An online marketplace where kids take live classes from independent teachers on everything from Minecraft design to AP Physics. Outschool went from niche to essential overnight when COVID closed every school in America. Revenue grew 30x in 2020. The platform has served over 1 million kids across 200,000+ classes. It's Etsy for education — messy, diverse, and somehow it works. The teachers set their own prices, design their own classes, and Outschool takes a 30% cut.
Founded
2015
HQ
San Francisco, USA
Total Raised
$230 million
Founder
Amir Nathoo, Mikhail Seregine
Status
Private
Website
outschool.comTHE ORIGIN STORY
Amir Nathoo was a Y Combinator alum who believed education should be as diverse as the kids taking it. In 2015, he co-founded Outschool as a marketplace for live, small-group online classes taught by independent educators.
The platform launched slowly. Most parents were skeptical of online education for kids.
Then COVID happened. Schools closed in March 2020.
Parents needed enrichment, socialization, and education for stuck-at-home kids. Outschool went from interesting experiment to essential service literally overnight.
Revenue grew 30x in 2020.
WHAT THEY ACTUALLY DO
Outschool is a two-sided marketplace. Teachers create and teach live online classes on any subject.
Parents browse, book, and pay. Classes are typically small group (3-15 kids), live (not pre-recorded), and taught via video.
Outschool takes a 30% cut of each class fee. Teachers set their own prices (typically $10-$30 per class).
The platform handles payments, scheduling, reviews, and discovery.
THE PRODUCTS
Live Group Classes — small group classes on 200,000+ topics from creative writing to coding to Pokemon art. Semester Courses — longer-form structured classes.
1-on-1 Tutoring — private tutoring sessions. Flex Classes — self-paced with teacher feedback.
HOW THEY GREW
COVID was the growth hack nobody planned. When schools closed, Outschool was one of the only platforms offering live, interactive classes for kids.
They went from a niche product to mainstream in weeks. Post-COVID, they retained users by expanding into semester-long courses, tutoring, and curriculum-aligned classes that supplement traditional schooling.
THE HARD PART
Post-COVID retention. Online class fatigue is real.
As schools reopened, many parents reduced online enrichment. Outschool has to prove it's valuable even when kids have in-person options.
Teacher quality is also inconsistent — since anyone can teach on the platform, quality varies widely.
MONEY TRAIL
Series A
2019 · Led by Reach Capital
$9M raised
Series B
2020 · Led by Lightspeed Venture Partners
$45M raised
Series C
2021 · Led by Tiger Global
$110M raised
$3.0B valuation
Series D
2022 · Led by Coatue
$70M raised
WHO BACKED THEM
Tiger Global, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Reach Capital, SoftBank, and Coatue led various rounds. The $110M Series C in 2021 at a reported $3B valuation came at peak COVID enthusiasm for EdTech.
Related Profiles
Head-to-Head
Compare Outschool vs another company.