Podium Education is a technology company.
Podium Education has raised $32.0M across 2 funding rounds.
Podium Education has raised $32.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Podium Education is a technology company founded in 2019 that builds for-credit, online experiential learning programs to bridge the college-to-career gap for undergraduate students.[2][3][4] It partners with over 50 universities, including Arizona State, University of South Florida, Georgetown, and UNC-Chapel Hill, to deliver the flagship Global Tech Experience (GTX), teaching in-demand skills in digital marketing (Shopify, Instagram, Google Ads), coding (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python), and data analytics (Excel, Tableau) through real-world projects with partners like Intel, charity: water, and The Grammys.[1][2][3][4][6] The program serves students from diverse backgrounds and majors, solving the skills and experience gap by embedding internship-like experiences into curricula, offering badges, résumés workshops, and access to paid internships via Upwork, with scalability to over one million students.[3][4][6]
Podium Education was co-founded in 2019 by Brooks Morgan (CEO) and Chris Parrish, modeling it after tech bootcamps but integrating directly into undergraduate curricula to skill students before graduation rather than requiring post-grad reskilling.[2][3][5] The idea emerged amid the pandemic's shift from physical study abroad to virtual global learning, partnering with institutions like Arizona State to offer tech-infused programs combining intercultural competencies with workforce skills.[1][2] Early traction included collaborations with over 30 universities by 2021, expanding to 50+ by 2023 with projects for Intel and charity: water, debuting to 1,500 students and reaching 2,500 at launch before scaling massively.[2][3][6]
Podium rides the global education evolution toward virtual, career-ready programming post-pandemic, addressing the early-career talent gap in tech amid rising demand for skills like data analytics and coding in a hybrid workforce.[1][2][5][6] Timing aligns with edtech's shift to scalable, inclusive models—eliminating mobility barriers while layering intercultural savvy for global teams—fueled by market forces like employer needs for experienced grads and universities' push for employability.[2][5] It influences the ecosystem by democratizing elite internships, supercharging undergraduate degrees across 50+ institutions, and partnering with corporates to prototype solutions at unprecedented scale, closing the skills-experience divide.[3][6]
Podium is poised to expand GTX beyond one million students, deepening corporate ties for more projects in AI-driven skills like advanced Python analytics while sustaining university adoption through proven outcomes.[3][6] Trends like AI personalization in edtech and remote work's persistence will amplify its model, potentially evolving into a full career platform with lifelong learning tracks. As the leading experiential bridge from college to career, Podium redefines undergraduate value, turning any degree into a launchpad for global tech roles.[4][6]
Podium Education has raised $32.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Podium Education's investors include Album VC, Firework Ventures, Chris Eyre, Michael Levinthal.
Podium Education has raised $32.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $20.0M Series B in August 2022.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1, 2022 | $20.0M Series B | Album VC, Firework Ventures, Chris Eyre, Michael Levinthal | |
| Oct 1, 2020 | $12.0M Series A | Album VC, Firework Ventures, Chris Eyre, Michael Levinthal |