires:
FrontRow, originally known as Phonic Ear, was founded in 1963 as HC Electronics by Ruth and Scott Holden. Ruth, a school-based speech-language pathologist, and Scott, an engineer, launched the company to help students overcome speech and hearing challenges. In 1997, Demant A/S acquired Phonic Ear, later rebranding it as FrontRow. In 2011, FrontRow merged with Minnesota-based Calypso Systems.Headquartered in Sonoma County, California with offices in Canada, Denmark, China, Australia and the UK, FrontRow serves more than 5,000 U.S. K–12 districts and operates in at least 25 countries. Its reliable solutions for classroom audio, intercom, paging and emergency communication enhance Boxlight’s ability to support clear, unified communication across learning and operational environments.    |
2022 | Boxlight is named Overall EdTech Company of the Year by the EdTech Breakthrough Awards, recognizing its commitment to empowering educators and improving outcomes. The award highlights Boxlight’s dynamic portfolio of solutions, from interactive displays and real-time assessment tools to STEM resources and professional development. With trusted brands like Mimio, MimioSTEM, EOS Education, Clevertouch Technologies and FrontRow, Boxlight stands out for its ability to bring cutting-edge, results-driven, comprehensive solutions to the modern classroom. |
2023 | Boxlight and its brands earn widespread industry recognition, winning more than a dozen “Best of” Awards from leading edtech and audio-visual publications. These honors highlight the company’s continued innovation across interactive displays, digital signage, classroom software and audio solutions.  |
2024 | Dale Strang named CEO.Boxlight takes bold, forward-looking steps to advance how schools and workplaces communicate, respond and collaborate in real time. Ranked #28 globally and #9 in the U.S. on TIME Magazine’s World’s Top EdTech Companies list, Boxlight is recognized for its innovation and growing influence across education and enterprise environments.Clevertouch earns ISO 27001 certification, reinforcing Boxlight’s commitment to secure, enterprise-ready solutions. The company also advances its unified platform strategy, streamlining audio, alerting and digital signage technologies to help schools and workplaces share critical information in real time. |
A Legacy That Moves Education Forward