Podium Education Raises $12 Million to Supercharge the Undergraduate Degree with For-Credit Bootcamps Delivering In-Demand Tech Skills - Education Dive
AUSTIN, TEXAS, Oct. 14, 2020 —Podium Education, the company helping colleges and universities add in-demand tech skills to all undergraduate majors, announced its completion of a $12 million funding round. The Series A round was led by Sid Krommenhoek at Album VC and Zander Rafael at Spring Tide Capital. Participating investors include Ashley Bittner and Brigette Lau at Firework Ventures, David Blake from Degreed, Michael Staton at Learn Capital, Adam Ross at Goldcrest Capital, Gregg Scorsby from CampusLogic, and Justin Fishner-Wolfson from 137 Ventures.
“We started Podium Education because we believe that every student, regardless of major, deserves a direct path to a high-growth career in the modern workforce,” said Brooks Morgan, Co-founder and CEO. “The US higher education landscape is changing rapidly. The colleges and universities that will thrive in the next decade are those launching programs that align two things - what students want to learn and the skills that high-growth employers demand. Ultimately this leads to stronger outcomes for both institutions and their students, in the short-term and long-term.”
Since launching programming earlier this year, Podium Education has partnered with over 20 public and private institutions and served more than 1,000 students. Podium is enabling colleges and universities such as Lafayette College, Creighton University, and University of Houston to deliver high quality online courses, certificates and minors. Participating undergraduate students of all majors acquire in-demand tech skills while earning credits toward their degree. Podium’s unique partnership model requires zero out-of-pocket expenses on behalf of partner institutions and can be launched to students in as little as two weeks.
“Our new Data Bootcamp enables students from across campus to add technical skills to their chosen field of study. The accessibility of the program for students from non-STEM backgrounds is particularly unique and powerful,” said Anthony Hendrickson, Dean of the Heider College of Business at Creighton University. “We have Philosophy majors, Psychology majors, Business majors - really a mix of all majors - learning these in-demand skills.”
Podium currently offers a full range of tech courses in areas including Data Analytics, Web Development, and Digital Marketing. The coursework combines the rigor of academia, the technology of Silicon Valley and the magic of Hollywood to produce an unparalleled online experience for undergraduate students. Each course is designed to Carnegie-unit specification and delivered in an applied format with real-world case studies and datasets from the most recognizable brands in the world, including Netflix, Spotify and Airbnb.
“Podium helped us launch a new Data Analytics and Data Visualization program with strong student demand this past summer,” shared Yusuf Dahl, Executive Director of the Dyer Center for Entrepreneurship at Lafayette College. "Combining a classic liberal arts education with in-demand tech skills gives our graduates a unique advantage as they enter the modern workforce.”
Podium’s Series A round enables the company to expand its portfolio of courses and to serve significantly more students nationwide. “We are not reinventing the undergraduate degree - we are helping colleges and universities supercharge the value of that degree,” said Morgan. “We are excited to utilize this funding to invest in partnering with great institutions to improve the career trajectories of many thousands of students.”
About Podium Education
Podium Education partners with colleges and universities to deliver turn-key, online, for-credit undergraduate tech-skills programs. Podium provides all students, regardless of major, with the in-demand tech skills needed for high-growth careers in the modern workforce. Podium’s programs combine the rigor of academia, the technology of Silicon Valley, and the magic of Hollywood to help institutions attract, enroll, and retain great students.
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