Funding round
MasterClass Series E
MasterClass, which works in online education services in San Francisco, raised $100M in a Series E round announced on 20 May 2020, led by Fidelity Management & Research Company and Fidelity, at a $800M post-money valuation. 14 firms took part, 4 of them already investors. It is MasterClass' sixth venture round on record; the one before was a Series D in Sep 2018.
$100M
Amount raised
$800M
Post-money valuation
$700M pre-money
14
Investors
2 leads
13%
Stake sold
new money over the post-money
Valuation
What this round says about the price
This round priced MasterClass at $800M after the new money. The $100M bought investors about 13% of the company. It came 20 months after MasterClass' Series D. It is 22% of the $461M MasterClass has raised in the venture rounds on record. MasterClass raised again 12 months later: a Series F round of $225M in May 2021, at $2.75B post-money.
MasterClass' funding rounds
MasterClass has 7 venture rounds on record. This one is highlighted.
- Seed 1 Jan 2014, led by Harrison Metal $1.9M
- Series A 1 Jan 2015, led by Javelin Venture Partners $4.5M
- Series B 23 Feb 2016, led by New Enterprise Associates $15M
- Series C 28 Mar 2017, led by Institutional Venture Partners $35M
- Series D 1 Sep 2018, led by Institutional Venture Partners $80M
- Series E this round 20 May 2020, led by Fidelity Management & Research Company and Fidelity $100M$800M post-money
- Series F 13 May 2021, led by Fidelity Management & Research Company $225M$2.75B post-money
Investors
Who put money in
Fidelity Management & Research Company and Fidelity led the round with 12 other firms. New Enterprise Associates, Institutional Venture Partners, Atomico and NextEquity Partners had backed MasterClass before.
Lead investors
- Fidelity Management & Research Company new investor
- Fidelity
Also in the round
- backs 71 venture-backed companies new investor
- 01A backs 53 venture-backed companies new investor
- New Enterprise Associates backs 286 venture-backed companies existing investor
- Institutional Venture Partners backs 109 venture-backed companies existing investor
- Atomico backs 123 venture-backed companies existing investor
- backs 16 venture-backed companies existing investor
- Powerhouse Capital
- Institutional Venture Partners
- True Capital Management
- backs 39 venture-backed companies
- Gaingels backs 364 venture-backed companies
- backs 111 venture-backed companies
Use of proceeds
What the money is for
According to the announcement, the money goes to hiring, product development, geographic expansion, sales and marketing, scaling operations and working capital.
- Hiring
- Product development
- Geographic expansion
- Sales and marketing
- Scaling operations
- Working capital
Comparable rounds
How it compares
The closest in time, other companies' Series E rounds in Learning, Tutoring & Courses:
| Company | Announced | Amount | Post-money | Led by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zuoyebang Learning, Tutoring & Courses | 29 Jun 2020 | $750M | not disclosed | FountainVest and Tiger Global |
| Learning, Tutoring & Courses | 26 Aug 2020 | $150M | not disclosed | KKR |
| Learning, Tutoring & Courses | 20 Feb 2020 | $110M | $500M | Facebook and General Atlantic |
Sources
Where this comes from
Reported by 4 sources.
Questions
Frequently asked
How much did MasterClass raise in its Series E round?
MasterClass raised $100M in its Series E round, announced in May 2020.
Who led MasterClass' Series E round?
Fidelity Management & Research Company and Fidelity led it, with Owl Ventures, 01A, New Enterprise Associates, Institutional Venture Partners and Atomico and 7 more.
What was MasterClass' valuation at the Series E round?
$800M post-money ($700M pre-money).
Did MasterClass raise again after this round?
Yes: a Series F round in May 2021 of $225M at $2.75B post-money.