FreshGrade has secured USD4.3 million in seed funding from education and venture capital firms NewSchools Venture Fund, Emerson Collective, Accel Partners and Social Capital.
Designed in collaboration with teachers and parents, FreshGrade is an education resource for administrators, teachers and parents allowing for maximum classroom engagement and real-time assessment by mirroring how people communicate and use technology today.
In autumn the Surrey School District, the largest school district in British Columbia and one of the largest in Canada, will implement FreshGrade as its standard reporting tool for the 2014-2015 school year.
"FreshGrade has done something unique in the edtech marketplace – they have built a single platform to align parents, students and teachers around a child's learning goals," says Jennifer Carolan, managing director, seed fund at NewSchools Venture Fund. "FreshGrade is rethinking assessment and communication in a way that takes advantage of the latest technologies to enrich how we support each child. We are thrilled to back this exceptional team."
"Emerson Collective seeks out visionaries who provide fresh solutions to age-old issues," says Brad Powell, managing director, investments at Emerson Collective. "FreshGrade is doing just that by developing an education resource that encourages proactive engagement between teachers and parents. We know a high quality education requires a partnership between families and schools, and FreshGrade makes that partnership even stronger."
Founded in 2011, FreshGrade has undergone a rigorous development and testing progress as the founders seek to build a comprehensive, reliable and valuable resource for parents and educators.
"FreshGrade is designed to provide richer reporting and communication capabilities while cutting down on the amount of time required from teachers and administrators," says FreshGrade co-founder Steve Wandler. "Ultimately our vision is to be able to streamline lesson planning and assessment and allow administrators and teachers to spend more time working with students and communicating with parents."
