Dive Brief:
- The five-year-old professional education startup General Assembly announced this week that it raised $70 million in a funding round that included Advance Publications, Rethink Education, and others.
- In a blog post, CEO Jake Schwartz announced the funding news, saying the company would be even more ambitious in its goal to close the skills gap, doing more to make the General Assembly model the best return on investment for students.
- By the end of 2015, General Assembly will have more than 25,000 alumni, and Schwartz said he wants to better engage them, creating “one of the most powerful professional networks in the world.”
Dive Insight:
General Assembly offers three-month-long programs for adults looking for tech skills to add to their résumés. Besides the students who go through its programs on their own, General Assembly has also become a major partner for institutions addressing their own workforce development needs. Its more than 5,000 corporate partners have contributed to the curriculum and offered internships and jobs to graduates. General Assembly’s reach spans the United States, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the UK.
