This week’s featured startup
Org Empathy (Nicole Ennen, Founder and Principal Consultant) – Delivering experiential workshops and programs to help organizations develop their leaders, build interpersonal skills in employees, and create positive team cultures. We provide research-backed solutions to enable higher levels of employee satisfaction and productivity in this constantly changing world.
Data Dive
Insights on worker sentiment, from the Glassdoor Employee Confidence Index (Daniel Zhao) – Sluggish hiring is likely dampening worker sentiment as laid-off workers and new hires find it difficult to get their foot in the door and even employed workers feel stuck in their jobs.
Investment
ClassBank snags pre-seed funding to bring financial literacy to students in underserved communities – By integrating financial education into everyday learning, the platform empowers schools to foster positive behaviours and build stronger, more engaged communities.
Prof Jim Raises $1.5M, Relocates to Cincinnati and Expands Leadership Team – The educational multimedia platform’s strategic expansion includes relocating its headquarters from Silicon Valley to Cincinnati, Ohio, and bolstering its leadership team with the addition of two key employees.
Clasp Closes More Than $10 Million Round Led by Crosslink Capital – The retention-driven recruitment platform addresses talent shortages by helping employers recruit and retain critical talent in hard-to-hire fields, with a focus on reducing student debt and fostering long-term commitments.
Kwiks Secures $817K Funding to Revolutionize AI-Driven Recruitment – The Moroccan recruitment platform that connects companies with top freelance headhunters, streamlining the hiring process and connecting companies with talents more efficiently than traditional methods.
Thatch announces $38M Series A funding to dislodge health insurance from employment, bringing choice and affordability to consumers – By combining fintech and healthtech solutions, Thatch has created a user-friendly interface that simplifies the complex process of healthcare benefit management for both employers and employees.
Sirius Raises $4M in Seed Funding – The platform connects learners with teachers via an AI powered virtual music classroom is designed for 1-to-1 online lessons, offering high sound quality and featuring virtual piano, metronome, sheet music, and recording tools.
11X Raises $24M in Series A Funding – Their AI-powered Sales Development Representative automates prospecting, multi-channel engagement, and scaled personalization. The recent launch of an AI phone rep has helped bolster this process with inbound lead qualification.
Interplay Learning Closes Growth Investment from Goldman Sachs Alternatives, Acquires Industrial Training International – The training platform enables rapid upskilling and empowers new technicians to be job-ready within weeks, featuring hands-on 3D simulations, expert-led videos, knowledge checks, and personalized learning paths.
Resources
The Rising Storm: Building A Future-Ready Workforce to Withstand the Looming Labor Shortage (Lightcast) – The Baby Boomer exodus, falling birth rates and low labor force participation will combine to drive a deficit of 6M workers by 2032, with healthcare, hospitality, and service industries most impacted.
Events
Innovation in Learning and Development (ThingLink) – (Oct 9) Increase learner engagement and fostere innovation with immersive learning strategies like 360-degree visuals, simulations, and AI-powered interactive content. Learn how to integrate these technologies into corporate learning for better skill development and organizational growth.
AI x Education Discussion Group (Rethink Education & Robin Hood Foundation) – (Sept 30) This invite-only series connects educators with founders building in AI. 30 minute panel & smaller breakout discussions between educators, founders, and AI specialists.
SME Suite: Upside Down, Inside Out Innovation (StreamYard) – Sept 26: Join us for a discussion about innovation hubs and labs within academic institutions — and the forces driving change from outside.
Opportunities
Prize money for ed tech innovation – Tools Competition is accepting abstracts for edtech innovations that leverage digital technology, big data, and learning science to meet the urgent needs of learners. Prizes ranging from $50k-$300k.
Grants for American Women Entrepreneurs – Hundreds of grants, as high as $75k, for female entrepreneurs in education, workforce and professional development.
Citizens Commits $10 Million to Workforce Development – Funding will support nonprofits working to enhance and expand access to educational and career opportunities, address the rapidly changing demands of the modern economy, and support long-term economic growth.
Workday and Its Partners Launch 12 New Industry Accelerators to Help Customers Meet Industry-Specific Needs Faster – The Accelerator program is tailored to solve industry-specific challenges, such as improving academic recruitment, driving efficiencies at services firms, and addressing staffing shortages.
In the news
JPMorgan Chase Faces Troubling Workplace Trend (TheStreet) – The bank will be capping the work hours of junior investment bankers at 80 hours/week, following news of a 35-year-old Bank of America employee who died of a heart attack while working 100-hour workweeks.
How One Grant Can Help Schools Recover from Shootings (Education Week) – Following a tragedy, schools need immediate financial assistance to fund emergency services to start rehabilitating their communities. School and district leaders can lean on Project SERV, or School Emergency Response to Violence.
Facts about student loans (Pew Research Center) – Student loan debt has reached $1.6 trillion. See what the Federal Reserve Board learned in their Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking, about student loans in America.
Udemy lays off employees as it seeks to lower costs and rehire (SFGATE) – Despite cutting 10% of staff in 2023, Udemy is still losing money. They vow to focus on larger customers and boost efficiency, and will rehire half of impacted roles in lower cost markets.
Teachers Desperately Need AI Training. How Many Are Getting It? (Education Week) – More than 7 in 10 teachers haven’t received any professional development on using AI in the classroom.
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