Careers at Schoology

Mission

Schoology is an education technology company that develops and operates a cloud-based learning management system for K-12 schools, higher education institutions and corporate bodies. The platform provides tools to manage online learning environments, and allows users to share content and resources.

History

Schoology was founded in 2009 by Washington University graduates Jeremy Friedman (“Friedman”), Timothy Trinidad (“Trinidad”) and Ryan Hwang (“Hwang”), alongside Colgate University graduate Bill Kindler (“Kindler”). The platform was initially developed while the founders were still students and was originally designed for sharing notes.

As students, the founders saw that education technology was not being used to its potential and agreed to seek a new, innovative approach to the way technology is utilised in the classroom and lecture hall. Their collective aim was to improve student outcomes by developing a collaborative platform that allowed teachers and students to stay connected, across classrooms, schools and districts.

Schoology received seed funding in 2009 to the tune of $300,000 from an undisclosed investor. The Company completed its first formal round of funding in 2010, raising $2 million from Meakem Becker Venture Capital. Schoology has since completed three further rounds of formal funding and has raised a total of just over $57 million from investors such as FirstMark Capital, Intel Capital, JMI Equity and Great Road Holdings. The Company’s Series C round in 2014 saw Schoology valued at a reported $44 million.

Benefits at Schoology

Health insurance Dental insurance Vision insurance Life insurance Disability insurance 401k Plan Stock options Maternity & Paternity leave Family medical leave Vacation & Paid time off Paid holidays Employee assistance program Company social events

Business model of Schoology

Customer Segments

Schoology targets three customer segments: K-12 level schools, higher education institutions and corporations, individually serving tutors, teachers, professional instructors, students, parents and advisors.

The Company claims to have more than 12 million individual users in more than 130 countries worldwide. The US, where Schoology serves customers across all 50 states, is the Company’s largest market by far, accounting for almost 78% of the Company’s web traffic. Its next largest contributor to web traffic is Mexico with around 5.5%.

Among its customers are Colorado school district Cherry Creek Schools, private coeducational higher education body Lancaster Bible College, Greenwich Public Schools and the Palo Alto Unified School District.

Value Propositions

Schoology provides value to its users through the functionality of its social learning platform. The Company’s products and tools allow teachers, students and parents to collaborate, interact and monitor progress more easily and accurately, and are available free of charge.

The Company’s premium analytics and data monitoring tools add additional insights into classroom performance.

It also provides a range of integrated native apps that allow users to use the functionality of popular productivity apps such as Evernote and Google Drive from within the Schoology system.

Channels

Schoology is accessible via the Company’s mobile and desktop websites at www.schoology.com. The platform can also be accessed on mobile and tablets through iOS, Android and Amazon Kindle Fire apps.

Customer Relationships

The Schoology platform is largely self-service, with users able to register independently via the Company’s website. Both students and parents, however, are required to have an access code, provided by the teacher or instructor, before they can register.

Premium enterprise packages must be purchased from members of the Schoology sales team, which can be contacted either online or over the phone. Once registered and set up, users are able to use the Schoology platform’s full range of tools, and can purchase additional paid-for add-ons.

Schoology makes a range of support resources available to users through its website, including webinars, presentations, product information and videos. The Company also updates its customers through its blog and interacts with them directly through events and social media, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest accounts.

Key Activities

Schoology develops and operates a cloud-based learning management system targeted at K-12 schools, higher education institutions, and corporations. The Company’s platform aims to bring a social, collaborative aspect to education and make it easier to track student progress.

It allows teachers and tutors to create content, design lesson plans, maintain attendance records, and create online homework drop boxes; and enables students and educators to collaborate and interact more easily.

In addition to offering a free, basic package the Company also provides a paid-for, premium enterprise package that includes analytics and data integration tools.

The Company also collaborates with a range of integration partners to increase the functionality of its platform.

Key Partners

Schoology partners with a number of companies form within the tech and education communities. The Company has partnerships with educational institutions, including a strategic alliance with Colorado State University. Schoology has released an API through which it has gained a network of integration partners, comprising technology companies and software and app developers, with which it has collaborated to provide native versions of popular apps that can be used directly from within the Schoology platform. T

his includes prominent tech names such as Evernote, Google Drive, YouTube and Microsoft OneDrive, as well as specifically education-focused companies such as Khan Academy, Turnitin and eduCanon.

The Company also has data exchange integration partnerships with eSchoolPlus and Tools4ever. Schoology also operates a network of authorised resellers that assist the Company in marketed its platform in new and existing markets.

Key Resources

Schoology’s key resources are its software platform, its IT infrastructure, its personnel and its integration partners. The platform’s community of users could also be considered key resources as they are responsible for much of the platform’s content.

Cost Structure

Schoology incurs costs in relation to the development of its software platform, maintenance of its IT infrastructure, retention of its personnel and management of its partnerships.

Revenue Streams

Schoology operates under a freemium revenue model, providing its basic platform to users free of charge with the option of purchasing paid-for premium add-ons and extra features – such as custom branding and support packages – as well as enterprise level packages that include advanced analytics and data integration tools.

Schoology’s enterprise package, aimed at companies and institutions, appears to be its main revenue stream.

However, the Company does not disclose its pricing model on its website nor does it publicly disclose its financial results. Research suggests that the Company’s paid-for enterprise solution appears to be negotiated directly with Company representatives. Some internet sources suggest that the enterprise package is priced at $10 per user as a one-time fee.

Our team

Jeremy Friedman,
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer

info: Jeremy has been Schoology’s Chief Executive Officer since 2009, leading the Company’s strategy since its incorporation. He is also a frequent speaker at education technology events. Friedman co-founded the Company shortly after graduating from Washington University in St. Louis with a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Computer Science. While still at university, Friedman completed summer internships at New York Institute of Finance in 2007 and at investment bank Houlihan Lokey in 2008, where he focused on technology mergers and acquisitions.

Timothy Trinidad,
Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer

info: Timothy has served as Schoology’s Chief Technology Officer since its foundation. He is also the Company’s Lead Architect, taking responsibility for overseeing the architecture of the Schoology application and designing the platform’s back-end infrastructure. Like Friedman, Trinidad graduated from the Washington University in St. Louis in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Entrepreneurship.

Ryan Hwang,
Co-Founder and Vice President of Product

info: Ryan has been Schoology’s Vice President of Product since co-founding the Company in 2009. He was a student alongside Friedman and Trinidad at Washington University in St Louis, from where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and International Business. During his time as a student, Hwang worked as a web designer at PEERtrainer, a fitness social network that aims use community support in helping people to lose weight.

Bill Kindler,
Co-Founder and Executive Vice President

info: Bill has been Executive Vice President at Schoology since 2009. He graduated from Colgate University in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in Geography and Philosophy. After his graduation he joined venture capital and private equity firm Spectrum Equity as an analyst, working at the company for just under a year before co-founding Schoology.