US-based children’s activity marketplace Sawyer has received $11m in a series A-1 round led by Advance Venture Partners, the corporate venturing arm of media holding company Advance Publications, EdSurge has reported.
Venture capital firms Notation Capital, Collaborative Fund and V1.vc also invested as part of the round, which increased the company’s overall funding to almost $20m according to EdSurge.
Founded in 2015, Sawyer has built an online marketplace for extracurricular children’s activities with educational value, for customers such as small to medium-sized businesses and after school clubs.
Sawyer also markets educational software tools for children, and the series A-1 capital will help it take its marketplace into more US metropolitan markets, building on its existing presence in cities including New York and Los Angeles.
The company secured $6m in a 2017 round led by Advance Venture Partners that featured Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, 3311 Ventures, Collaborative Fund, Female Founders Fund and undisclosed investors from its $1.5m seed round, which closed in 2016 with backing from Notation Capital, Collaborative Fund, V1.vc and unnamed angel investors.
Photo courtesy of Sawyer.