- Educational technology company Nepris announced it has closed $5 million in funding led by K12 Inc.
Educational technology company Nepris announced it has closed $5 million in funding led by K12 Inc. — which is one of the most preeminent education technology companies and provider of career readiness education services.
What does Nepris do? Nepris is a school-to-industry platform that has connected over 70,000 educators at over 600 school districts with industry professionals who work in a wide variety of careers from cosmetology to engineering. And this funding round gives Nepris the ability to scale up, expand to new regions and sign more industry partnerships supporting all 16 CTE (Career and Technical Education) clusters.
Since Nepris was founded in 2014, the company has reached over 500,000 students. Many of these students come from economically disadvantaged rural and urban communities. And educators, librarians, and counselors can virtually invite professionals to talk with their students about anything ranging from how an insulin pump works to a more personal discussion about their educational and career path.
For example, they could talk about how learning about linear equations connects to being an architect. And employers can offer virtual tours, mock interviews, and online chats on diverse topics ranging from cybersecurity to retail careers. And they can reach hundreds of classrooms across the country with one session.
The live virtual sessions are recorded and added to Nepris’ growing library of nearly 10,000 hours of videos, which are aligned to the U.S. Department of Labor O*NET OnLine database of career exploration opportunities.
The additional investors in this round include the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, Next Wave Impact Fund, and SustainVC. New investors include Strada Education Network, Bonsal Capital, and several others.
Nearly 62% of students reached by Nepris come from lower socioeconomic groups, which aligns with these investors’ mission to help underserved students improve their academic performance.
Key Quotes:
“Over 150 school district leaders reported in a Digital Promise study of challenges in education that college and career readiness and real-world learning are top educational priorities. Nepris addresses several of these challenges and makes learning more relevant because students meet and talk with industry professionals who every day apply what they have learned in school to their jobs.”
“We also enable corporate partners and intermediaries—like economic development councils, chambers, STEM Hubs, and workforce boards—to leverage technology to engage working professionals with their communities and schools.”
-Sabari Raja, Nepris co-founder and CEO
“Meeting a working professional through Nepris can show students a college or a career pathway they may never have envisioned. Nepris helps address the challenge of making impactful and personal interactions happen at scale, and it aligns perfectly with our mission at K12 where we help students reach their full potential through inspired teaching and personalized learning.”
-Dr. Shaun McAlmont, president of Career Learning Solutions at K12, Inc
“Industry needs to be an integral part of the everyday classroom if we are to address the skills gap. We have developed a platform that can bring down the barriers between educators and industry professionals to find, connect, and collaborate with each other to bring engaging live virtual interactions to students, and introduce them to people, places, and experiences that can help shape their future.”
-Binu Thayamkery, co-founder and CTO of Nepris
