Venture capital firm Emerge has secured $73 million for its oversubscribed Fund II, with backing from over 100 top experts in future-of-work and education. The fund’s success has more than tripled the firm’s assets, taking Emerge’s total to $100 million.
The partners behind Emerge are themselves first-generation success stories who turned to education to improve their lives. Their mission is to support founders who are building solutions that create educational access, empower career growth, and enable the use of AI in the workplace.
Notable backers of this fund include KfW Capital, Laerdal Invest, Jacobs Foundation and Southern New Hampshire University. Over the past 10 years, Emerge has supported more than 80 startups, whose valuations now exceed $2 billion and impact over 31 million people worldwide. The firm’s portfolio has enjoyed several exits and comprises companies like Solvely, Colossyan and Popp, focused on reimagining learning and professional development through AI.
Emerge is a thesis-driven, community-led investor. Unlike conventional VC firms, Emerge’s approach is backed by 100+ Venture Partners who are industry experts and founders, including executives from Udemy, Coursera, Beamery, Kahoot, and senior leaders from global giants like IBM, Kraft Heinz, and Boeing.
These Venture Partners work closely with portfolio companies, offering guidance on achieving product-market fit and securing Series A funding. They contribute to market insights, help find investment opportunities, support diligence, act as co-investors, and even join company boards. With over half based in the US, Emerge leverages this network to assist European startups in scaling globally.
The closing of Fund II follows multiple successful exits for Emerge, including Zavvy’s acquisition by Deel earlier this year, as well as numerous portfolio companies seeing significant up-rounds from leading investment firms. Examples include Yoto ($22M Series B led by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative); Edurino (€10.5M Series A led by DN Capital); Mattilda ($19M Series A led by GSV); and Unibuddy ($20M Series B led by Highland Europe).
Investments already out of Fund II include Colossyan, the AI video platform for workplace learning that enables users to create videos from text with AI avatars. In June this year, Colossyan announced a $22M Series A with new investors including Lakestar (known for their collaborations with leading companies such as Revolut and Spotify).
“AI is reshaping how we learn, find and do our jobs, and the companies that harness this shift will define the future. With the expertise of our Venture Partners – who’ve built some of the world’s leading future of work and learning companies – we’re equipping founders with the strategic insights they need to seize this unprecedented opportunity.”
– Jan Lynn-Matern, founder and GP
“The choices we make now about how to move forward as a society – whether we take everyone with us or not – will determine whether AI ultimately exacerbates or reduces inequalities. Working with Emerge to solve these challenges is one of the most rewarding experiences of my life: I get to do what I do best, coaching world-class entrepreneurs who are building companies that will define the future of work and learning. And it’s a pleasure to do so alongside a team that cares deeply about its mission and has access to the best entrepreneurs on the planet.”
– Christina Sass, CEO, International Youth Foundation; founder, Andela; Emerge VP
“Emerge has unrivalled dealflow and insights in this space, not to mention lived experience, which they bring together with a unique approach to investing: a world-leading Venture Partner community, gathered to support companies that help every individual adapt and thrive in an AI-powered world. It’s inspiring to be part of this community enabling me to empower the next generation of entrepreneurs to solve the biggest problems of our time.”
– Abakar Saidov, CEO, Beamery
“Emerge has been a great partner – their excellent reputation, deep understanding of the future of work and learning sector, ability to move quickly and the immense value added by their Venture Partners network were the main reasons we chose them over other funds at our Seed round.”
– Sean Hirons and Kharis Yanakidis, co-founders, MyEdSpa
