Skillshare Funding, Investors & Competitors
Skillshare has raised $105M across 5 funding rounds, most recently a $66M Series D in August 2020.
Last Skillshare funding round
$66M
Series D · Aug 2020
Cumulative funding Skillshare raised
$105M
across 5 funding rounds
Key investors in Skillshare
Union Square Ventures
Amasia
Spark Capital
Burda Principal Investments
Spero Ventures
Omidyar Network
VTF Capital
![](data:image/svg+xml,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20"><rect fill="%23e5e7eb" width="20" height="20" rx="4"/></svg>)
10X Capital
About Skillshare
Skillshare is a New York-headquartered online learning community founded in 2010. Members access classes on illustration, design, photography, video production, freelancing, baking, and startup funding. The platform hosts content from creators worldwide, enabling project-based learning in creative fields, business, and technology through a subscription model.
Founded
2010
HQ
New York City, NYWebsite
Status
Privately held
Customer focus
B2C
Revenue model
Subscription
Skillshare Funding History
Skillshare has raised a total of $105M across 5 funding rounds.
Skillshare's first fundraising round was a $1M seed round in January 2013. The most recent completed round was a $66M Series D in August 2020.
Skillshare funding rounds
| Date | Stage | Investors | Raised | Deal Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2020 | Series D | OMERS Growth Equity (lead); Spero Ventures; Union Square Ventures; Burda Principal Investments; Amasia | $66M | Skillshare, described as the world's largest online learning community for creativity, raised $66 million in Series D funding led by OMERS Growth Equity in August 2020. The round included participation from Amasia, Burda Principal Investments, Spero Ventures, and Union Square Ventures. According to CEO Matt Cooper, the funding came during a period of significant business momentum, with the company experiencing strong international demand growth, deeper user engagement, and new partnership interest. The capital was allocated primarily toward creating localized experiences for international students while continuing domestic expansion and growing the enterprise offering. The timing reflected broader trends in the ed-tech sector during 2020, when demand for online creative learning surged due to social distancing measures and increased interest in creative outlets and community connection. |
| Jul 2018 | Series C | Union Square Ventures (lead); Spero Ventures; Burda Principal Investments; 10X Capital; Clark Landry; Amasia | $20M | Skillshare is an online learning platform offering subscription-based access to creative classes, with over 22,000 courses, 5 million users, and 6,000 teacher contributors as of July 2018. It operates on a model where 30-50% of subscription revenue ($15/month or $99/year) funds a royalty pool for teachers based on video watch minutes, with average teacher earnings of $3,000 annually and top earners up to $40,000. The company reported 125% revenue growth in June 2018 over the prior year but is not profitable, with 48% of new users from outside the U.S. and a focus on millennials, freelancers, and international expansion including new 'workshops' features. In July 2018, Skillshare raised a funding round led by Union Square Ventures, with participation from investors including 10X Capital, Amasia, Burda Principal Investments, Clark Landry, and Spero Ventures, bringing total funding to $42 million. CEO Matt Cooper indicated hopes this would be the last raise, aiming for cashflow positivity with a team of nearly 70 employees. No valuation, round size specifics beyond cumulative totals, revenue numbers, or financial multiples were disclosed in contemporary reports. Teachers on the platform shared individual earnings anecdotes, such as one earning $450 in 2017 from a first class with $50+ monthly recurring, scaling with additional classes via watch minutes. Skillshare's demographics and growth positioned it against competitors in online learning, emphasizing project-based creative education over lecturing. |
| May 2016 | Series B | Amasia (lead); Omidyar Network (lead); Spark Capital; Union Square Ventures | $12M | Skillshare raised $12 million in a Series B funding round on May 26, 2016, co-led by Amasia and Omidyar Network, with participation from Union Square Ventures and Spark Capital. This brought the company's total funding to $22 million. The New York-based edtech startup operates a subscription-based online learning platform offering unlimited access to over 5,000 video-based courses for $10 per month, targeting creatives with bite-sized, self-paced classes in areas like graphic design and photography. Half of subscription revenue is allocated to teachers based on student enrollments. At the time, Skillshare reported 3 million enrollments to date and employed 40 full-time staff. The company planned to use the funds to double headcount, expand internationally, and add more courses and features. It differentiates through community features like projects that foster interaction between teachers and students, positioning itself as the 'Spotify' of online education in a market dominated by a-la-carte models. Skillshare competes with platforms such as CreativeLive, Masterclass, Udemy, and Lynda.com in the growing online learning space for creatives and professionals. |
| Feb 2014 | Series A | Spark Capital (lead); Union Square Ventures (lead); Oliver Jung | $6M | Skillshare is an online learning platform founded in November 2010 that connects subject matter experts with students seeking to develop real-world skills through interactive, video-based lessons. The platform offers project-based courses across creative, business, and technology disciplines, with a model that allows instructors to earn income from their teaching. In February 2014, Skillshare raised $6.1 million in Series B funding led by Union Square Ventures and Spark Capital, with participation from Oliver Jung and other existing investors including SV Angel and BoxGroup. This round brought the company's cumulative capital raised to $10 million since its 2011 launch. The funding was designated to expand the course catalog, enhance student support features, and bring the platform to mobile devices. At the time of the round, Skillshare had gained notable traction with over 100,000 paid enrollments across more than 500 classes. The platform had demonstrated strong instructor monetization, with its top teachers earning six figures annually on the platform, including prominent figures like Seth Godin. The startup was expanding its offerings in business, design, and technology categories to capture broader market demand in online education. |
| Jan 2013 | Seed | VTF Capital (lead); Sopoong Ventures | $1M | - |
Who has invested in Skillshare?
12 investors have backed Skillshare across its funding rounds, including Union Square Ventures, Amasia, Spark Capital, Burda Principal Investments, Spero Ventures and Omidyar Network.
Lead investors include OMERS Growth Equity, Union Square Ventures, Amasia, Omidyar Network, Spark Capital and 1 other investor.
Skillshare Investors
| Investor | HQ | Rounds | Role | First check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York City, NY | 4 | Lead | Feb 2014 | |
| San Francisco, CA | 3 | Lead | May 2016 | |
| San Francisco, CA | 2 | Participant | Jul 2018 | |
| San Francisco, CA | 2 | Lead | Feb 2014 | |
 Munich | 2 | Participant | Jul 2018 | |
| Las Vegas, NV | 1 | Lead | Jan 2013 | |
 Toronto | 1 | Lead | Aug 2020 | |
| 10X Capital | United States | 1 | Participant | Jul 2018 |
| San Francisco, CA | 1 | Lead | May 2016 | |
| Oliver Jung |  London | 1 | Participant | Feb 2014 |
This data is available for Pro users. Sign up to see all 12 Skillshare investors. Start Free Trial | ||||
Benchmark 350K+ Funding Rounds and Disclosed VC Valuation Multiples
Sign up to see data on 350K+ funding rounds and disclosed revenue and EBITDA valuation multiples, from seed, through growth stage, to pre-IPO.
Start Free TrialAcquisitions by Skillshare
Skillshare has acquired 1 company to date.
Last acquisition by Skillshare was on March 13th 2024. Skillshare acquired Superpeer for undisclosed valuation.
Latest Acquisitions by Skillshare
| Description | Superpeer is a San Francisco-based platform launched in 2020 that equips creators and businesses with tools for community building, event hosting, and authentic connections to drive growth and engagement. |
| HQ Country | |
| HQ City | San Francisco, CA |
| Deal Date | 13 Mar 2024 |
| Valuation | undisclosed |
| EV/Revenue | |
| EV/EBITDA | |
This data is available for Pro users. Sign up to see all Skillshare acquisitions and their M&A valuation multiples. Start Free Trial | |
Skillshare Competitors
Skillshare competitors include listed companies like Duolingo and Graham Holdings, and private ones like Kajabi, Domestika, Luoji Siwei and Getcourse.ru.
| Company | HQ | Status | Revenue | EBITDA | Valuation | Revenue Multiple |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Private | $100M | - | $2B | 20.0x | |
| San Francisco, CA | Private | - | - | $1.3B | - | |
 Beijing | Private | - | - | $1B | - | |
 Moscow | Private | - | - | $600M | - | |
| United States | Publicly listed | $1B | $152M | $6.9B | 4.9x | |
| United States | Publicly listed | $4.9B | $682M | $4.8B | 1.0x |
Skillshare Public Comps
Skillshare is still privately-owned, but its public comps include Duolingo, Graham Holdings, Stride, East Buy, COL Global, McGraw Hill, Alef Education, Youdao, Coursera and Afya.
| Last FY | EV/Revenue | EV/EBITDA | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | EBITDA | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | |
| $1B | $152M | 5.4x | 4.9x | 37.3x | 17.9x | |||
| $4.9B | $682M | 1.0x | 1.0x | 7.3x | - | |||
| $2.5B | $580M | 1.2x | 1.2x | 5.1x | 4.8x | |||
| $850M | $98M | 3.0x | 2.8x | 26.3x | 22.4x | |||
| $247M | ($78M) | 10.8x | 8.9x | (34.3x) | (2053.7x) | |||
| $2.1B | $613M | 2.4x | 2.3x | 8.1x | 6.5x | |||
| $210M | $150M | 8.2x | 7.8x | 11.5x | 11.1x | |||
| $881M | $29M | 2.1x | 2.0x | 63.1x | 33.8x | |||
This data is available for Pro users. Sign up to see all Skillshare competitors and their valuation data. Start Free Trial | ||||||||
Common questions about Skillshare
| When was Skillshare founded? | Skillshare was founded in 2010. |
| Where is Skillshare headquartered? | Skillshare is headquartered in New York City, NY, United States. |
| Is Skillshare publicly listed? | No, Skillshare is a private, VC-backed company. |
| How much funding has Skillshare raised? | Skillshare has raised $105M across 5 funding rounds. |
| What was Skillshare's last funding round? | Skillshare's last funding round was a $66M Series D in August 2020, led by OMERS Growth Equity. |
| Who are Skillshare's investors? | Skillshare's investors include Union Square Ventures, Amasia, Spero Ventures, Spark Capital, Burda Principal Investments, VTF Capital, OMERS Growth Equity, 10X Capital, Omidyar Network, Oliver Jung and 2 others. |
| Which companies are comparable to Skillshare? | Companies comparable to Skillshare include Kajabi, Domestika, Luoji Siwei, Getcourse.ru, Duolingo and Graham Holdings. |
| How many companies has Skillshare acquired? | Skillshare has acquired 1 company, including Superpeer. |
See companies similar to Skillshare
Start Your
Free Trial Today
Try Multiples for free for 3 days. Got questions or need a demo? Schedule a call with us below.