BloomBoard Ramps Up with $7.2 Million in Funding
By Zach Seymour, Close-Up Media Staff Writer
BloomBoard recently received $7.2 million in Series B funding.
The round includes increased capital from three original investors: Birchmere Ventures, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Learn Capital, as well as new contributing organizations, including the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and Gera Ventures.
"BloomBoard's mission is to empower teacher growth. We're currently working with over 7,000 schools, across more than 700 districts, in 22 states to support professional learning and improve teacher effectiveness through personalized professional development," said Jason Lange, CEO and co-founder of BloomBoard. "We're thrilled to have a passionate group of investors with deep expertise in the education space committed to join us as we continue on our mission."
This is BloomBoard's second round of financing in two years, bringing its total funding to-date to $16 million. With the new funding, BloomBoard will scale its team, allowing it to accelerate customer growth, expand its school and district offerings, and launch new professional development opportunities for K12 educators.
"Our investment in BloomBoard reflects our commitment to empowering great teachers," said Micah Sagebiel, program officer, US Education at the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. "BloomBoard offers a more personalized, supportive approach to professional development that is the key to creating more effective educators, which in turn will improve student learning outcomes. We're excited to help make professional development more productive and purposeful for educators."
In a release, BloomBoard also announced two company milestones: one million teacher observations completed through its Observation and Evaluation platform and the availability of the BloomBoard Marketplace to educators worldwide.
The Marketplace connects educators with thousands of professional learning resources from content providers including the Buck Institute for Education, Common Sense Media, Stenhouse Publishers, Coursera, and more. Until now, the Marketplace has only been accessible to educators through a school or district contract. Over 100,000 educators are already using the Marketplace to access personalized learning resources and improve their practice. Now, for a limited time, the company is providing access to all educators, regardless of if their school or district has a contract with BloomBoard.
More information:
www.bloomboard.com
((Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@closeupmedia.com))
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Alexandra Scarborough
Gilt and Sarah Jessica Parker Unveil SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker Bridal Collection for SpringSarah Jessica Parker, in partnership with Gilt, kicked off the exclusive launch of SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker Bridal, Gilt’s first foray into bridal ready-to-wear that would have Carrie Bradshaw swooning.
The collection includes dresses, skirts, bodysuits and other pieces, ranging in price from $295 to $2,395 and from sizes 0 to 14.
"Collaborating with Gilt on my first bridal ready-to-wear collection was an opportunity I couldn't pass up," said Sarah Jessica Parker. "The team there is brilliant and allowed me to be imaginative and take risks as I was designing for the non-traditional bride. It has been quite fun to play around with colors, fabrics and details to create unique pieces for all kinds of brides." The collection, comprised of ten styles, is inspired by Parker's vision of a modern, non-traditional bride, and is designed to dress a woman for a variety of wedding milestone moments; from her bridal shower through her wedding reception. Styles offered are a unique mix of classic dresses and gowns, modern bodysuits, full skirts, and a jumpsuit. The color palette includes traditional bridal white, sleek black, plus pops of blush, poppy, light gray and blue.
Designed in collaboration with Gilt, the collection was produced in New York City utilizing fabrics like cashmere and stretch crepe sourced from Spain, Italy and France.
The pieces all feature carefully curated details like elegant bows, sophisticated cutouts, feathers, intricate embroidery and beautiful hand-stitched beading.
The actress and style icon is no stranger to chic bridal wear. Carrie Badshaw, famously played by Parker, took part in an elaborate bridal photo shoot in Sex and the City: The Movie. The shoot featured gowns from designers like Christian Lacroix and Lanvin. Parker famously wore a black wedding gown for her own wedding to Matthew Broderick in 1997.
"Not only is Sarah Jessica Parker's style known around the world, her point of view is one-of-a-kind," says Tom Ott, Chief Merchant of Gilt. "Sarah Jessica brings her impeccable taste and fashion sensibility to life in this collection. We think our customers will be delighted with the offering which is stylish and well-priced in the bridal category."
As part of the bridal launch, Gilt will also offer 15 exclusive styles from the SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker footwear line, each of which are complementary to the bridal collection.
To correspond with the bridal collection launch, Gilt City will present offers from some of Sarah Jessica Parker's favorite places in New York City.
The offers were each chosen as a way to help brides plan for and celebrate the big day with highlights including, Leather Spa, Lars Nord Studio Tailoring, Mah-Ze-Dahr Bakery, among others.
More Information:
http://www.Gilt.com/SJP -
Alexandra Scarborough
Tea Forté Introduces ‘Matcha’ CollectionConvenience meets tradition in Tea Forté’s new Ceremonial Matcha Bowl Set and the Matcha Single Steeps.
The company said its spring harvested, shade grown, stone ground, organic matcha tea is best served in a centuries-old Japanese tea ceremony called chanoyu: a preparation technique known for its centering meditative qualities.
"The launch of Tea Forté's Matcha collection represents our continued commitment to wellness and cultivating all the potential mental and physical health benefits of tea," says Tea Forté CEO Michael Gebrael. "In addition to our high quality Pure Matcha, we've also blended four distinct flavored Matcha varieties. Prepackaged in pouches measured out for a single serving, our Single Steeps Matcha is ideal for the office, travel, or to keep with you for a boost anytime."
Tea Forté noted its handcrafted ceremonial tea bowl, handmade bamboo whisk and measuring ladle “encourages serene enjoyment of our premium Kosher, gluten-free and vegan matcha blends.” These include: Pure Matcha, Chocolate Matcha, Coconut Matcha, Ginger Matcha, and Chai Matcha.
According to a release, in addition to its distinctive taste, matcha is prized for its health benefits. Steeped green tea contains only the antioxidants that can be extracted in water, while with matcha, the whole leaf is consumed.
Available now in select stores and online at teaforte.com.
QUICK 5
Expedia.com has released a year-end look at U.S. traveler behavior and trends for 2017, analyzing data to identify the most in-demand destinations, hotels, activities and more.
Among other insights, the roundup revealed:
- Labor Day was the busiest weekend for car rental
- Disney Theme Parks topped the list of things to do
- The average hotel stay was two nights
- Top destinations based on 2017 air travel included major global cities like New York, London and Bangkok
- Popular tourist destinations included Orlando, Cancun and Las Vegas