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Nana Academy operates as an online trade school specializing in appliance repair, offering comprehensive training programs. The platform delivers free online education developed by industry experts, equipping individuals with the necessary skills to become proficient technicians. Its integrated approach combines skill acquisition with practical application, preparing students for immediate entry into the service industry.
The company was founded by David Zamir, who serves as CEO of both Nana Academy and Nana Home. Zamir’s personal journey through financial hardship, which he overcame by acquiring trade skills, inspired him to create an accessible pathway for others. His insight stemmed from recognizing the market need for a free educational resource coupled with direct job placement opportunities in skilled trades.
Nana Academy primarily serves individuals seeking career changes, self-employment, and economic opportunities, including veterans, immigrants, and underrepresented groups. The company’s long-term vision extends beyond appliance repair, aiming to expand its educational offerings into additional trades and geographical markets. It seeks to cultivate a supportive community, provide ongoing mentorship, and foster economic empowerment for a broader workforce.
Nana Academy has raised $29.0M across 3 funding rounds.
Nana Academy has raised $29.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Nana Academy is a vertically integrated education-to-employment platform focused on training individuals in appliance repair, targeting the 35 million Americans projected to lose jobs to tech automation by 2030.[1][2][3] It offers free online courses to teach trade skills, provides mentorship for hands-on experience, and connects graduates to jobs via its marketplace, partnering with major brands like GE, Samsung, Miele, Assurant, Cinch, and First American Home Warranty.[1][3] Serving job seekers without prior experience, it solves workforce displacement by reskilling people for high-demand trades, accelerating America's retooling while creating economic opportunities in repair services.[1][2][3]
Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Oakland, California (with some listings in Alameda), the company has about 57 employees and raised $6M in funding, emphasizing scalable training and job placement in a growing home services market.[2][3][4]
Nana Academy emerged from the experience of founder Zamir, a trained appliance repairperson who ran a successful Bay Area business before pivoting it into an online training platform and marketplace.[3] Launched in 2017, the company started with free remote courses on fixing appliances like dishwashers, refrigerators, ovens, stoves, washers, and dryers, allowing passers to join its technician network.[2][3][4]
A pivotal moment came in 2020 with a $6M funding round, backed by investors like Spero Ventures, validating its model as a blend of education, labor marketplace, and future-of-work play amid rising automation concerns.[3] Early traction built through partnerships with appliance makers and warranty firms, evolving from basic training to a full student-to-operator pipeline.[1][3]
Nana Academy rides the automation reskilling wave, addressing labor shortages in trades as AI displaces white-collar jobs while demand surges for hands-on repair amid e-waste concerns and supply chain issues.[1][3] Timing aligns with post-2020 remote learning booms and IoT appliance growth, filling gaps in a $50B+ U.S. home services market strained by aging technician workforces.[3]
It influences the ecosystem by pioneering vertically integrated edtech for blue-collar roles, inspiring similar models in trades and promoting sustainable repair over replacement—countering fast fashion-like appliance churn.[3] Backed by impact investors like Spero Ventures, it exemplifies how tech platforms can democratize trades, boosting workforce agility in a tech-disrupted economy.[3]
Nana Academy is poised to scale its marketplace with IoT diagnostics for next-gen appliances, potentially expanding into broader home services and more trades as automation accelerates job shifts.[3] Trends like e-waste regulations, labor shortages, and connected home adoption will fuel growth, evolving it from repair-focused school to comprehensive trades platform.
Its influence could grow by setting standards for reskilling pipelines, creating millions of opportunities while reducing economic fallout from tech displacement—proving vertically integrated models can retool America's workforce at scale.[1][3]
Nana Academy has raised $29.0M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $18.0M Series A in May 2021.
Nana Academy has raised $29.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Nana Academy's investors include 1984 Ventures, 8VC, Kevin Hartz, Alt Capital, Army Venture Capital Corp., Collab Capital, Crosslink Capital, CRV, For Good Ventures, Incisive Ventures, Initialized Capital, Kapor Capital.
