LearnStart

LearnStart, established in 2017, is a venture capital firm based in New York, with an additional office in San Mateo, California. The company specializes in investing in early-stage education technology companies, providing seed funding to support their growth and development globally.

Don Burton

Co-Founder and Managing Partner

40 past transactions

Millie

Series A in 2025
Millie is a maternity clinic designed to enhance the healthcare experience for expectant and new mothers. Founded by individuals with personal and professional backgrounds in maternal care, Millie focuses on improving clinical outcomes while offering a seamless healthcare journey. The clinic provides a range of services, including remote health monitoring, home postpartum visits, and personalized parenthood support through a dedicated application. Additionally, Millie offers one-to-one doula coaching, ensuring mothers receive comprehensive care, expert guidance, and emotional support during and after pregnancy.

Skillprint

Pre Seed Round in 2023
Skillprint, Inc. is a software company based in Oakland, California, founded in 2019. It designs a mobile gaming platform that helps users identify their strengths and improve their well-being through research-backed games and interactions. The platform collects and analyzes user data to curate personalized gaming experiences that enhance mood and self-awareness. Users can share their insights and compare their strengths with friends and colleagues, fostering a supportive community. Additionally, Skillprint connects users with learning and development opportunities to help them achieve personal and professional goals. Currently, the service is in private beta.

Neol

Seed Round in 2022
Neol is a platform designed to facilitate learning and collaboration among creative individuals and innovators in a decentralized environment. It offers services focused on organizational design, leadership development, brand creation, campaign management, and behavioral marketing. By leveraging a curated global community, Neol enables users to address challenges and shape their futures through cohort-based learning and innovation. The platform aims to empower creative leaders and talent to work together effectively, fostering a collaborative approach to problem-solving.

YaizY

Seed Round in 2022
YaizY is an online education company that offers credit-bearing courses in digital professions such as computer science, animation, game design, and digital marketing to middle and high-school students. Its platform provides real-world project-based learning, live online teaching, and industry-recognized certificates. Founded in 2020 by a global team of experts, YaizY aims to be a trusted online learning platform inspiring students to turn their passions into professions. It has been recognized as an innovator in the field, including being named an ASU/GSV Elite 200 edtech startup.

AltaClaro

Seed Round in 2022
AltaClaro, Inc. is a learning platform that offers interactive professional education specifically for attorneys. The company focuses on providing experiential legal training that prepares legal associates for practice readiness. By facilitating fast and meaningful training, AltaClaro enables law firms to enhance the effectiveness of their associates while significantly reducing training and development costs. Additionally, the platform addresses issues of unconscious bias within the legal profession, making it a valuable resource for firms aiming to improve their training processes and outcomes.

Capybara

Pre Seed Round in 2022
Enabling teens to on-ramp into the creative economy

Fluence

Seed Round in 2022
Fluence offers continuing education and certificate programs in psychedelic integration and psychedelic-assisted therapy. Our programs are designed for licensed professionals and advanced graduate students who have an opportunity to work with patient populations. Although none of our courses have specific prerequisites, a basic working knowledge of the mental health field and practice of psychotherapy is helpful. Our programs are interactive; we engage in discussion, demonstration, self-reflection exercises, and role plays. Some of our classes and programs are reserved for licensed clinicians, but many are open to anyone who wishes to attend.

Englease

Seed Round in 2021
Englease is an online educational platform that offers live, accredited English classes tailored for the MENA region. It specializes in preparing users for English proficiency tests such as IELTS and TOEFL. The platform provides one-to-one sessions, allowing users to monitor their progress, reinforce their learning, and evaluate their future educational needs. By focusing on personalized learning experiences, Englease aims to enhance users' English fluency and overall language skills.

Framework

Seed Round in 2021
Framework is the world’s first on-demand business school, radically reimagined for them. Born out of Founders Forum, a private network of the world's top tech entrepreneurs, we’ve worked with over 100+ operators—across product, growth, ops, people, data, engineering & design, from some of the world's most innovative companies including Monzo, Babylon, Bulb & Depop—to pioneer a new model of lifelong learning.

New Apprenticeship

Seed Round in 2021
New Apprenticeship offers a comprehensive 15-month tech apprenticeship program aimed at equipping recent graduates with essential skills for the workforce. The program combines experience-based learning with performance coaching to prepare participants for careers in technology. By focusing on practical skills development, New Apprenticeship not only enhances the employability of its graduates but also supplies employers with qualified and capable talent. This approach fosters a mutually beneficial relationship between job seekers and employers, ensuring that participants thrive in their careers while meeting the demands of the tech industry.

Novakid

Series B in 2021
NovaKid Inc. is an online English school based in San Francisco, California, specializing in teaching English as a Second Language to children aged 4 to 12. Since its inception in 2017, the company has delivered over 14 million English lessons, utilizing a methodology centered on full language immersion through engaging games and activities. NovaKid offers both one-to-one and group lessons with qualified native-speaking teachers, providing children with personalized attention and collaborative learning experiences. The platform aims to complement traditional school learning by creating a safe environment for real-life English speaking practice, essential for future academic and career success. Recognized for its innovative approach, NovaKid has received multiple awards, including the Best Digital Language Learning Product of the Year in 2023 and a place on the Inc 5000 list. The company aspires to build a global community of young English learners, fostering meaningful connections across different cultures.

Tribe XR

Venture Round in 2021
Tribe XR Inc. is a software company based in San Mateo, California, focused on providing a platform for learning real-world skills through virtual and augmented reality. Founded in 2017, Tribe XR specializes in music production and DJing, enabling users to upload their music, perform live, and take lessons to enhance their DJ skills. The platform features a virtual mentor that introduces the basics of DJing and offers realistic practice on virtual decks. The learning experience is enriched by masterclasses from renowned DJs and partnerships with industry experts and electronic music schools. Tribe XR is also developing a self-serve immersive learning platform that allows organizations and individuals to create, broadcast, and monetize VR and AR lessons, extending its educational offerings beyond music. This approach leverages the effectiveness of experiential learning, which has been shown to solidify knowledge more effectively than traditional educational methods.

Shikho

Seed Round in 2021
Shikho is an innovative educational platform in Bangladesh that aims to democratize access to high-quality learning. By utilizing advanced technology, Shikho provides interactive and personalized educational experiences geared towards the country's youth, particularly the 85 million individuals under 25. The platform allows students to learn at their own pace, offering live classes from expert tutors as well as original animated video lessons tailored to their testing performance. It incorporates gamification features, enabling students to earn points and badges as they progress through their studies. Through its efforts, Shikho is transforming traditional education, making it more accessible and relevant to the needs of a modern, digital-first society.

Leap

Seed Round in 2021
Leap is a social learning community that connects writers, storytellers, and creatives via conversations and classes.

YaizY

Seed Round in 2021
YaizY is an online education company that offers credit-bearing courses in digital professions such as computer science, animation, game design, and digital marketing to middle and high-school students. Its platform provides real-world project-based learning, live online teaching, and industry-recognized certificates. Founded in 2020 by a global team of experts, YaizY aims to be a trusted online learning platform inspiring students to turn their passions into professions. It has been recognized as an innovator in the field, including being named an ASU/GSV Elite 200 edtech startup.

Pathrise

Series A in 2021
Pathrise LLC is an online mentorship program based in San Francisco, California, that specializes in providing career advice and training to young professionals and students in the tech industry. Founded in 2017, the company offers a range of services, including resume refinement, portfolio development, interview preparation, and negotiation techniques. Pathrise focuses on helping clients secure high-paying jobs across various fields, such as software engineering, product management, data science, and marketing. The program operates on a model of aligned incentives, where clients only pay a fee if they successfully secure a job, enabling them to invest in their career development with reduced financial risk.

Kidato

Seed Round in 2021
Kidato is an online school catering to K-12 students in Africa, aiming to provide high-quality and affordable education to the continent's growing middle class. The platform features a favorable student-to-teacher ratio of 1:5, which facilitates personalized learning experiences. In addition to core academic subjects, Kidato incorporates extracurricular activities such as coding, chess, art, music, sports, and languages, promoting holistic development and socialization among students. The curriculum is aligned with international standards, ensuring that students receive a rigorous education comparable to that of traditional private schools.

Prenda

Series B in 2021
Prenda is an educational technology company founded in 2015 and headquartered in Mesa, Arizona. It aims to facilitate learning in technology through informal and engaging environments, primarily targeting young people. Prenda supports libraries and schools in establishing code clubs that conduct weekly meetings, encouraging collaborative self-teaching in computer programming. Additionally, it offers in-home micro-school educational services that provide quality education via a virtual medium. This self-learning system employs a hybrid learning approach, featuring online classes, project modules, and virtual training sessions led by verified teachers. By fostering informal learning settings, Prenda enables children to explore various subjects while developing essential skills in technology.

Brave Care

Series A in 2021
Brave Care, Inc. specializes in urgent pediatric health care services, treating a wide range of conditions, including allergies, asthma, cough, ear pain, eye issues, fever, minor fractures, and rashes. The company also offers pediatric-specific laboratory services, on-site x-ray, and light sedation for certain procedures. Founded in 2019 and based in Portland, Oregon, Brave Care operates clinics exclusively designed for children in Oregon and Texas. In addition to in-person care, the BraveCare.com website and mobile app provide nationwide pediatric advice to assist parents in supporting their children's health and development.

Acadeum

Venture Round in 2021
Acadeum, formerly known as College Consortium, is a developer of an Academic Sharing Platform that facilitates online course sharing among universities. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, Acadeum enables institutions of higher education to form course-sharing consortia, which include organizations like the Council of Independent Colleges and the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities. The platform allows faculty to review and select courses from other participating colleges and universities, ensuring that these courses meet graduation requirements and can be eligible for financial aid. By leveraging interconnected networks, Acadeum aims to provide students with a broader array of educational options to support their academic success and enhance their pathways to graduation.

YellowBrick

Venture Round in 2021
Yellowbrick Learning, Inc. is an online platform that specializes in creating tailored learning experiences for individuals seeking to explore and advance their careers in creative industries such as fashion, sports, beauty, music, and media. Established in 2013 and headquartered in New York, the company collaborates with prominent universities, brands, and industry leaders to provide educational services that align with students' talents and passions. By offering carefully designed assignments and insights, Yellowbrick enables students to acquire relevant skills and navigate their career paths more effectively, thereby empowering the next generation of talent in the creative arts and entertainment sectors.

Year On

Venture Round in 2021
Year On is an education management platform focused on empowering high school students through self-directed learning and skill development programs. The organization provides a holistic educational experience tailored to meet each student's unique learning needs, fostering confidence, grit, and self-reliance. By emphasizing practical experiences and aligning learning with students' interests, Year On helps young individuals build essential skills and gain clarity in their personal and academic pursuits. This approach aims to bridge the gap between high school and future endeavors, equipping students with the tools necessary for strong personal development.

Shikho

Pre Seed Round in 2020
Shikho is an innovative educational platform in Bangladesh that aims to democratize access to high-quality learning. By utilizing advanced technology, Shikho provides interactive and personalized educational experiences geared towards the country's youth, particularly the 85 million individuals under 25. The platform allows students to learn at their own pace, offering live classes from expert tutors as well as original animated video lessons tailored to their testing performance. It incorporates gamification features, enabling students to earn points and badges as they progress through their studies. Through its efforts, Shikho is transforming traditional education, making it more accessible and relevant to the needs of a modern, digital-first society.

Novakid

Series A in 2020
NovaKid Inc. is an online English school based in San Francisco, California, specializing in teaching English as a Second Language to children aged 4 to 12. Since its inception in 2017, the company has delivered over 14 million English lessons, utilizing a methodology centered on full language immersion through engaging games and activities. NovaKid offers both one-to-one and group lessons with qualified native-speaking teachers, providing children with personalized attention and collaborative learning experiences. The platform aims to complement traditional school learning by creating a safe environment for real-life English speaking practice, essential for future academic and career success. Recognized for its innovative approach, NovaKid has received multiple awards, including the Best Digital Language Learning Product of the Year in 2023 and a place on the Inc 5000 list. The company aspires to build a global community of young English learners, fostering meaningful connections across different cultures.

Podium Education

Series A in 2020
Podium Education, Inc. is an Austin, Texas-based company that specializes in online education services. Founded in 2019, it collaborates with universities to offer online undergraduate programs aimed at expanding access to education and enhancing student enrollment and outcomes. Podium Education focuses on developing digital skills, particularly in technology and intercultural competency, ensuring that students acquire both hard and soft skills that are essential for successful employment. Through its innovative learning experiences, the company provides undergraduate students with in-demand skills via online credit certificates and minor programs, ultimately improving educational outcomes for a diverse student population.

StayQrious

Seed Round in 2020
StayQrious is an ed-tech startup that offers an online education platform aimed at teaching students essential computer applications, including coding. The platform facilitates group classes, allowing students to learn collaboratively in a structured environment. StayQrious covers a wide range of topics, such as the fundamentals of coding, mobile app development, artificial intelligence, web development, and programming. Through discussions, group activities, and multimedia resources, the company enhances the learning experience, catering to the needs of students in the education and technology sectors.

Shikho

Pre Seed Round in 2020
Shikho is an innovative educational platform in Bangladesh that aims to democratize access to high-quality learning. By utilizing advanced technology, Shikho provides interactive and personalized educational experiences geared towards the country's youth, particularly the 85 million individuals under 25. The platform allows students to learn at their own pace, offering live classes from expert tutors as well as original animated video lessons tailored to their testing performance. It incorporates gamification features, enabling students to earn points and badges as they progress through their studies. Through its efforts, Shikho is transforming traditional education, making it more accessible and relevant to the needs of a modern, digital-first society.

Acadeum

Series A in 2020
Acadeum, formerly known as College Consortium, is a developer of an Academic Sharing Platform that facilitates online course sharing among universities. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, Acadeum enables institutions of higher education to form course-sharing consortia, which include organizations like the Council of Independent Colleges and the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities. The platform allows faculty to review and select courses from other participating colleges and universities, ensuring that these courses meet graduation requirements and can be eligible for financial aid. By leveraging interconnected networks, Acadeum aims to provide students with a broader array of educational options to support their academic success and enhance their pathways to graduation.

Vessel Health

Seed Round in 2020
Bloom operates in two primary sectors: fashion and baby products. The company offers a platform that sells original brand outlets from curated international brands, allowing customers to try on clothing at home before making a purchase. This service includes easy returns for items that do not meet expectations. Additionally, Bloom manufactures a range of elegant baby gear and furniture, including highchairs, cribs, bassinets, and eco-friendly products. The company's diverse offerings cater to the needs of families and individuals seeking quality and convenience in both fashion and baby essentials.

Foundry College

Seed Round in 2019
Foundry College Inc. is an online educational institution based in San Francisco, California, founded in 2018. It offers degree programs and courses focused on foundational skills and business management, specifically designed for working adults. The college emphasizes practical training and competency-based learning, providing students with relevant education that aligns with current job market demands. Through live instructor-led lectures and small group sessions, Foundry College equips students with in-demand skills that are unlikely to be automated in the near future. Its mission is to prepare students for success in today's and tomorrow's workforce by fostering a skilled and informed society that can adapt to changing job requirements.

Pathrise

Seed Round in 2019
Pathrise LLC is an online mentorship program based in San Francisco, California, that specializes in providing career advice and training to young professionals and students in the tech industry. Founded in 2017, the company offers a range of services, including resume refinement, portfolio development, interview preparation, and negotiation techniques. Pathrise focuses on helping clients secure high-paying jobs across various fields, such as software engineering, product management, data science, and marketing. The program operates on a model of aligned incentives, where clients only pay a fee if they successfully secure a job, enabling them to invest in their career development with reduced financial risk.

CreatorUp

Seed Round in 2019
CreatorUp is a global leader in digital media training and video content creation, catering to the growing demand for high-quality video production. The company collaborates with major brands, including Google, to streamline the process of producing affordable videos at scale. CreatorUp addresses the challenge of finding qualified creative professionals by training talent according to industry standards and assembling project teams from a network of industry experts and bootcamp graduates. Additionally, the company offers a content creation platform designed to empower individuals and businesses to enhance their online presence through video. By providing access to essential digital media skills and utilizing proprietary training programs, CreatorUp effectively supports the development of creative professionals in a competitive landscape.

Kenzie Academy

Series A in 2019
Kenzie Academy, Inc. operates as a software engineering apprenticeship school dedicated to addressing the shortage of tech talent in the United States. Founded in 2017 and based in Indianapolis, Indiana, the academy offers a range of educational programs, including coding bootcamps and online courses, designed to provide students with essential training, mentorship, and hands-on experience. Programs vary in length from six months to two years, culminating in a paid apprenticeship opportunity. Kenzie Academy emphasizes job placement as a primary goal, assisting graduates in securing positions either within its consulting arm or at various technology firms. The academy's leadership and instructors are experienced professionals committed to supporting students throughout their educational journey.

NextStep

Series A in 2019
NextStep is an information technology company based in Seattle, Washington, founded in 2018. It specializes in providing training and job placement services through a mobile and web-based platform. The company focuses on the healthcare sector, offering a certified nursing assistant (CNA) training program and facilitating the recruitment, training, and placement of individuals for entry-level healthcare positions, including community health workers, home health aides, and medical assistants. NextStep aims to enable individuals to quickly and affordably re-skill themselves while assisting employers in the healthcare industry in finding qualified personnel.

Osmosis

Series A in 2019
Osmosis is a personalized learning platform focused on enhancing health education by providing a deeper understanding of medical concepts. The platform enables clinicians and caregivers to access a wealth of educational resources, including a comprehensive library of videos and multiple-choice questions. Driven by data and technology, Osmosis aims to improve retention and preparedness for courses and exams, making it a valuable tool for medical professionals seeking to deepen their knowledge and skills in the healthcare field. By offering tailored content that goes beyond traditional lectures, Osmosis supports effective learning for a global audience in the medical community.

Qualified

Seed Round in 2019
Qualified is an online assessment platform designed to help companies identify top engineering talent through real-world coding challenges. The platform utilizes automated code assessments and a live interview tool, providing a format that simulates actual coding environments. This approach allows organizations to effectively evaluate the technical capabilities of potential hires while streamlining the recruitment process. By integrating testing frameworks, Qualified enables businesses to assess the skill strengths of candidates in a developer-friendly manner, ultimately facilitating the hiring of high-performing engineers.

Concourse Global

Seed Round in 2018
Concourse Global, based in Brooklyn, New York, has developed an online platform that assists high school counselors in identifying suitable university programs for their students. This user-friendly tool empowers students to explore their futures creatively by providing tailored program recommendations based on their individual interests and academic backgrounds. Counselors can track each student's progress throughout the search process and access additional information to refine program suggestions. By enhancing the college selection experience, Concourse Global enables counselors to better support their students in making informed decisions about higher education.

3DBear

Venture Round in 2018
3DBear is a developer of a gamified learning application that allows children to engage with 3D printing in an accessible and imaginative way. The platform enables users to explore various virtual worlds and create 3D models while learning about subjects such as history, natural sciences, and mathematics. It features an architect game-learning module that includes lesson plans designed to stimulate students' creativity and critical thinking. Through this interactive experience, children can redesign their physical surroundings, create art objects, and develop games, effectively bridging the gap between education and play.

Kenzie Academy

Seed Round in 2017
Kenzie Academy, Inc. operates as a software engineering apprenticeship school dedicated to addressing the shortage of tech talent in the United States. Founded in 2017 and based in Indianapolis, Indiana, the academy offers a range of educational programs, including coding bootcamps and online courses, designed to provide students with essential training, mentorship, and hands-on experience. Programs vary in length from six months to two years, culminating in a paid apprenticeship opportunity. Kenzie Academy emphasizes job placement as a primary goal, assisting graduates in securing positions either within its consulting arm or at various technology firms. The academy's leadership and instructors are experienced professionals committed to supporting students throughout their educational journey.

Opya

Seed Round in 2017
Opya, Inc. is a company based in San Mateo, California, that specializes in providing autism therapy services for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Founded in 2016, Opya aims to transform autism care by integrating treatment with technology. It operates a data-driven therapy platform that focuses on early intervention, offering both in-home and telehealth services. The company provides a range of therapies, including Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), speech, and occupational therapy, designed to enhance communication and collaboration between parents and clinicians. This approach ensures families and healthcare providers have access to the necessary information to support the developmental needs of children with autism, ultimately improving the effectiveness of the care delivered.
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