Zen Educate, a UK-based online edtech marketplace that matches schools with staff, has closed a €37 million Series B round. It is led by the Austrian VC firm Round2 Capital, with support from the existing investors Adjuvo, Brighteye Ventures, FJ Labs, Ascension Ventures. The funding will accelerate the expansion of operations in the US and UK.
About Zen Educate
- Zen Educate was co-founded by Oren Cohen and Slava Kremerman in 2017, as an online platform that connects schools directly with teachers and teaching assistants, with the main goal to help teachers earn more while saving schools money. The company aims to change the world of education recruitment.
- It is headquartered in London and has offices in three other UK cities and two in the US. Since its launch, the company has tripled in size year-on-year and is approaching nearly two million hours of cover booked on its platform in the last 12 months.
Zen Educate‘s team
Investment details
- Round2 Capital is the lead investor during the round. It is a pan-European growth investment firm with 180 million under management, investing since 2017. Based in London and Vienna, the firm is a partner for European scale-ups and companies with digital and sustainable business models. To date, Round2 Capital has invested in 36 different software and technology scale-ups across 9 jurisdictions.
Zen Educate has been successful in solving a significant challenge faced by educational facilities on a daily basis. The team’s deep understanding of the edtech landscape is evident, and their remarkable growth, nearly fivefold over the last 24 months, is a testament to their effectiveness,
Christian Czernich, co-founder and CEO of Round2 Capital, said.
- The existing investors Adjuvo, Brighteye Ventures, FJ Labs, Ascension Ventures, and business angels, including Octopus’ founder and CEO Simon Rogerson, also joined the round. Additionally, the fresh investment marks the largest rounds in European edtech this year.
The funding will help Zen Educate to complete several additional acquisitions in the UK and the US and further expand its operations in both markets. It also will facilitate the scaling of the company’s new school workforce management software, which includes SaaS products for credentialing, compliance, and absence management.
