Labster, a Copenhagen, Denmark-based virtual laboratory simulation company founded by CEO Mads Tvillinggaard Bonde and CTO Michael Bodekær Jensen, is known for working with leading educational institutions around the world in order to improve science learning. And Labster does this by providing fully interactive virtual laboratory simulations for students from all over the world to explore lab experiments in engineering, biology, chemistry, physics, and general sciences. There are more than 70 virtual labs offered. And Labster’s simulations have been proven to engage students and increase participation in STEM curricula while simultaneously increasing learning outcomes and improving retention rates.
Recently, the company announced it raised $21 million in Series B funding led by Owl Ventures. And Balderton Capital, Northzone, Swisscom Ventures, Nordic Makers, David Helgason, EduCapital, and Entangled Group also participated in the round.
“Labster is making STEM education more easily accessible and engaging for students around the globe by providing unique, interactive experiences in laboratory environments that are typically inaccessible to most people. This funding will enable us to develop new simulations and content from a wide range of STEM fields, creating more opportunities for students to learn, experiment and explore,” said Bodekær. “Sixty-six years ago today, two scientists changed the world when they published their discovery of DNA’s double helix structure. It’s our goal to empower the next generation of scientists to make more revolutionary discoveries like these.”
This round of funding will enable Labster to expand its STEM content catalog and develop new lab simulations — which gives students and educators more access to realistic lab experiences. And this funding will also enable the company to continue to scale its U.S. operations including customer support and sales.
“Labster is a breakthrough company that is transforming how students from around the world access virtual labs and STEM curricula. Their initial offering is unrivaled in terms of product quality and student experience. The pace of adoption combined with the acceleration in student achievement is simply amazing. We are thrilled to partner with Labster as they scale their leading global platform,” added Owl Ventures managing director Tory Patterson.
There are more than 150 universities and high schools around the world that took up Labster’s virtual labs in 2018 — which quadrupled their annual growth and enabled more than 200,000 students worldwide to use virtual labs as part of their science education. Plus Labster has developed partnerships with industry leaders in technology and education such as Google, Arizona State University (ASU), ETH in Zurich, MIT, Imperial College, Lenovo, Pearson, and Springer. Plus Labster also partnered with major publishers and edtech companies. Recently, Labster announced the launch of the world’s first fully online biology degree with Labster VR in partnership with Google and ASU.
“Mads, Michael, and the Labster team continue to improve access to STEM education and redefine what is possible for both students and educators,” explained Balderton Capital general partner Lars Fjeldsoe-Nielsen. “We’re proud to support Labster as it expands throughout the U.S., making its virtual labs and simulations available to more students and inspiring a new generation to pursue STEM-related fields.”
