About 2U
2U is a publicly listed company based in Annapolis (United States) founded in 2008. Learning platforms are provided for students from preschool to college. 2U has raised $100.91 million across 7 funding rounds from investors including Bessemer Venture Partners, Owl Rock and Highland Capital Partners. 2U has completed 3 acquisitions, including GetSmarter, Trilogy Education Services and edX. Its website 2u.com draws about 150 thousand monthly visits. 2U offers products and services including edX and Online Programs. Its focus areas include EdTech, Higher Education Tech, College IT and Learning Management System. Its competitors include PowerSchool, Instructure and Anthology; 3 of its 3 listed competitors have raised funding.
Company details
2U was founded in 2008 in Annapolis, United States, within the education technology sector. Platforms and tools are offered to support skill development in logic, critical thinking, creativity, and cognitive abilities. Programs incorporating robotics, coding, and integrated curricula are delivered to learners ranging from preschoolers to college students. Operations focus on fostering educational growth through these specialized resources.
- Total Equity Funding$100.91M (USD)
in 7 rounds
- Latest Funding Round$250M (USD), Debt – Conventional
Apr 2019
- InvestorsBessemer Venture Partners
& 6 more
- Investments & AcquisitionsGetSmarter
& 2 more
Products & Services of 2U
2U offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, including edX and Online Programs.
Connects learners to affordable career-relevant educational programs worldwide.
Offers scalable courses in fields like AI and public health for professional development.
Apps and channels of 2U
its YouTube channel 2U, Inc. has 1K subscribers and 30 videos.
Videos from 2U
The most watched videos on 2U's YouTube channel, 2U, Inc. (1K subscribers). Click a video to play it here.
More on 2U, Inc..
Funding Insights of 2U
2U has successfully raised a total of $100.91M across 7 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Debt – Conventional round of $250 million completed in April 2019. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
- Total Funding $100.91M
- Total Rounds 7
- Last Round Debt – Conventional — $250M
- First Round $2.28M
(Mar 2009)
- Investors Count 7
All 7 funding rounds of 2U with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2019 | $250M | Debt – Conventional | – | – | |
| Oct 2013 | $31.1M | Series D | – | – | |
| Mar 2011 | $32.5M | Series C | – | Bessemer Venture Partners, QED Investors | |
| Nov 2010 | $600,000 | Seed | – | – | – |
| Feb 2010 | $20M | Series B | – | Highland Capital Partners | |
| Jun 2009 | $14.44M | Series A | – | Redpoint Ventures | |
| Mar 2009 | $2.28M | Seed | – | – | – |
7 investors in total: 7 institutional.
Investors in 2U
2U has secured backing from 7 investors, including venture fund investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Bessemer Venture Partners, Owl Rock and Highland Capital Partners.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Private equity and debt financing are provided to mid-market companies. | 2016 | owlrock.com | New York, United States | |
Venture capital investments and support for entrepreneurs in technology and innovation sectors. | 1911 | bvp.com | Redwood City, United States | |
Venture capital investment and entrepreneur support services. | hcp.com | |||
Redpoint Ventures is engaged in venture capital investments. | redpoint.com | Woodside, United States | ||
US focused VC firm | novakbiddle.com | Bethesda, United States | ||
Venture capital fund investing in early-stage start-ups | qedinvestors.com | Alexandria, United States | ||
Venture capital firm investing in environmental, education & safety care sectors | citylight.vc | New York, United States |
Investor details for 2U
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
- Round participation
- Investor portfolios
- Co-investor network
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
People of 2U
330 people are tracked at 2U (122 in leadership, 4 in board & advisors, 204 in team).
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Aref Matin | Chief Technology Officer | Leadership |
Kees Bol | CEO | Leadership |
Matt Leavy | COO | Leadership |
Adam Drudge | Chief People Officer | Leadership |
R. Brooks Garber | Vice President, Business And Legal Affairs (associate General Counsel) | Leadership |
Katherine Duerden | Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships | Leadership |
Kelly Turner | Human Resources Business Partner | Leadership |
Jeremy S. | Senior Director, Technical Project Management | Leadership |
Courtney Lausch | Vp, Brand And Creative | Leadership |
Schoeman Loubser | Chief Of Technology Transformation | Leadership |
Russell Anderson | Vice President Of Tax | Leadership |
Mona-Lisa Toleni | Human Resource Business Partner, DEI SME | Leadership |
Andy Morgan | EVP, Corporate Development & Head of Enterprise | Leadership |
Anant Agarwal | Chief Academic Officer | Leadership |
Jessica Manning | Vp, Technical Accounting | Leadership |
Karen Meyer | Svp, Product And Partner Operations | Leadership |
Glenna Mowry | Vice President, Learning Innovation | Leadership |
Veronica Appleton | Head Learning Facilitator, Women's Leadership Executive Education Program For Yale University | Leadership |
Heather Dexter | Svp, Partner Operations | Leadership |
Jay Mason | Head Managing Instructor | AI & Machine Learning | Leadership |
310 more people are available in the full profile.
Complete people profiles for 2U
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
- Full employee list
- Team structure
- Board tenure
- Professional contacts
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Investments & Acquisitions by 2U
2U has strategically engaged in corporate development activities, having acquired 3 companies. Notable acquisitions include GetSmarter, Trilogy Education Services and edX.
| Company Name | Description | Domain | Location | Founded | Acquired | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MOOCs are hosted by edX, a non-profit education platform. | edx.org | Boston, United States | 2012 | Jun 2021 | $800M | |
Alternative credentials are offered via university partnerships for skills training. | trilogyed.com | New York, United States | 2015 | Apr 2019 | $750M | |
Short-term online courses are offered in university partnerships. | getsmarter.com | Cape Town, South Africa | 2008 | Jul 2017 | $103M |
Complete acquisition details for 2U
Acquired stakes, deal sources and the complete acquisition history require an active premium plan.
- Acquired stakes
- Deal sources
- Complete history
- Exports
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Timeline of 2U
7 dated milestones of 2U across 13 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded 2U is founded.
- Funding First funding round of $2.3M.
- IPO Lists on the stock exchange (IPO).
- Acquisition Acquires GetSmarter.
- Funding Latest funding round, Debt – Conventional, of $250.0M.
- Acquisition Acquires Trilogy Education Services.
- Acquisition Acquires edX.
Competitors of 2U
2U has 3 listed competitors in our database, 3 of them funded. They include PowerSchool, Instructure and Anthology.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| powerschool.com | 1997 | Folsom, United States | $32M | 2,270 | Cloud-based software for K-12 education is provided. | |
| instructure.com | 1999 | Salt Lake, United States | $88.85M | 1,397 | Cloud-based learning management systems are provided for educational courses. | |
| anthology.com | 1996 | Boca Raton, United States | $128.6M | LMS and CRM solutions are provided for educational institutions. |
Detailed competitors of 2U
The full competitor set, operating metrics and side-by-side benchmarks require an active premium plan.
- Full competitor set
- Operating metrics
- Benchmarks
- Competitive positioning
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Web traffic of 2U
The website of 2U (2u.com) receives about 150.4K visits a month.
- Monthly visits150.4K
▲ 8.5% vs previous month
Websites whose visitors overlap most with 2U. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| edx.org | 100% | 6.7M | #7,440 | View details | |
| coursera.org | 97% | 44.7M | #744 | View details | |
| udacity.com | 94% | 1.4M | #28,369 | View details | |
pearsonlearningsolutions.com | pearsonlearningsolutions.com | 92% | – | ||
educationnext.org | educationnext.org | 92% | #565,543 | – | |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
All 32 similar websites and full traffic analytics for 2U
The complete similar-websites list, audience overlap and engagement analytics require an active premium plan.
- 32 similar websites
- Audience overlap
- Engagement analytics
- Traffic by brand
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Top companies in Education Technology Platforms
3 companies that operate in the same segment as 2U (Education Technology Platforms) in United States, ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Developer of a platform providing gamified language learning through interactive exercises | 2011 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States | USD 183.3 M | USD 748.02 M | 900 | |
Cloud-based software for K-12 education is provided. | 1997 | Folsom, California, United States | USD 32 M | USD 47.59 M | 1,308 | |
Online platform for preschool management and parent updates is offered. | 2014 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 88.8 M |
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Frequently Asked Questions about 2U
2U was founded in 2008 and raised its 1st funding round 1 year after it was founded.
2U is headquartered in Annapolis, United States. It is registered at Annapolis, Maryland, United States.
2U is a funded company, having raised a total of $100.91M across 7 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Seed of $2.28M, raised on Mar 2009.
2U was founded in 2008 in Annapolis, United States, within the education technology sector. Platforms and tools are offered to support skill development in logic, critical thinking, creativity, and cognitive abilities. Programs incorporating robotics, coding, and integrated curricula are delivered to learners ranging from preschoolers to college students. Operations focus on fostering educational growth through these specialized resources.
2U's top competitors include PowerSchool, Instructure and Anthology.
2U offers edX and Online Programs.
2U has made 3 acquisitions, including GetSmarter, Trilogy Education Services, and edX.
2U has 7 investors. Key investors include Bessemer Venture Partners, Owl Rock, Highland Capital Partners, Redpoint Ventures, and Novak Biddle Venture Partners.
The website of 2U receives about 150 thousand visits a month.