School recruitment platform raises £5.6m Venture Capital funding
A digital staffing platform for teachers has raised £5.6m in a Series A funding round in a bid to tackle teacher shortages.
Zen Educate is designed to be a cost-saving alternative to recruitment agencies for schools, and is currently works with 10 per cent of schools in London.
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The company said schools using the platform typically make savings of between 20 and 30 per cent on the cost of supply cover. Zen Educate said it has saved the education system £600,000 since its launch in 2017.
Zen Educate said the funding would be used to bolster its position in London and expand into Manchester.
“UK schools are under an immense amount of financial pressure right now,” said Zen Educate co-founder and chief executive Slava Kremerman.
“That’s why we’re committed to cutting down supply cover costs significantly so they can spend more on what matters – the children – not on agency fees. By removing the middleman, teachers and schools can cover staff absence with ease, reducing uncertainty, increasing wages and saving costs”, he added.
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Kremerman said Zen Educate is aiming to save the education system £100m per year by 2024.
The funding round was led by Brighteye Ventures, Europe’s largest education technology venture capital firm.
Main image credit: Zen Educate