础苍听eLearning service offering tutorials with likes of听Gary Barlow, David Walliams and Marco Pierre White has raised 拢2 million in a new funding round.听
BBC Maestro, designed in partnership with BBC Studios, allows users to be taught through a series of digital tutorials by experts, known as the Maestros.听
Downing Ventures led听the firm鈥檚听second funding round, supported by听Great Point Ventures,听after听a听successful launch听which has seen it sign up thousands of users across the UK.听
Their motivational courses, which offer several hours of content,听are designed to provide a combination of practical skills and insight.听They are听broken down into 20 to 40 easily digested lessons accompanied by downloadable course notes filled with hints and tips.听听听
A听one-off cost of 拢80听per course allows participants unlimited access听via听web browsers on听mobile, tablet,听laptop and desktop computers.听
鈥淪o much of education is about inspiration. What each Maestro uniquely offers is an opportunity to learn from someone who has听actually lived听it, rather than just read about it,鈥� said MD听Michael Levine.听
鈥�A huge amount of the positive feedback we鈥檝e received since we launched two months ago is about understanding where the Maestro struggled, as much as how they succeeded.听听
鈥�People are learning so much from these incredible people. More than just the skills and techniques, they鈥檙e being inspired.听听
鈥�What we want BBC Maestro to offer is permission to take those first step towards your dreams.鈥�听
Learn song writing from听Gary Barlow听as tech platform launches
The last year has seen a rise of video content as a productive medium for educational consumption, with online EdTech being adopted across generations with renewed vigour.听听
The global eLearning market is growing year-on-year with the market size of听mass听open听online听courses expected to reach $20 billion by 2023.听
In 2021, a further nine Maestros听will be launching courses via the service with the likes of Helena Bonham Carter teaching听acting;听Sir Tim Rice teaching听performing and听writing听musical听theatre;听Dragon Peter Jones teaching the听tools for听success;听Julia Donaldson teaching听writing听picture听books;听and听Heston Blumenthal teaching听culinary听invention at听home.听
The latest funding round will allow BBC Maestro to expand marketing efforts and accelerate talent acquisition and production while also transitioning the service to a subscription all-access pass later this year.听
Richard Lewis,听partner at Downing Ventures,听commented:听鈥淒owning is delighted to lead an additional funding round to support the ongoing expansion of BBC Maestro.听听
鈥�In the last 12 months, the company has successfully built and launched an e-learning video platform that allows consumers to learn from leading experts in a particular field.听听
鈥�We will see a number of new courses from high profile experts launched on the platform, providing a richer experience for an international audience.鈥�