FourthRev, a London-based EdTech startup which works to close the digital skills gap, has raised £2.3 million in a seed funding round led by US-based VC Reach Capital.
The round also saw participation from existing investors Emerge Education and Dunce Capital, and angel investors Craig Pines – an experienced education executive – and Charlie Songhurst – former Head of Corporate Strategy at Microsoft.
Founded by Jack Hylands and Omar de Silva in 2019, FourthRev collaborates with universities, tech companies and employers to offer online learning for students requiring skills to flourish in the digital economy. The startup targets lifelong learners as well as graduates to boost employment prospects, while addressing the wide digital skills gap across the globe.
FourthRev offers courses on Data Analytics, Cloud Architecture, Development and Operation and Platform, and Software Development and Integration among others. Currently, its courses are available via 11 higher educational institutions worldwide including UK’s University of Coventry and FutureLearn, University of California and Irvine in the US, and RMIT and University of Canberra in Australia.
Commenting on the funding, Jack Hylands, Co-founder of FourthRev, said,
“It’s our hope that with this investment, we will be able to build on our unique global partnerships and our world-class online learning experiences, to unlock the opportunities which a digital economy offers society and address this growing problem of our time.”
The company plans to use the investment for global expansion, further develop its platform, and double the number of higher education institution partners in the coming months.
Shauntel Garvey, General Partner at Reach Capital, said in a statement,
“We believe work-integrated learning solutions like FourthRev will continue to gain traction as learners seek experiences that combine academic learning with in-demand skills. We look forward to partnering with Hylands and de Silva, whose global networks and experience across education and technology make them uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between higher education and industry.”
Jan Lynn-Matern, Founder and Partner of Emerge Education, also commented,
“FourthRev is creating a new education category at the intersection of these two stakeholder groups that has the potential to achieve this. We’re very excited to be doubling down on our investment and supporting the management team to the next step.”
FourthRev has, since its inception, built courses with multiple global tech giants including AWS, Salesforce, Tableau, and GitHub. The latest funding comes after the pre-seed round of £450K the two founders has raised in February 2020.
FourthRev aims to become the world’s leading enabler of employability outcomes for graduates and lifelong learners in the digital economy.
