London-based Virtual Internships, a remote-first edtech company, announced on Thursday that it has secured $14.3M (approximately €14.3M) in a Series A round of funding led by Hambro Perks.
Other investors, including Sequoia India and Southeast Asia’s Surge, Arsenal Growth, Kaplan, Ascend Vietnam Ventures, and STIC Investments, also participated.
The UK company says the latest capital will help it to scale its education platform further as demand for remote work and learning continues to grow. Virtual Internship also intends to expand its operation internationally as well.
Daniel Nivern, CEO of Virtual Internships, says, “We have seen a clear societal shift towards remote work, a trend that we believe will continue to accelerate at pace. We should embrace the opportunities that this presents, and platforms like Virtual Internships help students and graduates from around the world to acquire new skills that will accelerate their career growth and prepare them for the 21st-century workplace. We aim to bridge the gap between education and the workforce by making global remote work experience accessible to all in a digital and borderless world.”
Virtual Internships: What you need to know
Founded by Daniel Nivern and Ed Holroyd Pearce in 2018, Virtual Internships provides intelligent matches between students and companies, access to real internships at the world’s most exciting companies, and trains students before and during their internship.
The platform works with universities, governments, foundations, and corporations to provide students, graduates, or employees with solutions to employability options.
Currently, the UK company offers programmes across all industries in more than 100 countries, creating opportunities for more than 250 million higher-education students.
The company allows interns to work with a wide range of companies, from startups to blue chips, with programmes ranging from one to four months.
Investor
Hambro Perks is a London-headquartered international investment firm focused on technology investing. The VC partners with founders and entrepreneurs to support growth businesses at all stages of the investment cycle.
Nicholas Sharp, Managing Director at Hambro Perks, says. “Virtual Internships are addressing the needs of a more digital working world and providing opportunities for young people from all backgrounds to be part of the globalised economy. The global network the team is creating through the platform –with customers, teams, and investors worldwide– is unique and exciting, and we are delighted to be supporting them through their next growth stage.”
Linda Cowan, Managing Director at Kaplan International Pathways, says, “We are delighted to be supporting Virtual Internships as their first strategic partner in this latest round of funding. Their work-integrated learning approach and mission to increase accessibility for students align closely with Kaplan’s keen focus on enhancing the employability of our international students. We have received extremely positive feedback from our students who have undertaken internships with Virtual Internships and look forward to continuing to work with the VI team.”
Jason Rottenberg, Co-Founder and General Partner of Arsenal Growth, says, “The trajectory of the future of work has shifted dramatically over the last two years. As a result, global institutions of higher learning need to adjust and adopt technologies and processes to deliver employees capable, confident, and comfortable with this shift. Virtual Internships’ platform and the program enable institutions, students, and employers to effectively and efficiently collaborate to produce the employees that the future of work demands. The Virtual Internships team and investors understand the importance of this market need and are ready to become a critical component to address it.”
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