Born in the Ukraine and educated in America and the U.K., Mark has always been a tinkerer, finding creative ways to solve problems. While studying to become a biologist at Princeton University, Mark traveled to Ghana to implement a game-based public health curriculum for children. However, he found that the reason public health was lacking was not because of any lack of knowledge, but rather the lack of infrastructure and tools necessary for change.

"I thought, why am I doing research in a lab, pipetting all day long, when I could be creating something that could impact millions of kids everywhere, and give them a way to move forward themselves?"

The trip to Africa inspired Mark to change his focus at The University of Oxford, towards the early prototypes of what became the Piper Computer Kit — a DIY computer that anyone, anywhere in the world, can build. You can watch a video about the story behind Mark’s vision for Piper and what he hopes to empower kids to do here. In 2018, Mark was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 in Education for bringing his vision to thousands of schools and homes around the globe.