Participated · Series C · Jul 2019

Minerva Project provides higher education offerings via the Minerva Schools at KGI and other educational partners, using a scaffolded curriculum that equips students with cognitive tools and core competencies across disciplines. Its methodology is based on research on the science of learning and is enhanced by proprietary active-learning technology. The Minerva Forum was built to facilitate interaction via live video, enabling professors to conduct intensive, engaged classroom experiences and provide relevant feedback to ensure progress against student learning outcomes. The company will use the Series C capital to accelerate access to its learning experiences through partnerships with universities and corporations. In the financing Minerva raised $57M, bringing total capital raised to date to in excess of $128M. The company emphasizes proven pedagogical practices and tools to support partner institutions' delivery of its curriculum. Minerva Project operates the Minerva Schools at Keck Graduate Institute, a highly selective undergraduate program whose founding class commenced courses in September 2014 with students from 14 countries and territories. The curriculum emphasizes development of key habits of mind and foundational concepts rather than knowledge dissemination, with no introductory level classes and live interactive seminars of 19 students or fewer led by accomplished professors via a proprietary technology platform. Students live together in global student residences in major metropolitan cities, rotating up to seven times during their four years while classes are supplemented by cultural, social and civic experiences. Tuition is $10,000; the school received 2,464 applications from students in 96 countries and territories and accepted every student who passed its high admissions bar, resulting in a 2.8% acceptance rate. Led by founder, chairman and CEO Ben Nelson, Minerva intends to use new funds to scale operations. A representative from TAL Education Group will join Minerva's board as part of the financing. The Minerva Project is building an online liberal-arts university that emphasizes an “extraordinarily rigorous” curriculum and meritocratic admissions. It plans a four-year program delivered primarily online with small live, synchronous classes of 10–25 students and a global student body. First-year students study in their home countries; from the sophomore year onward students are encouraged to live in a new city each semester, and multilingual competency is expected by graduation. Founder and CEO Ben Nelson (former Snapfish CEO) says tuition will be about half that of top colleges, and the school intends to incentivize top professors via a “Nobel Prize for teaching” while hiring Ph.D. educators focused on teaching. The project promises post-graduation support and lifelong networks rather than a traditional alumni fundraising model. Financially, it has secured major startup funding to support launch and operations, and plans to accept its first class in 2014.

Participated · Equity · Aug 2014

LTG Exam Platform develops free mobile test-prep apps, including Prep4SAT, Prep4GMAT and the recently launched Prep4GRE for iOS and Android. The apps use a proprietary algorithm that detects students' individual learning patterns and dynamically optimizes their study process. Led by founder and CEO Elad Shoushan, the company says its apps have been downloaded by half a million students worldwide to date. The company intends to use the Series A proceeds to build out senior management and invest in product, engineering, user experience, branding, demand generation and distribution. LTG also plans to increase its portfolio of free consumer apps and develop revenue streams through new products and services that help universities, business schools and other institutions meet marketing and enrollment objectives. LTG Exam Platform builds free standardized-test apps Prep4GMAT and Prep4SAT, which offer flashcards and practice quizzes. The apps use the company’s patented Label Study Method, a text-processing module that highlights words in practice questions tied to tested concepts and adapts problem sets to each student’s learning. Both apps are available for free on iOS and Android. Led by founder and CEO Elad Shoushan, the company plans to expand its engineering and product teams in Israel and Boston. LTG intends to add new apps to its lineup and drive growth of its existing Prep4SAT and Prep4GMAT products. The company recently received additional seed funding to support these plans. LTG Exam Prep Platform builds mobile apps for standardized-test preparation, launching initially on iOS and releasing an Android app last week. Its core product uses a patented Label Study Method, a text-processing module that highlights words in practice questions to link them to tested concepts and visual cues. The company offers apps such as Prep4GMAT and a tutor marketplace that connects users with certified tutors in real time. LTG says its apps pinpoint areas where users need improvement and will use proprietary algorithms to create personalized study courses. With new funding, the company plans to develop additional test-specific apps, including an SAT app currently in development. The test-prep market it operates in is noted in the article as valued at $861 million.