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Edge Pathways Raises $8M to Launch World's First For-Credit Engineering Pathway ProgramEdge Pathways, the education technology company closing the STEM gap, launches today with $8M in seed funding. The company was founded to give first-year college students from diverse backgrounds an innovative pathway to pursue and complete competitive engineering degrees, at a time when only 50% of enrolled STEM students achieve their education goals. In collaboration with university partners, Edge Pathways offers a supportive, industry-aligned, and for-credit learning experience to drive better educational and career outcomes for students. "We believe it's time for a new model that widens access to engineering degrees and delivers more industry insight and alignment from Day One. With students too often leaving college with crushing student debt and few professional prospects, we are proud to partner with forward-thinking universities to offer new solutions for gaining an engineering degree and improving long term career prospects," said Dan Sommer, CEO and Co-Founder of Edge Pathways. Edge Pathways offers aspiring engineering students the only first-year, for-credit program where every subject - from chemistry to composition - is explored through real world applications and project-based learning. Upon completing Freshman Year, students have access to the Edge transfer network of colleges. Students also receive mentorship, support and access to internship and co-op experiences throughout the balance of their studies. Graduatingwith a STEM degree is one of the strongest drivers of economic and social mobility in the U.S. Despite the global pandemic, companies have continued to heavily recruit skilled tech talent, and an estimated 3.5 million positions in engineering and computer science are projected to go unfilled by 2025. Despite these opportunities, there continue to be challenges in recruiting and retaining engineering students, with only 6% of college students graduating with a degree in engineering. Edge Pathways co-founders include Dan Sommer, David Berger, Jamie Farrell and Ahmed Haque - the founding executive team of Trilogy Education, which has helped over 50,000 students develop critical digital skills and enhance their employability. The company was acquired by 2U (Nasdaq: TWOU) in May 2019 for $750 million. Edge Pathway's seed funding round was led by First Round Capital, Emerge Education, and Rethink Education. Bill Trenchard, partner of First Round Capital, will join Edge Pathway's board of directors. "Edge Pathway's founders are exceptional entrepreneurs and true visionaries of edtech," Trenchard said. "Their work at Trilogy set the bar for the space, not just because of the impact created in helping to close the skills gap for adult learners, but also because Trilogy remains the fastest-growing edtech company and the largest acquisition by a public edtech company. Personally, I've known Dan for over two decades and look forward to working with him and the team as they again transform higher education and learning." For more information about Edge Pathways, visit edgepathways.com. About Edge Pathways Edge Pathways is closing the STEM gap by helping more students become engineers. This innovative pathway program, offered in collaboration with university partners, is transforming the college experience to offer students a unique for-credit freshmen year program that is highly supported through dedicated advisors plus access to real-world industry opportunities throughout the year and beyond. Edge Pathways students who transfer into four-year colleges are better positioned to drive meaningful ROI from their college degree.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210318005051/en/ |
