We first invested in Skillshare almost five years ago. At the time the company was focused on in person classes. While many of those were as engaging as I had hoped, it was difficult to grow. Coming to an in person class is a big commitment, teachers didn’t have an audience and many had a hard time finding a place to teach and the model only has local network effects. Michael decided that starting with online classes was a better way to go and we supported that change. The first foray into online classes was payment a la carte. That too was challenging. Students had to determine upfront whether a class would be worth taking. And with classes that’s not just a function of how good the teacher is but also if you wind up enjoying the material (which is often impossible to tell upfront). So Skillshare switched to a subscription model.

As it turns out the combination of an open contribution platform where anyone can teach with a subscription model works exceptionally well. Students can feel safe trying out any of the classes – no need to worry about paying and then not liking it. That in turn lets many more people come in and try to teach. Some of the most popular classes on Skillshare include first time teachers. This has allowed Skillshare to grow organically on both the teacher and student side. And with growth has come the possibility to bring back some of the original ideas behind in person classes.

I am therefore excited that Skillshare has just closed its Series B round with Amasia and Omidyar Network as new investors. Welcome! The company will use the funds to continue investing in the teaching and learning experience on the web and on mobile and in building out more community features. To that end Skillshare is hiring.