EduFire, the startup that offers online video classes for a variety of subjects, has raised $1.3 million in Series A funding from Battery Ventures, with Google AdSense godfather Gokul Rajaram and Western Technology Investment participating.
EduFire, which we previously wrote about here, was originally a platform for one-on-one language training. The site recently expanded its class offerings to include video classes on standardized test preparation and technology training. EduFire also just launched a subscription service that lets users take an unlimited amount of classes for $29 per month.
With over 5,000 teachers educating around 30,000 students on the platform, eduFire’s co-founder Jon Bischke says that the site is going to exapnd into more educational verticals, including nutrition, social media, meditation and more. Competitors to eduFire include Myngle and Sclipo.
First one!
Very smart! Not sure what types of subjects they specialize in but with unemployment off the charts, I can see a scenario where they experience very high demand for their product.
The online interaction sounds great. I enrolled in an online course several years ago. It was a semester course but the guidelines have you as long as a year to complete.
I thought that was insane. Who would take a whole year to finish a semester course?
…….It’s been 5 years….lol…and I still haven’t competed it!!!
Congrats to Jon and his team, great product and awesome CEO
Congratulations Jon!!!!
Woot! Congrats to Jon, Gokul, and BV! Class acts all around!
Quite a business they have and their content is incredible. They now have the cash to expand beyond their current platforms.
These guys are changing education. Glad to see the site grow.
Getting funds is OK but they have to be used judiciously. Edufire is surely doing a wonderful job and growing fast but to further prosper they have to maintain the quality.
Great product, great team, big market. Easy recipe for success.
Jon and his crew are on their way.
Great work Jon and keep up the hard work! Excited to see things grow…
Good to finally have this public. The right team addressing one of the most important issues worldwide. Go get ‘em JB!
I like that idea,two thumbs up!
Sorry EduFire, the future is all about synchrous interactive online learning from talented instructors. $1.3 million won’t get you that. My prediction… some book publisher on its way to extinction acquires EduFire as its last desperate hope. JB still wins, so good for you I guess.
Jon – well done. Hate to say it, but the raise of $1.3 shows to some degree that the move north from SoCal to NoCal was well worth it. Yammer will likely announce another big round soon.
As to online education, the all levels of the education market are ripe for someone (hopefully Edufire) to take charge b/c Blackboard is struggling with a passive UI that provides no engagement with the student (and this is coming from a Blackboard instructor at a major university). Good luck.
Cool product ..!
Now I know, why you are so busy Jon Awesome news! You guys really deserve this
Educhange, baby!
I still feel the online education needs to improve a lot , we need to get the best talent to explain and teach. We need to provide a platform where anyone and everyone could give lessons,
Guys at Examville.com will be allowing the same thing soon. And they have their own content. Not entirely relying on user generated content. Look out for them as well.
Edufire is making quality education available worldwide at an affordable cost. Keep up the great work!
EduFire Raises $1.3 Million For Video Education Platform !
Congratulations Edufire !!!
Congrats Jon and the edufire team!
Congratulations to the Edufire team on behalf of the Myngle team.
Let’s change the education industry.
Egbert van Keulen
COO and co-founder of Myngle
eduFire is an excellent resource for learning just about anything and it will surely make a large impact on how education works online. Congratulations to the eduFire team.
Great name and idea
Good luck
Congratulations Jon! EduFire is the best virtual education platform that I have ever been on!
it’s exciting 2 watch it unfold. keep pushing
Nice job Jon!
Great to see edufire moving up and beyond!
This is great news for the eduFire Team. Congrats to Jon Bischke, Koichi Ko, and the rest of the team. They continue to do some great things there, and I still need to get off my butt and take that Tagalog class. Cheers!
OMG! Super Cool!♥
Congrats to Jon and the rest of the Edufire team from italki !
Edufire is absolutely one of the best in an exciting space. We have no doubt it is companies like Edufire that will redefine the way we look at education.
Congrats again!
Edufire is doing good quality work for education & trying to make it an affordable for all.
That’s great news!
Congrats to Jon and his crew members, Keep it up!
Hearty congrats to Jon and the eduFire team…I just signed up after being sent your way. This is the future of education.
One cynical comment amidst all of the support above is testament to what you have created. But that one comment is sadly poignant.
Many ideas have been changed or diluted at the behest of those who didn’t have them. From what I have heard and read you are a passionate visionary. Keep trusting your judgement and defend your instinct.
All the best
Congratulations, hope your project to be successful.
Congrats Jon, Koichi, and the rest of the eduFire team. Seeing money invested in an innovative online learning play is encouraging news.
I think we’ll see 2010 as the year the web finally starts disrupting the dinosaur that is the education industry.
I’ve been an edufire user for sometime now, they run a tight ship. Kudos Jon and team, well deserved.
Edufire rocks! More learning, more evolution. Plenty of loving and plenty of coaching. This is what our planet needs.
Edufire is pretty retarded. All the things they teach, you can simply just youtube and get way better results.
When you try to win by having your users generated video content youtube will always own you. teachertube too.
Another thing, the quote
“Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire”
did NOT inspire edufire to make edu”FIRE”.
It seems like edufire.com was a freename (9.99) and then he looked for a education related quote with the word “FIRE” in it…