Teachit, a nine-year-old web education service that shares revenue with teachers for publishing content they write, has got its first investment of an undisclosed size from one of Google’s (NSDQ: GOOG) directors, amongst others. John Burke, who is MD for industry development at the search site, was already a board member in another teaching website, TeachersCount.
Bath-based Teachit MD Garry Pratt said the funds would be used to launch in the US and elsewhere, leveraging Burke’s marketing and advertising experience through his joining the board. Pratt told me it’s Teachit’s first funding, having run at a profit previously without taking investment: “There were a number of other private investors, who are not taking board positions. The founders still control over 80 percent of the company. John’s investment is private and he is staying on at his position with Google.”
Subscription-based Teachit, of course, is up against big institutional education publishers like Pearson (NYSE: PSO), but Pratt claims Teachit is the UK’s most-used English-teaching site, also offering courses in citizenship, literacy etc
Burke is an alum of University of Sussex, UK tech mailer order outfit Microwarehouse and publisher Haymarket, but nowadays heads marketing partnership programmes for Google from NYC.