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Edtech company ThinkCERCA announced a $1.5 million funding round yesterday led by a group of notable investors, including Impact Engine co-founder Chuck Templeton. Since graduating from the Impact Engine accelerator program one year ago, ThinkCERCA has distinguished itself an edtech leader in Chicago.
The round will help ThinkCERCA, a platform for teachers to create and deliver personalized critical thinking instruction, expand from 11 states using it to at least 22 over the next year.
"We will extend access to more students more quickly to improve the viral growth of our product through a continued focus on user-centered design," CEO and co-founder Eileen Murphy said. "We are seeing great results now from the earliest school customers."
ThinkCERCA's software is used by about 20,000 students at about 4,000 schools, allowing students to learn critical skills in English, reading and social sciences subjects. The software is not only more cost-efficient for schools but it provides interactive educational features that traditional techniques simply cannot compete with.
"Everything ThinkCERCA does is focused on one thing: student outcomes," Murphy, a former Chicago Public Schools teacher and administrator, said. "That means making it simpler for districts, schools, teachers, and students to do the complex things that help students improve the critical skills they need to transition from being kids to being empowered to change the world, solve problems and be happier."
Murphy credits much of her young company’s success to the city it started in and to her time at Impact Engine.
“We are so lucky to have an incredible network of successful entrepreneurs mentoring us through the biggest challenges of startup,” said Murphy in an earlier interview with Built In Chicago. “Not only did the network help us find the right angel funders and attract great talent, but the seasoned entrepreneurs helped us stay focused.”
