GO1, a workplace training provider and course marketplace, has raised around $4 million in pre-Series A funding, attracting a stellar cast of new and current investors.
GO1 helps organisations create customised online training and e-learning programs using their own materials or from GO1’s marketplace of workplace-related courses.
The funding values GO1 at over $15 million.
The pre-Series A raise was obtained from the Queensland government, Black Sheep Capital, Full Circle Venture Capital, Blue Sky Ventures, Amasia, and ex-Wotif.com chief financial officer Sam Friend, as well as existing investors Tank Stream Ventures, Y Combinator and entrepreneur and Shark Tank star Steve Baxter.
What does this funding mean for GO1?
The funding will be used to establish new offices in the US and Europe, expand GO1’s sales presence in selected countries, and on product development.
GO1 plans to hire approximately 30 people to bolster its worldwide sales team in the next 12 months.
“We are excited that leading US and Australian investors, alongside the State government, share a belief in GO1 and the market opportunity,” GO1 co-founder and CEO Andrew Barnes said.
“The future of education and workplace training is rapidly changing, and GO1 is well positioned to lead globally in this space,” Mr Barnes said.
GO1 received over $1 million from the Queensland Government in the $3 million pre-Series A round as part of the state government’s $30 million Business Development Fund.
Why has GO1 attracted this funding?
Mr Baxter said he continued to be impressed by GO1’s progress and the performance of its leadership team.
“Investing further in GO1 was a no brainer. GO1 is the perfect example of a startup who absolutely gets it and is poised to grow rapidly all over the world into a leading provider of learning and management platforms,” Mr Baxter said.
Mr Friend said GO1 was building an exciting corporate learning marketplace proposition with many parallels to the early days of the online travel industry.
Full Circle general partner Rowan Grant said it was “delighted to participate in GO1’s latest funding round alongside a fantastic group of investors”.
“I’ve been closely following the company have been extremely impressed by growth and execution of the team led by Andrew Barnes,” Mr Grant said.
“We were attracted by the team’s intimate knowledge of the education space and their ability to execute according the plan they laid out.
“We look forward to supporting GO1 into the future as they continue their strong growth,” he said.
Professional angel investor Black Sheep Capital also paid tribute to GO1’s strong management.
“Black Sheep Capital is excited to be investing in GO1, who are a company…