EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY
Polygon | May 21, 2022
Polygon, a company specializing in remote evaluations and support for dyslexia, ADHD, and other learning differences, today announced that it closed a $3.6 million investment led by Spark Capital. The round brings Polygon's total funding to date to $4.2 million (with Pear VC having been the largest investor in the company's previously unannounced $600k pre-seed round). The company recently emerged from stealth and will use the new capital to develop its product further and expand its geographic reach. Polygon also announced Spark Capital General Partner Natalie Sandman joining the Board of Directors.
"I wasn't properly assessed and diagnosed as very dyslexic until later in life, well after my early education years. Polygon is my attempt to create the service that I wish I'd had access to as a child, The capital we've raised has been used to build our proprietary assessment platform. We're thrilled with the progress, but we're just getting started. Further platform development, additional services, and national expansion will help us provide gold-standard learning differences services to the mass market."
-Polygon Founder and CEO Jack Rolo.
According to the Yale Center For Dyslexia & Creativity, Dyslexia affects one in five people, representing 80-90% of all learning disabilities (LDs). Only 67% of students with LDs graduate from high school; research has shown that the situation has worsened during the pandemic, with learning loss being most severe amongst students with LDs. A recent BCG whitepaper estimated dyslexia and its consequences to cost California $12 billion in 2020 and $1 trillion over the next 60 years. While experts agree that early diagnosis and support are the keys to success, services in the industry are prohibitively expensive, have inconsistent standards, and lack remote services.
Polygon provides remote evaluations and support for dyslexia, ADHD, and other learning differences with targeted psychoeducational and comprehensive Neuropsychological assessments. Comprehensive evaluations start at $995, which is 5x less than traditional alternatives. Unlike online marketplaces that rely on hourly contract psychologists, Polygon's expert licensed psychologists are company employees. Clinicians are carefully selected over a 5-stage interview process, complete extensive training, and diligently adhere to Polygon's clinical practices. In addition to equipping them with its proprietary remote assessment platform, every member of the Polygon team receives a professional video-conferencing setup, full benefits, and equity compensation.
"We identified multiple points for improvement throughout the industry, from assessment to billing and compensation. Polygon has set out to update processes and infrastructure with technology to enable a more efficient, accurate, and fair experience for clinicians and clients,"
- Polygon Chief Clinical Officer Sharon Witkin, Ph.D.
"I was diagnosed with dyslexia at ten years old. It was a life-changing diagnosis, We believe Polygon has the potential to serve a huge number of people with learning differences. Their offering is well-timed with the rapid adoption of telehealth spurred by the pandemic."
-Polygon board member and Spark Capital General Partner Natalie Sandman.
About Polygon
Polygon is a new kind of psychology practice specializing in evaluations and support for dyslexia, ADHD, and other learning differences. Polygon utilizes technology to provide a better experience for both clients and its team of in-house licensed psychologists. Polygon's mission is to enable every person with a learning difference to reach their full potential.
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EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY
WorkRamp | May 19, 2022
WorkRamp, the All-in-One Learning Platform helping businesses and their employees unlock their true growth potential – today has announced it has acquired The Enablement Squad, one of the largest online open communities of enablement professionals whose mission is to engage, educate, and empower enablement leaders across the globe.
"This is one of the most electrifying moments for The Enablement Squad. Our goal has been to always provide enablement leaders and practitioners a space where they're able to share best practices, ask questions, and ultimately support one another, This partnership will allow us to further our mission to connect enablement professionals everywhere."
-Matt Scheitle, Co-Founder of The Enablement Squad.
"Over the past year, we've been able to double our membership organically. With this partnership, we're going to be able to reach more people and build a more robust, vibrant community, The sky is the limit with what we're going to be able to do with The Squad and I'm really excited to see it."
-Stephanie Middaugh, Co-Founder of The Enablement Squad.
Unlocking community growth
One of WorkRamp's key strategic goals is to invest in community building for their own customers and the greater enablement and training community.
The enablement function has exploded over the past several years. For example, sales enablement has seen a 343% increase in adoption, according to G2. As the need for enablement continues to grow, so does the need for education surrounding the craft. Both WorkRamp and The Enablement Squad are aligned on a common objective: to help enablement professionals thrive in their careers.
"The Enablement Squad is the premier online space for enablement and training professionals, We're thrilled about the partnership, and the ability to offer additional resources to help grow the community, get more events and programs up and running, and bring enablement leaders together."
-Ted Blosser, CEO of WorkRamp.
About The Enablement Squad
The Enablement Squad was founded in 2019 by Matt Scheitle and Stephanie Middaugh, two Enablement leaders who are passionate about connecting people and creating a space where enablement professionals can network, brainstorm, and share best practices and struggles. Since its inception, The Enablement Squad has experienced massive growth, more than doubling membership organically over the last year.
About WorkRamp
WorkRamp is the All-in-One Learning Platform that your executives, employees, and customers will love. WorkRamp advances learning as a growth engine for your business with a flexible platform that empowers teams to develop top talent, exceed revenue targets, and inspire customers to become advocates. With a flexible, All-in-One Learning Platform, WorkRamp redefines the LMS for the modern workplace to help executives recognize learning as a growth engine and one of the most strategic investments an organization can make. See why top learning teams at Box, Outreach, and Reddit trust WorkRamp to drive business outcomes and organizational scale.
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VIPKid | July 29, 2020
Fast Company today announced its second annual Best Workplaces for Innovators list, honoring businesses and organizations that demonstrate a deep commitment to encouraging innovation at all levels. VIPKid, one of the world’s largest online education technology companies, came in at #53 for its global workplace culture that nurtures innovation. Developed in collaboration with Accenture, the 2020 Best Workplaces for Innovators ranks 100 winners from a variety of industries, including computer science, biotech, consumer packaged goods, nonprofit, education, financial services, cybersecurity, and engineering. Working together, Fast Company editors and Accenture researchers scored nearly 900 applications, and a panel of eight eminent judges reviewed and endorsed the top 100 companies. The 2020 awards feature workplaces from around the world with several of the honorees based outside the U.S.
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GFG Alliance | August 14, 2020
LIBERTY Steel Group (‘LSG’), part of Sanjeev Gupta’s sustainable industry leader GFG Alliance, has succeeded in its bid to acquire the strategic French steel assets of France Rail Industry business (‘Hayange’) and the Ascoval steelworks (Ascoval). Following the decision in July by the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Strasbourg to award Hayange to LSG, the French government has today given its final approval for the deal which will secure the future of the nationally strategic plants and their 700-strong workforce.Hayange, located in Moselle, France manufactures a wide range of steel rails for nationally significant infrastructure clients including France’s national rail operator SNCF and RATP, the operator of Paris’ metro system, and is regarded as a strategic asset by the French government. The site, which employs around 430 people, produces over 300,000 tonnes of rail per year. While the French rail market is key to the business, with help from across the LSG network the company will seek to grow sales of rails across Europe and other markets. LSG already has a rail mill supplying the Australian network from its steelworks in Whyalla, South Australia.
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