Zen Educate raises $37 million Series B to expand school staffing platform

Zen Educate, a London-based online marketplace that matches schools with teaching staff, has raised $37 million in a Series B funding round. The financing was reported on May 21, 2024 and was led by Round2 Capital.

Adjuvo, Brighteye Ventures, FJ Labs and Ascension Ventures also invested, alongside several angel investors. The round follows a $21 million Series A raised in late 2022. The company also disclosed the acquisition of Aquinas Education, its second purchase after Opus Education in February 2023. Zen Educate plans to use the capital for further acquisitions in the United Kingdom and the United States, expansion into additional markets in both countries, and development of workforce management software for school administrators.

Founded in 2017, Zen Educate offers a self-serve digital alternative to traditional teacher recruitment agencies, pairing schools with substitute teachers and teaching assistants on factors such as location and skills. It operates in 11 regions of England and in five US states: Minnesota, Texas, Colorado, California and Arizona. The company employs about 300 people, more than 15% of them in the United States, and says educators on its platform delivered over 2 million hours of teaching in the previous 12 months.