CareerFoundry, a Berlin-based provider of online mentored courses in UX design and web development, announced today that it has just closed a round of seed funding to accelerate growth and invest in new verticals. The new funding round was led by Tengelmann Ventures, with Stefan Glänzer and Paul Föckler also participating. This investment brings CareerFoundry’s total funding to over one million Euros.
Founded in 2013, CareerFoundry describes itself as the world’s first online career accelerator for vocational tech skills. Taught by industry experts, their globally-accessible, mentored courses provide beginners and career changers with the skills they need to start new careers and navigate future markets. With online courseware, a vibrant and supportive student community, and experienced mentors available remotely via Skype, students are able to study part-time, at their own pace, with a clear end result of a professional portfolio ready to take them into a new tech career within six months.
Part of CareerFoundry’s growth strategy includes collaborating with some top-ranked partners. CareerFoundry recently partnered with the EBS Business School Oestrich-Winkel and the Zeppelin University. The last year has seen a 400% growth rate for CareerFoundry. This growth, combined with their mission, has led to accolades. The European Commission named CareerFoundry as one of six finalists for European Young Innovator of 2015.
Raffaela Rein, CareerFoundry CEO and co-founder, stated: “With this investment, we will increase our support services, and expand our course offerings to include high-growth verticals that will help our students succeed in the future job market.”