SAN FRANCISCO (May 17, 2017) - CreativeLive, the world’s premium creative and entrepreneurial education platform featuring classes from the world’s top experts - Pulitzer-, Grammy-, and Oscar-winners, New York Times best-selling authors, thought leaders, and industry influencers - today announced that it has raised a $25 million round of funding led by GSV Acceleration, with participation from new investors REV Venture Partners and Jared Leto. Existing investors Greylock Partners, Social Capital, Richard Branson, and Creative Artists Agency also participated in the round, bringing CreativeLive’s total funding to date to $58.8 million.
With 10 million students and more than 3 billion minutes of video education consumed by students worldwide, CreativeLive will use the funds to support continued growth of its consumer business, accelerate innovation around its live and on-demand video platform, and scale its new enterprise offering.
“We were thrilled to join with world-class investors like Greylock and Social Capital in supporting CreativeLive and its team as the company moves to deliver an enterprise offering," said Deborah Quazzo, Founding Partner at GSV Acceleration, a venture firm focused on the learning and talent sector.
The company is already working in various capacities with Adobe, Microsoft, GoPro, and Red Bull, among others. “When we started looking for an online learning provider for the creative + image making part of our business, it was clear that the best platform was CreativeLive,” said Charlie Pinder of Red Bull Media House. “They provide us with a selection of courses accessible to our team around the world. And we’ve even worked with them to create custom content focused on the unique attributes of the Red Bull brand. No stone has been left unturned and the results have been fantastic. We are very much looking forward to continuing this relationship for years to come.”
CreativeLive recognizes that forward-thinking companies are using employee education not just in the classic learning and development capacity, but also as a perk for their staff and as a way to enable more creative and well-rounded employees and teams.
“The future favors people and companies that can create, innovate, and design the best products, services, and experiences,” said Chase Jarvis, Founder and CEO of CreativeLive. “Creative skills, design thinking, and a growth mindset were once thought to be ‘nice to haves,’ whereas today we know that they are key attributes for success. We’re excited to be working with GSV to expand our enterprise offering and continue delivering aspirational learning to today’s modern working environment.”
CreativeLive is the world’s leading creative and entrepreneurial education platform. More than 10 million students have consumed more than 3 billion minutes of video through its online classrooms. Featuring classes in all aspects of design, photography, video, music, and entrepreneurship, CreativeLive sits at the intersection of the future of work, the future of creativity, and the future of education. Its roster of teachers includes some of the world’s top experts: Pulitzer-, Grammy-, and Oscar-winners, New York Times bestselling authors, thought leaders, and legendary entrepreneurs. Launched in 2010, CreativeLive now reaches students in every country each month and has created more than 1,500 classes, 25,000 lessons, and over 10,000 hours of highly curated HD video education since its inception. A combination of live and pre-recorded classes offers unprecedented access to expert teachers and a global community of students. Live classes allow for free, real-time interaction with these experts and fellow students, while pre-recorded videos allow students to learn at their own pace.