US-based professional learning system provider Guild Education secured $150m yesterday in a series E round featuring Salesforce Ventures, the investment arm of enterprise software producer Salesforce, at a $3.75bn valuation.
Bessemer Venture Partners (BVP), Cowboy Ventures, D1 Capital Partners, Emerson Collective, General Catalyst, GSV, Harrison Metal, Iconiq, Next Play Capital and Redpoint Ventures filled out the round, which pushed the company’s overall funding to $378m since it was founded in 2015.
Guild Education has built a software platform which helps organisations provide continuing education for its workforce. Its customers include Disney, Walmart, Discover, Chipotle and Lowe’s.
Rachel Carlson, Guild Education’s CEO and co-founder, said: “This latest round of funding will allow us to support the tens of millions of Americans in need of upskilling, with a model that encourages their employers to do well by doing good.”
Salesforce Ventures had already participated in a $157m series D round for the company in November 2019 at a $1bn valuation.
General Catalyst led the round, which included Workday Ventures, a subsidiary of enterprise software provider Workday, as well as BVP, Emerson Collective, Felicis Ventures, Harrison Metal, Iconiq, Lead Edge Capital, Next Play Capital, Redpoint Ventures and Silicon Valley Bank (SVB).
Stephen Curry had provided an undisclosed amount for Guild Education the previous month, after Salesforce Ventures and Workday Ventures had taken part in a $40m series C round in 2018.
The latter round included SVB, Felicis Ventures, Rethink Impact & Education and existing investors BVP, Cowboy Ventures, Harrison Metal and Redpoint Ventures. The company’s earlier backers include Social Capital.
