Bitwise Industries, the US-based operator of a minority-focused internship scheme, secured $50m yesterday in a series B round featuring financial information service The Motley Fool and healthcare provider ProMedica.
Venture capital firm Kapor Capital led the round, which included financial services firm JPMorgan Chase, Candide Group, GingerBread Capital, Hunt Capital Investments, Impact Assets, Libra Foundation, Plum Alley and Western Technology Investment.
Motley Fool was represented by corporate venturing unit Motley Fool Ventures in the round, which took the company’s total funding to more than $100m, it said.
Founded in 2013, Bitwise is running paid apprenticeships in the technology industry for US-based students from minority or underprivileged socioeconomic backgrounds in a bid to narrow the wealth gap.
Motley Fool Ventures had previously participated in a $27m series A round for the company in mid-2019 co-led by Kapor Capital and New Voices Fund.
The series A round included Acumen America, Aera VC, GingerBread Capital, New World Foundation’s Quality Jobs Fund, Libra Foundation, Lumina Foundation, Pi Investments Innovation, Plum Alley, Reach Capital and a host of angel investors.
