Teal, a career growth platform that gives one the tools, skills, and guidance to empower and energize one’s professional life, has recently announced that it is acquiring a Seattle-based social platform OwnTrail, for an undisclosed sum. This acquisition marks an exciting new chapter for companies and their community members.
OwnTrail and Teal have a long history of collaboration rooted in a deep alignment of values and vision. The companies have co-hosted journey mapping workshops, engaged in meaningful career conversations through Trail Talks, and shared insights on Teal’s Nonlinear podcast. Through these experiences, it has seen firsthand the power of OwnTrail’s mission to inspire and empower individuals in their personal and professional growth.
Founded by Rebekah Bastian, OwnTrail’s social platform lets users map their career trajectory, highlighting important milestones in their professional growth, personal relationships and well-being. They can also share their paths with other users, offering insights and lessons from their ways. The startup claims to have 6,600 users and more than 35,000 life milestones. The platform previously charged a subscription fee, but its features will be made free following the acquisition. Customers come from Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, CNN, Zillow and Squarespace.
As part of the deal, OwnTrail CEO and founder Rebekah Bastian will join Teal as an advisor. The company will not take on OwnTrail’s three other full-time employees.
OwnTrail investors include The House Fund, Union Bay Partners, TechStars, Christi Muoneke, Ellie Wu, Adam Schoenfeld, Uma Sekar and David Aronchick. The firm raised $250,000 in 2020 through a crowdfunding campaign, then an additional $570,000 in 2021, which bought its total funding to 1.5 million.
Launched in 2018, Teal sells tools that help job seekers locate and apply for jobs. The platform offers free web-based career tools, including a Job Tracker, Resume Builder, and Chrome extension, that help people accelerate their job search. In just over a year, the company became the tool of choice for over 65,000 users and helped people land their dream jobs at companies like Google, Apple, TikTok, Spotify, and Bumble. It has raised over $11 million, including a $5 million round in 2020 led by Flybridge Capital.
