Springpod, a UK-based online student recruitment platform that connects young people with employers & education providers, has raised £3 million (approximately €3.4M) in a financing round led by Edge, a venture capital firm focused on investing in creative teams and emerging technologies.
Launched in 2018 by Sam Hyams and Oliver Fisher, Springpod is a specialist careers platform enabling young people to know the world of work and university to make informed decisions about their future through virtual work experience programs, virtual events and digital student engagement solutions. The company aims to enable young people to experience a university course or career before applying.
Commenting on the fundraising, Founder & CEO of Springpod, Sam Hyams, said:
We are delighted to partner with Edge and are excited to draw upon their extensive creative economy expertise. We pride ourselves on creating Netflix-quality content for young people to experience careers and courses with leading employers and universities.
Hyams added:
Edge’s focus on driving social mobility for young people and backing innovative, creative startups aligns perfectly with Springpod. We are excited to scale our impact together from the 400,000 young people we have supported to date to millions.
The startup claims to have supported over 400,000 students, facilitating access to virtual tasters of university courses and online work experience. Springpod works with clients, including one-third of UK universities and employers, Airbus, Siemens, Vodafone, Fujitsu, the NHS, and many more.
Investment Manager of Edge, Hannah Williamson, commented:
Edge is thrilled to partner with Springpod to power its next growth phase. We are excited about supporting the team to achieve its mission, enabling young people to experience a university course or career before they apply. Due to a lack of advice, young people often choose the wrong career or course. This has major implications for their future and high costs for universities & employers when students drop out. Springpod has partnered with universities and employers to create experiential learning programmes, empowering students by providing equal access to opportunity.
In 2021, Springpod had raised £2.25 million in its Series A funding round led by Triple Point, Cass Entrepreneurship Fund and Alliance Fund Managers, MSIF’s fund management subsidiary, with participation from existing investors.
