Lisbon-based Miles in the Sky, an edtech startup that aims to transform the learning experience for students and professionals, announced on Tuesday that it has secured €1.5M in a Seed round of funding led by Armilar.
Joaquim Sérvulo Rodrigues, Partner at Armilar, says, “Delivering effective training at scale is a growing worldwide problem. Online courses have, so far, fallen short in engaging students and driving meaningful learning outcomes. The traditional classroom model, on the other hand, is not scalable.”
“We believe that Miles in the Sky has cracked the code on effective online education through their innovative learning model and platform, which provides an effective learning experience at scale.”
About the investor
Armilar is a Portuguese VC that has over 20 years of experience and a global presence that focuses on early-stage technology businesses where data, digitisation, and connectivity play a key role.
The Armilar Venture Partners TechTransfer Fund is supported by InnovFin Equity with the financial backing of the EU under Horizon 2020 Financial Instruments and the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) set up under the Investment Plan for Europe.
EFSI aims to enable access to funding while supporting the financing and implementation of profitable initiatives in the EU. Fundo de Capital e Quase Capital (FC&QC), which is overseen by Banco Português de Fomento, S.A., also contributes capital to the fund.
Focused on building better learning experiences
Founded in 2021, Miles in the Sky specialises in edtech and creates better learning environments to prepare individuals and organisations for the future.
A McKinsey survey found that 87 per cent of firms suffer a critical skills gap in their workforces. But popular learning methods don’t deal with this issue.
While online courses fall short when it comes to student engagement and information retention, traditional classroom settings frequently have limited capacity and lack scalability.
This is where Miles in the Sky steps in.
The startup claims to be tackling the growing knowledge gap that its founders have experienced throughout their careers at major corporations, IT firms, and renowned Portuguese universities.
Miles in the Sky combines the latest trends in pedagogy and technology with human support. This helps the startup to build a learning experience that combines the interaction and collaboration traits of face-to-face teaching with the interactivity and scalability provided by the digital model.
According to the company, its interactive “learning-by-doing” method has been shown to be six times more successful than conventional online courses.
Miles in the Sky offers tailored, effective learning opportunities that help organisations, corporations and schools, fill skill shortages, expand delivery, and boost participation.
Over 500 students from businesses, government agencies, educational institutions, and colleges already see the Portuguese startup as a reliable resource.
Miles in the Sky, which now employs over 25 people, is dedicated to influencing the direction of education.
Capital utilisation
Miles in the Sky says it will use the funds to accelerate the development of the platform so that this new methodology can be used at scale.
CEO of Miles in the Sky, Paulo Silva, says, “This investment serves as a catalyst for us to bring advanced technology and engaging experiences to organisations that will change the future of education and training.”
“We are delighted to have the support of Armilar and 3 other investors to help accelerate the development of our unique learning platform.”
The startup reports that it is developing projects with companies, schools, public, and social entities in areas such as digital literacy and programming fundamentals for data analysis.
Additionally, it launched a programme for companies to train low-code programmers in a partnership with OutSystems.
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