Brainly, the edtech startup founded out of Poland but now with a HQ in New York, has acquired Bask to add video to its peer-to-peer learning platform. Terms of the deal remain undisclosed. However, the acquisition has more than a whiff of acqui-hire to it, with Bask’s co-founder and CEO, Ryan Metzger, and Head of Engineering, Robert Kim, joining the Brainly product and development team. Founded as recently as April 2017 by then 21-year-old college dropout Metzger, Bask is described as a “video learning platform” that enabled short teacher-produced video content to easily be integrated into an array of learning management systems. The idea was to enable students to ask questions outside of office hours, with teachers recording their answer as a 90 second video to make learning more accessible. That, of course, fits quite nicely into the Brainly Q&A proposition that lets students seek help from each other. “Using video as a supplement for learning helps students to cement their strengths and skills,” says Michał Borkowski, CEO of Brainly. “We’re excited about integrating the video capabilities of Bask into the Brainly platform, further strengthening Brainly as the platform that students turn to for help. As we accelerate our mission to inspire students to continually learn, we’re constantly innovating our platform so students can better connect, learn, and explore”. The acquisition of Bask follows hot on the heels of Brainly’s latest funding round. In October last year, the company raised a further $14 million from new investor Kulczyk Investments. This brought total funding to around $38.5 million, adding to a decent lineup of existing backers including Naspers, General Catalyst, Point Nine Capital, and Runa Capital. At the time, Brainly disclosed that the platform was reaching 100 million monthly unique users from more than 35 countries. It says that over 100,000 questions are answered daily on Brainly.
New York-based edtech Brainly has acquired video learning platform Catalyst for an undisclosed sum. The purchase allows Brainly, which offers a question-and-answer-style, peer-to-peer platform for students, the opportunity to add a visual component to its expanding service. Last October, the company raised $14m in a single funding round, bringing its total investment to $38.5m, while also claiming 100 million monthly unique users across more than 35 countries.