Arist raises $1.9 million to pioneer learning and training via text
Two years ago, we invented the text message course as a way to teach students in war-torn Yemen, where access to the internet and educational resources was extremely limited but the desire to learn was abundant.
Since then, Arist has grown into the global pioneer in text message learning. In fact, we’ve helped clients ranging from DuPont to the State of California deploy over 200,000 days worth of text message courses, with subjects ranging from safety and anti-racism training to disaster preparedness and professional development.
Today, Arist is excited to announce our $1.9 million seed round led by Craft Ventures, Acadian Ventures, and Global Founders Capital with additional participation from over a dozen investors including Y Combinator and Liquid 2 Ventures.
Along with cementing text message courses as the future of digital learning and training, this funding will help Arist support thousands of Fortune 1,000 companies, nonprofits, and governments over the next few years. As part of this raise, we’re also excited to welcome our new team members: Rob Klock (Software Engineer), Sam Johnson (CTO), and Bianca Nieves (VP of Growth).
At Arist, we are driven by a simple belief: digital learning and training deserves better.
Current solutions are often ineffective, unengaging, and expensive, and in the US alone over 33 million employees are unable to learn due to internet and accessibility limitations. Most critically, digital courses are rarely built around the busy day-to-day lives of learners, who often don’t have more than a few minutes to spare.
Our data shows that text message courses fix each and every one of these fundamental problems.
With Arist, organizations can create hyper-engaging courses in minutes and enroll learners in seconds via SMS and WhatsApp — no laptop, LMS, or internet needed.
For learners, Arist courses take just a few minutes a day and seamlessly embed into their day-to-day lives. As a result, we can save our clients thousands of hours and training dollars while delivering accessible learning and training that people genuinely love, with satisfaction rates of over 90%.
Although we’re just getting started, our progress so far is only possible due to the support of many, many amazing people. In every step of our journey, we’ve been lucky to work with some of the kindest people around, and we’re unbelievably thankful to everyone who has helped us get to where we are. We’re especially grateful for our incredible clients, who inspire us each day with the remarkable courses they create, their innovative spirit, and their profound dedication to the people they serve.
Here’s to a new era for learning and training, one defined by accessibility, efficacy, and frictionlessness. Here’s to helping the world learn better, one text message at a time.
With gratitude,
Team Arist
Michael, Maxine, Ryan, Bianca, Rob, and Sam
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