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- Varsity Tutors
Varsity Tutors Funding, Investors & Competitors
Varsity Tutors has raised $107M across 3 funding rounds, most recently a $50M Series C in February 2018.
Last Varsity Tutors funding round
$50M
Series C · Feb 2018
Cumulative funding Varsity Tutors raised
$107M
across 3 funding rounds
Key investors in Varsity Tutors
TCV
Learn Capital
Nimble Ventures
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
David Karandish
Chris Sims
Stuart Udell
Adam Levine
About Varsity Tutors
Varsity Tutors is a St. Louis-headquartered live online learning platform connecting students with tutors in over 3,000 subjects, tests, and topics. The service delivers 1:1 sessions, small groups, and large classes with AI-driven personalization. Operating as the largest tutoring network in the United States, Varsity Tutors supports K-12, college prep, and professional development.
Founded
2007
HQ
Website
Status
Privately held
Customer focus
B2C & B2B
Revenue model
Commission, Subscription
Varsity Tutors Funding History
Varsity Tutors has raised a total of $107M across 3 funding rounds.
Varsity Tutors' first fundraising round was a $7M Series A in May 2014. The most recent completed round was a $50M Series C in February 2018.
Varsity Tutors funding rounds
| Date | Stage | Investors | Raised | Deal Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2018 | Series C | Learn Capital (lead); Chan Zuckerberg Initiative; TCV; Nimble Ventures | $50M | Varsity Tutors is an edtech platform founded in 2011 that connects students with expert tutors for live one-on-one sessions across over 1,000 subjects and tests, offering in-person, online, and mobile options with a focus on instant video-based tutoring. By February 2018, it had facilitated 3 million hours of tutoring with 40,000 experts on the platform and acquired European marketplace First Tutors plus four educational content sites. The majority of its business came from online and mobile channels, including an instant tutoring tool for about 150 subjects that matches learners with experts in under 15 seconds. On February 14, 2018, Varsity Tutors closed a $50 million Series C funding round led by Learn Capital, with participation from Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and existing investor TCV (Technology Crossover Ventures), bringing total funding to $107 million across three rounds (following $7M Series A in 2014 and $50M Series B in 2015). The funds were intended to scale operations, expand into new categories like technical training and music lessons, enter new geographies including international markets, increase subject coverage, and enhance AI-driven personalized learning and mobile features. CEO Chuck Cohn highlighted demand for better online experiences surpassing offline tutoring. At the time, paying users purchased hourly packages at $60-70 per hour, with ~3 million total tutoring hours facilitated translating to roughly $200 million in cumulative revenue since inception. The company operated from St. Louis and Seattle co-headquarters, with the Seattle office growing to 50 people. |
| Nov 2015 | Series B | Adam Levine (lead); Stuart Udell (lead); TCV (lead) | $50M | Varsity Tutors, founded in 2007 by Chuck Cohn in St. Louis, operates an online platform connecting students with vetted tutors for in-person, online, and mobile sessions, offering additional resources like flashcards and test prep materials. By November 2015, the company had connected nearly 50,000 students with over 15,000 instructors nationwide, delivering more than one million hours of tutoring sessions, with online sessions poised to surpass in-person ones and half the business from high school students. On November 13-14, 2015, Varsity Tutors closed a $50 million Series B funding round led by Adam Levine (Maroon 5 frontman), Technology Crossover Ventures (TCV), and Stuart Udell (executive chairman at Catapult Learning), bringing total funding to $57 million including a prior $7 million round in 2014. Proceeds were allocated to enhance online tutoring technology, mobile apps (where most traffic originates), grow the software development team, establish a product management division, and pursue a broad mobile strategy for on-demand live video chat tutoring accessible anywhere. The platform evolved from an initial model delivering tutors to homes—likened by Cohn to 'Netflix by mail'—to emphasizing digital delivery after browser video improvements in 2013, with plans to expand beyond traditional tutoring into subjects like cooking, Photoshop, and programming to attract broader learners including college and adult users. |
| May 2014 | Series A | David Karandish; Chris Sims | $7M | Varsity Tutors raised a previously unannounced $7 million Series A funding round from Answers Corporation executives David Karandish and Chris Sims, which closed in May 2014. This round preceded a $50 million Series B in November 2015 led by Technology Crossover Ventures, Adam Levine, and others, bringing total funding to $57 million. David Karandish joined the board in May 2014. |
Who has invested in Varsity Tutors?
8 investors have backed Varsity Tutors across its funding rounds, including TCV, Learn Capital, Nimble Ventures, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, David Karandish and Chris Sims.
Lead investors include Learn Capital, Adam Levine, Stuart Udell and TCV.
Varsity Tutors Investors
| Investor | HQ | Rounds | Role | First check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Lead | Nov 2015 | ||
| 1 | Lead | Feb 2018 | ||
| 1 | Lead | Nov 2015 | ||
| 1 | Participant | May 2014 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Feb 2018 | ||
| 1 | Lead | Nov 2015 | ||
This data is available for Pro users. Sign up to see all 8 Varsity Tutors investors. Start Free Trial | ||||
Benchmark 350K+ Funding Rounds and Disclosed VC Valuation Multiples
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Start Free TrialAcquisitions by Varsity Tutors
Varsity Tutors has acquired 3 companies to date.
Last acquisition by Varsity Tutors was on August 15th 2022. Varsity Tutors acquired Codeverse for undisclosed valuation.
Latest Acquisitions by Varsity Tutors
| Description | Codeverse is an edtech platform that operates interactive coding studios for children aged six to twelve. Studios in New York City, Chicago, and Dallas feature adventure-themed environments where kids learn coding through games and projects using tools like Scratch and Python. The company expanded to multiple US locations since its founding in 2017 and partners with schools for after-school programs. Codeverse also offers online classes and summer camps to teach computational thinking and problem-solving skills. | Veritas Prep is a live online test preparation brand under Varsity Tutors offering GMAT, GRE, LSAT, and executive admissions consulting services. It delivers instructor-led courses in over 70 cities worldwide through virtual classrooms with proprietary curriculum materials. Acquired by Varsity Tutors in 2018 and headquartered in St. Louis, the brand supports graduate school applicants with personalized tutoring. | First Tutors is an online marketplace matching students with private tutors across the United Kingdom, United States, and other countries in subjects from math and languages to music and exam prep. It lists over 20,000 tutors who set their own rates and availability. Launched in 2005 and based in Bath, England, the platform supports searches by location, price, and qualifications. |
| HQ Country | |||
| HQ City | Chicago, IL | Los Angeles, CA | Preston |
| Deal Date | 15 Aug 2022 | 22 Jan 2019 | 28 Sep 2017 |
| Valuation | undisclosed | undisclosed | undisclosed |
| EV/Revenue | |||
| EV/EBITDA | |||
This data is available for Pro users. Sign up to see all Varsity Tutors acquisitions and their M&A valuation multiples. Start Free Trial | |||
Varsity Tutors Competitors
Varsity Tutors competitors include listed companies like SAP and Snowflake, and private ones like Zuoyebang, BetterUp, Anthropic and OpenAI.
| Company | HQ | Status | Revenue | EBITDA | Valuation | Revenue Multiple |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private | $33M | - | $10B | - | ||
| Private | $100M | - | $4.7B | 47.0x | ||
| Private | $47B | - | $965B | 20.5x | ||
| Private | $25B | - | $852B | 34.1x | ||
| Publicly listed | $42B | $13B | $248B | 5.4x | ||
| Publicly listed | $4.7B | ($1.3B) | $119B | 21.0x |
Varsity Tutors Public Comps
Varsity Tutors is still privately-owned, but its public comps include CrowdStrike, SAP, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Snowflake, Adobe, Datadog, Moody's, Nebius Group and Workday.
| Last FY | EV/Revenue | EV/EBITDA | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | EBITDA | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | |
| $4.8B | ($12M) | 51.4x | 44.5x | (19816.2x) | 151.0x | |||
| $42B | $13B | 5.8x | 5.4x | 18.4x | 17.1x | |||
| $42B | $13B | 5.5x | 5.2x | 17.8x | 12.2x | |||
| $13B | $2.6B | 11.1x | 9.6x | 57.2x | 25.0x | |||
| $4.7B | ($1.3B) | 25.6x | 21.0x | (94.1x) | 121.7x | |||
| $24B | $9.3B | 4.3x | 3.9x | 10.9x | 8.2x | |||
| $3.4B | ($588K) | 23.6x | 19.4x | (137813.0x) | 77.6x | |||
| $7.7B | $3.8B | 11.2x | 10.6x | 22.5x | 20.1x | |||
This data is available for Pro users. Sign up to see all Varsity Tutors competitors and their valuation data. Start Free Trial | ||||||||
Common questions about Varsity Tutors
| When was Varsity Tutors founded? | Varsity Tutors was founded in 2007. |
| Where is Varsity Tutors headquartered? | Varsity Tutors is headquartered in St Louis, MO, United States. |
| Is Varsity Tutors publicly listed? | No, Varsity Tutors is a private, VC-backed company. |
| How much funding has Varsity Tutors raised? | Varsity Tutors has raised $107M across 3 funding rounds. |
| What was Varsity Tutors' last funding round? | Varsity Tutors' last funding round was a $50M Series C in February 2018, led by Learn Capital. |
| Who are Varsity Tutors' investors? | Varsity Tutors' investors include TCV, Learn Capital, Adam Levine, David Karandish, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Stuart Udell, Nimble Ventures and Chris Sims. |
| Which companies are comparable to Varsity Tutors? | Companies comparable to Varsity Tutors include Zuoyebang, BetterUp, Anthropic, OpenAI, SAP and Snowflake. |
| How many companies has Varsity Tutors acquired? | Varsity Tutors has acquired 3 companies, including Codeverse, Veritas Prep and First Tutors. |
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