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Swing Education raises Series B to put the spotlight on substitute teaching

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Today, we’re excited to announce our $15 million Series B investment, co-led by GV (formerly Google Ventures) and education technology-focused Owl Ventures.

This investment recognizes our accomplishments to date, including providing substitute teachers in over 70,000 classrooms and serving over one million students. We are grateful to all our substitutes for being part of the Swing journey!

With this new funding, Swing will grow the resources we offer our substitute educators, expand our operations into new regions, and accelerate our work to raise the prominence of substitute teaching around the country.

Read our full press release below:

SAN MATEO, July 11, 2018  — Swing Education, Inc., an on-demand marketplace for substitute teachers, announced its $15 million Series B investment. The round was co-led by GV (formerly Google Ventures) and Owl Ventures. Existing investors Social Capital, Kapor Capital, Moment Ventures, Ulu Ventures, Redhouse Education, and Edovate Capital also participated in the round.

Founded in 2015, Swing Education addresses the nationwide substitute teacher shortage by helping schools connect with qualified educators via an online marketplace. On average, U.S. students spend 5% of the typical school year with substitute teachers, which translates to over 6 months of their K-12 school career.

“Our mission from the very beginning has been to give our school partners easier access to talented educators and to empower substitute teachers to maximize their impact in the classroom,” said Mike Teng, CEO of Swing Education. “We’ve had tremendous success in our initial markets, and this is still just the beginning.”

Swing Education has growing communities of substitute teachers in California, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia. Their pool consists of both veteran educators and those who are entering into the education community through Swing. “I have thoroughly enjoyed the diversity of schools that I am able to work at through Swing,” said Haley Brucato, a Swing Sub in the Bay Area. “It has given me irreplaceable teaching experience in many different environments. It really makes each and every day exciting to substitute teach.”

The company promotes equitable entry to diverse school settings and helps subs earn reliable income by facilitating access to more teaching opportunities. Once registered with Swing, substitutes can access daily requests from hundreds of schools. Swing also focuses on developing a diverse sub pool, and nearly 50% of Swing teachers come from under-represented communities.

“Education is a prime sector to benefit from an online marketplace,” said GV Partner Laura Melahn. “Swing Education makes it easier for schools to find qualified substitute teachers, and gives subs more opportunity to find employment. The company has strong traction in major school districts, and is well positioned to help close temporary coverage gaps.”

The company intends to use the funds to raise the prominence of substitute teaching, offer resources to promote excellence in substitute instruction, and expand into new regions.

About GV:
Learn more at  https://www.gv.com.

About Owl Ventures:
Owl Ventures is a venture capital fund that invests in the world’s leading education technology companies. They are laser-focused on the education market and take a hands-on approach in helping entrepreneurs scale their businesses into transformative category-leading companies. Learn more at https://www.owlvc.com/.

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