Leemons, a SaaS platform for data-based learning, has raised €1.5 million led by Swanlaab Venture Factory, Ship2b Ventures, Mexico’s Stella Maris Partners, business angels and some previous investors who reinforce their commitment with the startup that develops the LXP platform for universities, companies and schools. This new investment aims to consolidate the SaaS platform developed in 2023, implement its go-to-market strategy and recruit key people for business development. This new capital inflow is already its third financing round.
Leemons is a modular platform designed to meet the unique needs of each educational center. Adopt innovative teaching methodologies such as flipped classrooms, project-based learning, and design thinking. Easily integrate with existing systems like Teams, Classroom, Zoom, Drive, and YouTube.
The Edtech startup founded in 2021 by Lula de León and Johan Sosa is moving forward in its aim to lead educational technology with a unique product in the market. As De León pointed out: “We sat at the top table with some of the most relevant VCs in Spain and Mexico; they saw the potential of Leemons to disrupt the sector and seize the moment”.
During the past 2023, the Leemons team has been developing the SaaS version of the platform. With this round, they are working on its internationalisation, intending to reach different countries in Europe and the UK. In addition to operating the business, serving customers and growing in key profiles that reinforce the current team.
Swanlaab Tech Fund II led the round with an investment of more than €500k, thus adding to its portfolio the second investment to add six more this year. “From Swanlaab Tech Fund II, we expect to add to this investment from Leemons another 5 or 6 more representing €5-10 million during 2024″, said Mark Kavelaars, managing partner of Swanlaab Venture Factory.
For this VC, it is necessary to continue investing in methodologies, content and systems that improve education and give more people access to knowledge and better quality learning processes. For this reason, Swanlaab has always shown interest in the world of education and, as Kavelaars highlighted: “Leemons convinced us from the first day because of their human quality, their technical quality and their vision. We believe that they can be disruptive in a sector that has not evolved much, where technology is not yet a protagonist and where current solutions do not solve the problems of educators, trainers and their students in the learning process in an agile and effective way”.
The Ship2B Ventures fund, which specialises in early-stage investment in startups in the greentech and edtech sectors or those that promote improving the quality of vulnerable groups, has also joined the capital inflow. As Jaime de Antonio del Castillo, Investment Manager of the venture capital firm, commented: “We are committed to proposals such as the one offered by Leemons, with a strong intention to improve student performance to reduce school failure”.
They also focus on the data and the situation in Spain regarding school dropout rates. Ship2B Ventures, through the BSocial Impact Fund, supported by the EIF, Banco Sabadell and AXIS, has invested in 26 impact startups and expects to make around ten more investments in 2024.
Leemons was born to offer a global platform to schools looking to digitise the learning experience and start working with an advanced data model that enables evidence-based decision-making for teachers, students and school management. So far, Leemons has been running a stealth model intending to achieve a high level of development in record time and being of use to a somewhat saturated market.
Lula de León added: “In 2021, we launched the product in open source and it has more than 14,000 downloads, of which approximately 10% have an active installation and are up and running”.
Both universities and vocational training centres that implement online or blended plans, as well as corporate training in companies, are the organisations for which the Leemons platform facilitates the digitisation of training. Without leaving aside those that work with face-to-face training, Leemons emphasised that they are also prepared to be part of the day-to-day classroom in schools and other centres with face-to-face training.
