Irish headquartered PCH International is teaming up with open source electronics firm LittleBits as part of its accelerator programme.

Under the deal, PCH will begin producing LittleBits products from next month.

The company offers electronic building blocks that snap together with magnets, making it easy to build anything from interactive race cars to Mother’s Day cards, without the need for engineering, programming or wiring knowledge.

Chief executive Ayah Bdeir said he wanted LittleBits to become an affordable educational tool used in schools. “Our new funding and relationship with PCH means that we can now grab the momentum, build a team of superstars and reach even more people around the world.”

The company debuted in September last year, and has recently won $3.65 million in a funding round led by True Ventures, Khosla Ventures, O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures and Lerer Ventures. It already makes 30 products, which have been sold to parents, artists, designers, developers, schools and universities in countries ranging from the US and Australia to Mexico and the UK.

“Ayah has the vision and ability to take the company global and make it a household name,” said PCH International chief executive Liam Casey. “We work with companies that are passionate about design, passionate about their brand and about the consumer experience.”

The accelerator programme helps start-ups to develop product ideas quickly and efficiently to a point where they are ready for commercial production.