The City & Guilds Group announces investment in Filtered as part of New Venture Fund
The City & Guilds Group has invested in London-based online training company, Filtered, as the first investment from its New Venture Fund. The Fund, launched in September 2015, will invest £2.5m in post-revenue companies to support innovation in skills development across the world.
Filtered is an online training platform that personalises learning material for each user. By asking questions at the outset, the platform's algorithms filter out learning material a user doesn't need or already knows. This reduces the time spent training and maximises the value of that time.
Its range of courses are tailored to each individual and give users the chance to learn essential business skills (such as communication, leadership and project management), Microsoft Office (Excel, Outlook, etc.) and business analysis. Filtered has grown quickly since 2009, serving 700,000 consumers and a growing list of multinationals including EE, Regus and New Look.
As well as funding, Filtered will benefit from the City & Guilds Group’s expertise and resources. In return, the Group will have an equity stake in the business.
Speaking about the investment, John Yates, New Ventures Director, City & Guilds Group said: 'Our New Venture Fund is all about giving entrepreneurs and their businesses support as they grow. The team at Filtered are passionate about what they do, and have created an innovative, engaging, personalised and adaptive learning platform with huge potential. They are implementing solutions that many until now have only dreamed possible. And we share a commitment to giving people the chance to develop their skills so they can progress in their careers. For us, this partnership isn’t only about providing Filtered with funding. It’s about working together to give them the best possible chance of success. We’re really excited to start working with the team at Filtered and helping their business grow even more in the future.'
Adding to this, Marc Zao-Sanders, CEO and one of the founders of Filtered commented: 'It’s fantastic to have the City & Guilds Group as an investor. Our mission is to maximise the value of training and we do this by filtering content using proprietary adaptive technology. That mission fits perfectly with the City & Guilds Group’s drive to develop skills for individuals, organisations and the economy. Having got to know and enjoyed working with the team at the City & Guilds Group, we’ve already identified several interesting joint projects that combine our approach and technology with their expertise and stature.'
To find out more about the New Venture Fund visit: https://www.cityandguildsgroup.com/who-works-with-us/new-venture-fund
About the City & Guilds Group
The City & Guilds Group is a leader in global skills development. Its purpose is to enable people and organisations to develop their skills for personal and economic growth. Backed by a Royal Charter, the City & Guilds Group has over 135 years’ experience in making sure that people are prepared to contribute to successful businesses and thriving economies.
The City & Guilds Group partners with more than 200 companies to develop the skilled workforces that they need, and invests in learning technologies to help people learn whenever and wherever they can. The City & Guilds Group is made up of City & Guilds, ILM, City & Guilds Kineo and The Oxford Group:
- City & Guilds develops programmes of learning, learning technology, certification and assessment, to support colleges, training providers and governments.
- ILM helps individuals, education providers and businesses improve the standards of leadership and management through qualifications, accredited training and specialist member services. ILM awards qualifications to over 95,000 managers across the world every year.
- City & Guilds Kineo is a global workplace learning company. It offers a fresh approach to elearning management systems, apprenticeships and managed learning services.
- The Oxford Group provides bespoke management training, leadership development and executive coaching to the world's leading companies.
Combined, the City & Guilds Group operates in over 100 countries, through 10,000 training centres, delivering qualifications in 26 different industries. For more information about the City & Guilds Group visit: www.cityandguildsgroup.com
About the New Venture Fund
The City & Guilds Group's New Venture Fund was set up to invest £2.5m in post-revenue companies and entrepreneurs to support innovation in the way skills education is delivered today.
The Fund is all about supporting innovation and entrepreneurship by helping grow the businesses of entrepreneurs who are committed to skills development. The Group will provide funding in return for an equity stake. Recipients will also benefit from the City & Guilds Group's expertise and resources to help their ideas get off the ground.