Framework, a new startup that offers educational courses on entrepreneurship and business development, has raised $2 million in seed funding led by Canaan Partners. The company aims to bridge the gap between higher education and startups by providing an online ‘on-demand’ business school for entrepreneurs who are looking to start their own business or scale a current one.
Framework, which was founded in 2016 by former General Assembly executives Mitch Neff and Greg Rogers, offers courses on topics such as lean startup methodology, fundraising for early-stage startups, and product management to name a few.
The idea is that these classes can help individuals who are looking to start their own business or strengthen the operations of an existing company with practical strategies based on sound academic principles from universities like Stanford University and Harvard Business School.
According to its website, Framework has been endorsed by Y Combinator CEO Sam Altman among other notable investors around Silicon Valley who have said they would “sign up” the second it becomes available. So far-ranging between $20-$50 per month depending on the package purchased, Framework has been used by several notable entrepreneurs including the founder of Giphy and an executive from Uber.
Framework’s seed round was led by Canaan Partners with participation from SV Angel, General Catalyst, Maveron Ventures, and others which will be used towards expanding to new markets internationally in addition to growing its current team that currently consists of 12 employees.
The company expects a Series A later this year that would bring additional capital to scale out its platform for global users while continuing international expansion beyond New York City where it is based today.
In terms of competition within online educational platforms specifically focused on entrepreneurship or business development topics such as Codecademy or Udacity there are few competitors at least in the States who have raised funding rounds approaching the size of Framework.
