Participated · Series A · Feb 2021

Class Technologies builds virtual and hybrid classroom software that adds teaching and learning tools to the Zoom Meetings platform. Its product enables instructors to take attendance, hand out assignments, give quizzes and tests, grade work, proctor exams and hold one-on-one conversations. Led by co-founder and CEO Michael Chasen, the company launched less than a year ago and is already deployed in the United States and more than 20 countries. The system recently reached full general availability across Windows, Mac, Chromebook, iPad and Android tablets. Class raised a $105M Series B, bringing total funding to over $160M in under a year, and plans to use the funds to accelerate growth and expand into new markets globally. In conjunction with the fundraise, Kristin Bannon of SoftBank Investment Advisers will join the board of directors. Class Technologies offers a software platform that layers teaching and learning tools on top of Zoom, effectively creating a digital classroom experience. The product is built on Zoom and was fast-tracked during the pandemic to meet rising demand for online teaching. In the seven months since launch, more than 7,500 K‑12 and higher‑education institutions and corporations have reached out expressing interest. The company recently raised an additional $12.25 million and has secured over $58 million in investment in the past year. Proceeds from the new investment will be used to accelerate the rollout of Class software and to support increased global demand. High-profile backers are presented as validation of the product’s market opportunity and adoption momentum. Class Technologies is a Washington, DC-based company that built Class for Zoom, a software platform integrated with the Zoom Meetings platform to provide classroom tools for teachers. Led by CEO Michael Chasen, the product helps teachers take attendance, hand out assignments, give quizzes or tests, grade work, proctor exams, and hold one-on-one sessions. The company simplified its corporate name from ClassEDU to Class Technologies. It plans to use the Series A proceeds to expand operations and business reach and to launch Class for Mac, Windows, Chromebook, iPad, and Android Tablet. The company raised $30.75M in the Series A, bringing total funding to date to $46M. ClassEDU's first product, Class for Zoom, is a teacher-facing interface that integrates instruction tools (live assignments, quizzes, polls, private teacher-student chat, whiteboard) and management tools (attendance, participation tracking, CMS integration) directly into a Zoom call. The company is independently owned and is a certified Zoom reseller, earning commission when districts buy Zoom through them. Class for Zoom launched on macOS first and is rolling out a beta and waitlist with plans to expand support to Chromebooks, Windows, Android and iPhone. The product intentionally combines synchronous teaching features with classroom management capabilities to replace ad-hoc use of general-purpose video conferencing in schools. The platform includes attention- and desktop-monitoring features for exams and participation; students can opt out of tracking but administrators can require it, which raises potential privacy concerns. ClassEDU announced a $16 million pre-launch seed round to fund product development and cross-platform support; pricing is undecided but the company plans a subscription model.