Palo Alto, CA—March 7, 2012—Education Elements, a pioneer in helping schools blend technology into everyday instruction, announced today that it has closed a $6 million round of funding. The round was led by Harmony Partners and joined by Rethink Education (which includes experienced educational technology investors Seavest Ventures, Jonathan Sackler, Matt Greenfield and Brian Olson) and individual investor Eff Martin of Anthos Capital, as well as by prior investors Tugboat Ventures, NewSchools Venture Fund, and Wally Hawley. The funding will allow Education Elements serve significantly more schools, by expanding its education consultant and support teams, strengthening its content and technology partnerships, enhancing its technology platform, and opening an East Coast office.
“We are gratified by the continued support from the investment community in helping Education Elements and its partner schools realize the potential of blended learning for teachers and students,” said Education Elements CEO Anthony Kim. “Given the unprecedented student achievement and teacher satisfaction that our first schools have experienced, demand for our products and services has far exceeded our expectations this past year, and we look forward to continuing to ensure that schools and teachers have the support they need to accelerate student learning by integrating novel approaches to technology into their everyday instruction.”
Founded in 2010, Education Elements helps schools, school networks and districts adopt blended learning. It offers a comprehensive suite of design services, as well as a SAAS-based Hybrid Learning Management System (HLMS) that makes it easy and cost-effective for schools to personalize student learning and to focus on small-group instruction. Current clients include KIPP LA, Mission Dolores Academy, IDEA Public Schools, Alliance College-Ready Public Schools, Aspire Public Schools, and Houston Independent School District.
“By using technology to empower both teachers and students in new ways, blended learning has the potential to transform teaching and learning,” said Mark Lotke, a partner at expansion-stage venture capital firm Harmony Partners. “Education Elements is at the forefront of this wave, delivering exceptional results and with schools across the country looking to them as a trusted advisor as well as technology provider.”
In response to demand from state leaders, superintendents, administrators, principals and teachers, Education Elements plans to grow over the next two years from working 40 schools this year to working with hundreds of schools by 2014. To reach that goal, Education Elements will develop additional HLMS features that support schools’ blended learning approaches, including tools for teachers that recommend instructional support and help manage student groups, as well as tools that enhance students’ ownership of their own learning. It will also strengthen and grow its partnerships with content and technology providers. To support this growth, Education Elements will open a new East Coast office in Washington, DC and bring on additional team members nationwide.
“By focusing students on mastery rather than seat time, and allowing teachers to be true mentors to individual students, blended learning dramatically improves both student learning and teacher effectiveness – but without dramatically increasing costs," said educational technology investor Matt Greenfield of Rethink Education. "Education Elements is providing the crucial infrastructure and professional insight that schools need to make this transition to blended learning.”
About Education Elements
Education Elements was founded in 2010 by education technologist Anthony Kim. The company helps schools take advantage of adaptive online content and assessments to tailor instruction and maximize learning for students, and give teachers the tools they need to focus on what they do best. Education Elements does this by advising schools and school systems on the potential of blended learning, working side-by-side with them to implement blended learning in their classrooms, and providing them with a SAAS-based technology platform (the Hybrid Learning Management System) that makes it easy and effective for leaders, teachers and students to integrate online learning into their school.
About Harmony Partners
Harmony Partners is a highly differentiated venture capital firm with offices in Silicon Valley and New York City. Purpose-built to better serve capital efficient companies, the firm fills a gap in the market for expansion-stage capital. Through flexible investment amounts, streamlined business processes, and an accommodating approach, Harmony enables entrepreneurs to own more of their companies, focus on the core business, and enhance exit flexibility. Since 1993, the founding partners have invested in over 50 technology-driven companies, including ComScore, Coremetrics, E*Trade, Greenbox, Infinity Pharma, Predictive Systems, Priceline.com, Peribit, SS&C, Swype, Scopus, and YesMail.
MEDIA INQUIRIES
Education Elements:
Jennifer Wolfe
(650) 440-7860
jenniferannwolfe@gmail.com
Photo Credit: FreeImages.com/ Jayanta Behara
