prnewswire | October 12, 2020
HarperCollins Leadership is proving that it's possible to have fun while learning with the release of a new e-learning professional development series "Get Smarter with Dennis Miller." Developed for professionals in corporate teams or small businesses, the series boasts a unique combination of proven training content and celebrity humor. The need for effective, engaging professional development has never been greater. We are thrilled to partner with Dennis Miller, whose standard of excellence in comedy is matched by his passion for helping people learn and grow," said Jeff James, vice president and publisher at HarperCollins Leadership.
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EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY
Liquid Web | September 27, 2021
Liquid Web Family of Brands, a market leader in managed hosting, digital commerce cloud, and WordPress solutions to small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), today announced their acquisition of LearnDash, the leading learning management system (LMS) plugin for WordPress.
The LearnDash acquisition is an extension of Liquid Web's commitment to leadership in the WordPress and WooCommerce arena by delivering innovative software solutions that power the online potential of businesses and the designers, developers, and agencies who create for them.
"Everyone knows LearnDash as the leader of online learning in the WordPress ecosystem. We are excited to welcome them to the Liquid Web family as we continue to build our strength in the digital commerce ecosystem," said Chris Lema, Liquid Web's VP of Products. "LearnDash takes us deeper into the digital commerce space by offering online educators the best tools to create online courses, quizzes, and dynamic content with built-in marketing and ecommerce features. We believe in their brand, and we know that with our backing, they will continue to deliver the online solutions educators need."
LearnDash will join the Liquid Web Family under the StellarWP brand, which is the umbrella for our premium WordPress software solutions and includes well-known and respected WordPress leaders such as iThemes, The Events Calendar, GiveWP, Restrict Content Pro, Iconic, and Kadence WP.
The acquisition marks StellarWP's entrance into the booming LMS space. As the global pandemic continues to drive educators to virtual learning solutions, the LMS market is projected to grow by more than $30 billion between now and 2028.
Like the rest of our StellarWP brands, the LearnDash team will continue to operate as an independent unit. Existing and new customers of LearnDash will see no change in service. Justin Ferriman will remain as an advisor with the acquisition and WordPress authority and Liquid Web leader, Chris Lema, will become the General Manager of LearnDash.
We're excited to have LearnDash join StellarWP to continue our mission to power learning programs. We are confident that the strength and leadership Liquid Web provides will ensure LearnDash remains the leading online LMS solution for WordPress for many years to come.
Justin Ferriman, CEO and co-founder of LearnDash
About LearnDash
The only WordPress LMS created by e-learning experts, LearnDash is a flexible learning management system. LearnDash is taking cutting edge elearning methodology and infusing it into WordPress. More than just a plugin, LearnDash is trusted to power the learning programs for major universities, small to midsize companies, startups, entrepreneurs, and bloggers worldwide.
About Liquid Web
Building on over 24 years of success, our Liquid Web Family of Brands delivers software, solutions, and managed services for mission-critical sites, stores, and applications to SMBs and the designers, developers, and agencies who create for them. Liquid Web (Managed Hosting), Nexcess (Digital Commerce Cloud) and StellarWP (WordPress Software and Tools) have more than 500,000+ sites under management, have over 125,000 Software subscribers and 2 Million+ free version Software users. Collectively, the companies have assembled a world-class team of industry experts, provide unparalleled service from solution engineers available 24/7/365, and own and manage ten global data centers. As an industry leader in customer service, the rapidly expanding brand family has been recognized among INC. Magazine's 5000 Fastest-Growing Companies for twelve years.
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CONTINUING EDUCATION
Learnfully | December 13, 2021
Learnfully, a first of its kind personalized learning platform, today announced its initial fundraising and emergence from stealth.With 1 in 5 students diagnosed with learning differences — and countless more dealing with emotional and developmental obstacles, Learnfully empowers all individuals to gain access to the most effective learning approach for them. Learnfully tailors a programming plan to their needs based on the expertise of educators and connects them with proven specialists to provide individual instruction.
"For too long our system has overlooked those who learn differently and left them to fend for themselves, instead of emphasizing their strengths and catering to their unique challenges. We're proud to launch Learnfully to bring personalized learning solutions to scale for all learners and empower them to reach their potential."
Letha McLaren, CEO & Co-Founder, Learnfully
The launch of the Learnfully platform is especially timely given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as many learners are struggling to adapt to a digital environment. In fact, the Brookings institute found that students may make just 70% of the reading gains this year compared to the progress they'd see in a normal school year; this forecast found the gains would be less than 50% for mathematics.
While other offerings only tackle tutoring services or an initial assessment, Learnfully takes a holistic approach to every learner. Its assessment includes human insights which complement its groundbreaking technology platform that analyzes information, responses, and measurable impressions to create and maintain each learner's profile and plan. Based on these inputs, Learnfully creates curated learning plans and provides access to specialized professionals, such as educational and behavioral therapists, tutoring services, insights, and instructions.
Once a learner begins programming, Learnfully adjusts the educational approach on the fly through its feedback and progress engine, as behaviors and emotions can change rapidly. This helps learners, parents, and educators ensure that both short- and long-term goals are attainable. The result is the only true end-to-end solution — from assessment to instruction — available.
"Learnfully seamlessly helped my two kids from assessment to tutoring plan to finding the right instructor," said Joy Leonard, a California parent of two Learnfully learners. "The highly targeted learning sessions have been invaluable, making an enormous impact on my kids' abilities in a short period of time."
Learnfully is co-founded by Letha McLaren and Suchi Deshpande. McLaren has more than 20 years of diverse product management, marketing and business leadership experience in the technology and energy industries. Deshpande previously served as a product leader at MuleSoft, Edmodo, Opya and more.
"During the pandemic, parents have a front-row seat to their children's education, and many are realizing that they learn differently — and yet they have nowhere to turn for guidance," says Suchi Deshpande. "As a parent of neurodiverse kids, I know firsthand how challenging it is to navigate the educational landscape. Learnfully helps parents seamlessly get the support they need to unlock all learners' potential."
Learnfully raised $1.25 million in initial funding. Investors include Amol Deshpande, CEO & Co-Founder of Farmers Business Network, founder of Divergent Investments. Goodwater Capital, Incite.org, Figure Eight Investments and other investors also participated in the round.
"Learnfully is a mission-driven start-up focused on providing technology and specialists to children with learning differences," said Swati Mylavarapu, Founder of Incite.org "At Incite, we’re believers in Learnfully’s mission to better outcomes for neurodivergent learners and their families by empowering them with tailored support. Keely and I are proud to support Suchi and Letha in making this important mission central to the company they’re building.”
Learnfully is a win-win for educators and learners alike.
“Millennial families seek bespoke, digital-first learning solutions where they can access world class experts from the comfort of their homes,” said Diana Anthony, a K-12 teacher turned education investor, and Co-founder and Managing Partner of Figure Eight Investments. “Learnfully is bringing this model to neurodiverse learners and their families, providing them with unprecedented access to the educators and behavioral specialists that can transform their educational experience.”
Learnfully offers great benefits to professionals as well: they are matched with a learner that needs their skills and learns best with their teaching style. These learning sessions cater to the educator's schedule, so they can accommodate additional work. Educators, behaviorists, tutors, and therapists can all apply to join the platform. Accepted professionals gain unlimited support services, content resources, and access to an unparalleled educational community.
About Learnfully
Learnfully is on a mission to ignite learning and unlock the potential of every learner. Based in San Francisco, Learnfully is a tech-enabled personalized learning service, empowering all individuals to gain access to insights into the most effective learning approach and build a programming plan based on the expertise of educators. Through its groundbreaking tech platform, best-in-class learning assessment, and expert educator network, Learnfully delivers true engagement and tangible results for every learner.
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