MasterClass
Funding History
| Series F · 05/2021 | $2.8B |
|---|
About
MasterClass licenses and produces original video curricula taught by leading practitioners in their fields, distributed through a direct-to-consumer subscription app and website rather than an open platform for arbitrary instructors.
- Founded
- 2014 (launched May 2015)
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, California
- CEO
- David Rogier
- Employees
- ~480 (2022, post-layoff)
- Total disclosed funding
- ~$461M across seed through Series F (Wikipedia); Sacra reports ~$527M as of 2021
- Last known valuation
- $2.75 billion (May 2021 Series F)
Overview
MasterClass is a San Francisco-based subscription video education platform where well-known experts and celebrities teach pre-recorded classes in fields spanning writing, cooking, sports, business, politics, science, and the arts. The company was founded in October 2014 by David Rogier and Aaron Rasmussen, initially operating under the name Yanka Industries, before launching publicly as MasterClass on May 12, 2015.
The platform grew from an initial roster of three instructors at launch to roughly 50 classes and 1,000 lessons by late 2018, and now features well over 100 instructors, including figures such as Serena Williams, Gordon Ramsay, Martin Scorsese, Margaret Atwood, Neil Gaiman, and Jane Goodall. Classes are produced with high production values and are accessed through an annual all-access subscription rather than per-course purchase.
David Rogier continues to serve as chief executive officer as of the company's most recent public commentary (a December 2023 podcast interview). In June 2022, MasterClass reduced its workforce by approximately 20%, cutting roughly 120 of its then 600 employees, as the company said it was working to reach self-sustaining profitability faster.
No public reporting reviewed for this profile indicates that MasterClass has been acquired, has gone public, or has ceased independent operation; it remains a privately held, independently operated company.
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