Edtech unicorn Go1 raises US$100 million as valuation reaches US$2 billion

Brisbane-based edtech unicorn Go1 has raised over US$100 million ($139 million) in fresh funding, bringing the company’s valuation to US$2 billion ($2.8 billion).

The recent raise brings the startup’s total funding to US$400 million, as Go1 continues in its mission to help 1 billion learners across the world upskill and reskill. 

Go1’s investors include AirTree Ventures, Blue Cloud Ventures, Five Sigma, Madrona, Salesforce Ventures and SoftBank Vision Fund 2. 

Go1 co-founder and CEO Andrew Barnes said the recent investment will allow the company to “explore new content and resources, enabling our platform to meet the needs of every organisation and employee, and brings us closer to our goal of supporting one billion learners globally”.

“Leading organisations are recognising the acute need to future-proof their workforces by providing comprehensive learning and development opportunities,” he said in a statement.  

Founded in 2015, Go1 is the world’s largest corporate education hub, providing on-demand training and resources to over 5 million learners. The company’s biggest market is North America, but Go1 also plans to expand further into the European market and Southeast Asian markets. 

The company recently acquired Coorpacademy, extending its French and German language content, as well as Education Changemakers, which is an Australian provider of professional learning workshops and personalised support for teachers and school leaders. 

GO1 has also recently started offering content from Pluralsight and Harvard Business Publishing to its users, and shows no signs of slowing down, with further initiatives planned for the upcoming financial year. 

Prior to closing this round of funding, Go1 also made some additions to its leadership team, including appointing Marc Havercroft, formerly from SAP SuccessFactors, as president. This brings the team from 400 in March to over 500 employees a mere two months later.

Go1 did not have any plans to raise further funds, commented Barnes, but decided to proceed after seeing interest from investors.

A wake up call for organisations

Go1 has grown leaps and bounds since it was founded in 2015, but as Barnes tells SmartCompany, previously there was never an easy option for organisations that wanted to train and upskill their workforce.

In fact, he adds, it was talk of the Great Resignation that acted as a wake-up call, prompting organisations to re-evaluate and reset workforce demands and expectations.

“It became apparent to many that they needed to improve how staff were trained and also ensure that the training content was of high standard, and addressed current workplace and career requirements,” he says.

“What we’re witnessing is that as organisations adapt to the new hybrid work model and society transitions out of the pandemic, they’re relying on platforms like Go1 to ensure employees have opportunities to explore learning and development resources — a move that’s essential for retention and encouraging employee growth.”

The key, according to Barnes, is investing in employees and remembering that they are on a lifelong learning journey.