codecademy-series-d

What $40M in Series D funding means for the future of Codecademy

02/23/2021

Last February, just before the pandemic changed everything around the world, we welcomed our 100,000th Pro learner. In March we helped students transition to learning from home with the launch of a scholarship program, while our team transitioned to working remotely.

In 2020, new Pro learners helped us donate 100,000 Pro memberships to workers in need and we’ve been inspired by the perseverance and grit of community members that overcame the odds to learn new skills, change careers, and build something meaningful.

A year later, we’re thrilled to announce our next big step forward: the close of our Series D funding round. We’ve raised $40M in a round led by Owl Ventures, the world’s largest edtech-focused venture capital fund, with participation from existing investors Prosus and Union Square Ventures.

A new phase in our journey

This round of funding signals an exciting new phase in our journey here at Codecademy. So far, we’ve helped 50 million learners to get started and unlock their potential through coding. Now we’re turning our attention toward fulfilling our mission of empowering hundreds of millions of people everywhere to transform their lives through education. We’ll offer more subjects, greater depth, and content for learners at all stages of their learning journeys.

In the coming months and years, here’s what you can expect:

If you’re a beginner:

We’ll be investing even more in our learner experience — further expanding our interactive learning capabilities and introducing new features to help you get unstuck, problem solve, practice, and find support along your learning journey. Plus, we’ll be expanding our curriculum to cover even more domains, unlocking job opportunities for learners in the next generation of technical fields.

If you’re an experienced software engineer:

We recently released Java for Programmers, our first course for learners that are already familiar with coding, and this is just the start. We’ll be building out our library of content with even more advanced courses to help you get up to speed on new languages and providing resources to help you grow throughout your time as a developer. We’ll also be expanding into brand new domains to help seasoned developers acquire new skills.

If you’re looking for a career change:

In 2020 we introduced new and improved Career Paths, built to prepare you for entry-level positions in engineering and data science, including portfolio-building, interview prep, and more. Career Paths currently span Computer Science, Data Science, Front-End, Back-End, and Full-Stack Software Engineering. We recently launched our Data Analyst Career Path and are working on even more content in this space and adjacent areas.

If you’re at an organization:

Earlier this year we launched Codecademy for Teams, and we’ll be expanding our Codecademy for Business offering. Our business product is currently being used for technical training and coding education by over 700 organizations, including Fortune 500s, media brands, universities, financial institutions, and more, looking to empower employee innovation, foster problem-solving skills, encourage cross-functional communication, keep teams engaged and connected through learning, and prepare employees for the future digital-first workplace.

If you’re a student:

In 2020, we launched a new Pro Student membership, and we’ll be continuing to enable students to learn and connect with one another. We’re starting with a revamp of our Computer Science curriculum, which will lay the groundwork for more university-equivalent content in the future.

Here at Codecademy, we have always been committed to empowering people to transform their lives and build something meaningful with technology. With this investment, we’re excited to make this transformation possible for even more people around the globe through more interactive learning capabilities, a wider breadth and depth of content, and more resources and support for learners along the way.

We’re looking forward to all that’s in store and can’t wait to share it with you! Want to learn more about our fundraise? Check out our coverage in TechCrunch, EdSurge, and The Wall Street Journal. Our co-founder and CEO Zach Sims also shares more on Medium.

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