Mangrove Capital Partners led the pre-seed round with backing from Ada Ventures and sector leaders to expand green skills training.
"The problem is two-fold. Firstly, there is an awareness issue – these are highly accessible, meaningful and well-paid jobs but people are unaware that they pay well or that they even exist. Secondly, the current training systems in place cannot deliver at the speed and scale required,"
The Didsbury startup secured its third fundraise from a mix of new and existing angels.
"It’s a really important fundraise for My First Five Years. We’re two years old as a business and 2023 is a critical year for us as we demonstrate market traction and proof that parents are willing to pay for the app."
The equity portion of the round was led by Iberis Capital, with debt financing from SmartLenders Asset Management.
"The demand for workforce upskilling has never been greater. We’re on a mission to plug this gap across Europe while empowering individuals to level-up their careers. Our platform is currently over-subscribed so, with the new funds, we’re looking forward to helping as many people as possible embark on training courses to upskill. We aim to expand our coverage to build the workforce for the future, in particular in areas such as technology, AI and climate change."
Vitruvian Partners has acquired a minority stake in Twinkl to support the educational publisher's international expansion.
"Everything we do at Twinkl is to help those who teach and this is as true today as it was on day one. From humble beginnings, we’re now a global leader in educational resources. I couldn’t be prouder of our team, their work and our shared commitment to serving our customers every single day. This investment, and our partnership with Vitruvian, will help us to find new ways to continue to help the teaching community worldwide as we move into this next phase of our journey."
The investment was supported by backers including Ufi Ventures.
"Learner engagement and confidence levels within virtual learning environments far exceed more traditional e-learning and classroom settings. We are delighted to be supporting Metaverse Learning, as they broaden the programmes they offer, reaching more learners."