Edtech startup Juni Learning raises $790,000 Angel Round to bring private coding courses to kids everywhere

Juni Learning, the edtech startup and online learning platform that offers private coding courses for kids taught by live instructors, has closed a $790K Angel round of funding to grow its team of instructors, engineers and product developers, as well as continuing to expand its platform capabilities and course offerings. The round was led by high-profile backers including Arielle Zuckerberg (the youngest sister of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg), early stage investor; Jessica Livingston, Co-founder of Y Combinator; Adora Cheung, Partner at Y Combinator; and Deborah Quazzo, Managing Partner at GSV AcceleraTE.

Founded by Vivian Shen and Ruby Lee in July 2017, the San Francisco, California-based Juni Learning offers an extensive computer science curriculum for kids aged 5 – 18. Their online classes feature a 1:1 student/teacher ratio and are personalized for each student based on age and prior experience. Juni Learning handpicks the best and brightest instructors from the top computer science universities in the country to teach the fundamentals of coding, including Scratch, Python, Java and web programming. Drawing on the tenets of mentorship and individualized attention, Juni Learning carefully matches each student with an instructor based on personality, skill set and teaching style.

“It is clear that the demand for coding literacy among children is increasing and Juni Learning has shown that its approach to computer science education sets kids up for success,” said Arielle Zuckerberg, early stage investor. “The Juni platform offers a unique, high-quality curriculum and individual attention to students across the world, enabling the next generation of coders to thrive in a way that is unparalleled in the industry.”

“Juni isn’t just about coding, it’s also about learning to problem-solve and think critically,” said Ruby Lee, Co-founder and CTO of Juni Learning. “Our instructors work hand-in-hand with each student to understand how they learn, guide them through the coursework and track their progress. Some of our students are new to coding while others are expanding on what they already know, and so far we’ve seen extraordinary growth in our students across the board.”

Juni Learning teaches thousands of classes every month to students in 27 U.S. states and 10 countries. The company will dedicate the funds to growing its team of instructors, engineers and product developers, as well as continuing to expand its platform capabilities and course offerings.

“Coding should be available to all kids – whether they’re 8 or 18, in Chicago or Shanghai,” said Vivian Shen, Co-founder and CEO of Juni Learning. “Ultimately we believe Juni will inspire girls and boys to foster a passion for STEM by making computer science education better and accessible to more kids, in more places, on a tremendous scale.”

Juni Learning is backed by top leaders in technology including early stage investor Arielle Zuckerberg, Y Combinator Co-founder Jessica Livingston, Y Combinator Partner Adora Cheung, GSV AcceleraTE Managing Partner Deborah Quazzo, and others.