Most online learning platforms – especially those associated with learning tech skills – can be pretty lonely experiences. Some major players with online platforms include Udacity, General Assembly and Bloc.io. A startup from Berlin plans to change that with an approach that lets you learn with a community.
CareerFoundry has now closed its Series A round with funding of $5 million for its online school for web development, iOS development, UX and UI design. The idea is that it works with employers worldwide to place its alumni into paid jobs. The funding was from Tengelmann Ventures, Bauer Venture Partners and IBB Beteiligungsgesellschaft.
Originally, CareerFoundry hacked the product together using Google Hangouts. After proving the social side, they raised funding.
CareerFoundry’s community provides students, mentors and employers with a network of people to tap into for employment. It’s seeded the community with expert mentors from tech giants like Apple and Amazon who coach students one on one, and claims its alumni have gone on to work for the likes of AT&T, Donna Karen and Wagepoint.
Unusually, it also offers a full refund of course fees if a student isn’t placed in a “job they love” within six months of graduating. This is possibly a first, but may also be hard to define.
Raffaela Rein, CEO of CareerFoundry, says the funding will allow them to “sharpen our focus on community, student success and employer relations.”