Arist, a microlearning platform that delivers engaging learning content through messaging tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams, has recently announced that it has raised $12 million in a Series A funding round.
The round was led by PeakSpan Capital, with additional participation from Rainfall Ventures and the company’s existing investors.
Arist first launched its text-based training programs in 2018, as a way to provide learning opportunities in war zones where the internet was limited. Today, the microlearning platform is pioneering message-based learning – a cheaper, faster, and more effective way to deliver people skills training where they already spend their time; via tools like SMS, WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Email. The company claims to have delivered over 100,000 courses to over 1,000 leading NGOs, governments, and companies, including over 10 percent of the Fortune 500.
According to Arist, nearly all modern corporate learning takes place in learning management systems, classrooms, and apps, where learning experiences are one-time, long-form, and hard to access. As a result, L&D teams spend millions on training that is seldom seen, completed, or adopted. The company is of the opinion that the majority of learning (especially people skills) needs to be contextual, bite-size, spaced, and action-oriented to deliver meaningful outcomes. By meeting people on the tools they use every day, Arist helps teams quickly create incredible action-based learning experiences that anyone can engage with in seconds, while seamlessly implementing cutting-edge research and tracking long-term impact.
Speaking on the need for a platform like Arist, Michael Ioffe, Co-Founder & CEO of Arist, said,
“Millennial and Gen Z workers are already the fastest-growing sector of the labor force. But today’s legacy learning and development tools are not keeping pace with the way that this new generation engages with the world of work. By helping businesses meet employees where they are, we’re tapping the potential of short-form, skills-focused learning content to drive engagement and retention — and, in turn, advance employers’ broader strategic objectives.”
Phil Dur, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of PeakSpan Capital, said,
“Microlearning has always been an area with immense promise but one that has equally been stymied by poor delivery models and content that wasn’t fit for purpose. Arist cracked the code in delivering best-in-class learner experiences and outcomes through the marriage of exceptional bite-sized learning material with the channels that learners prefer to use.”
Arist said the recent funding will help the company double down on manager development, scale its platform to the rest of the Fortune 500, and build a world-class team.
