iconoClass, a French EdTech startup that provides intensive training to students and guarantees them a permanent job contract, recently announced it has raised $3.6 million in a new funding round.
The round was led by Brighteye Ventures and Mustard Seed Maze and joined by business angels including Cédric Sellin, Josef Bovet (SumUp, ex Tiller), and Bruno Sola (Business).
Launched in 2019, iconoClass is one of the first education technology platforms dedicated to all business development careers. It offers a four-month intensive training program for roles such as sales development representative, business developer, customer success manager, account manager, sales ops, and commercial/B2B sales representative with practice-based learning from working professionals who recruit in their companies. Additionally, the platform guarantees its students a permanent job contract with one of its many partner companies at the end of the course.
iconoClass places no condition for educational background and course fees on its students. It focuses on two main things – the potential and motivation of the students, and the company covers all their tuition fees until they are hired.
Marie Taquet, Founder and CEO of iconoClass, said,
“By creating iconoClass, I wanted to offer excellent education to as many people as possible, regardless of educational background and financial means. We’re proud of our pioneering role in intensively training valued and well-paid professions such as business development. This funding will allow us to speed up our strike force at a time when student precariousness is becoming an economic and social emergency that must be resolved efficiently.”
With the new funding, iconoClass plans to focus on four key priorities for accelerating the development and growth of its unique training model, including opening in London, launching the iconoClass Tech Platform to deploy and develop online and English training courses, expanding to three physical locations, and doubling its workforce.
The selection process for enrolling in the training at iconoClass involves three steps. First, Online Questionnaire (20-25 minutes), which consists of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) and open questions on topics including personality, way of working, and motivation. Second, Online Practice (30-45 minutes) where a concrete case will be carried out so the candidate realizes if he/she likes the job and for the company to know his/her potential. Third, Maintenance (30 minutes – Face to Face) where selected candidates will come and meet either through video or at iconoClass School for an interview to explain their motivations and prove their potential.
iconoClass claims 97% of its students are getting hired at $43K average annual salary on exit. Some of the recruiting partners of iconoClass include Doctolib, BackMarket, Deliveroo, Spendesk, Tiller, Gazprom, SumUp, Lydia, Cdiscount, Partoo, Mansa, Germinal, and Get Accept, among many others.
