We’re announcing that we’re leading the series A for Leland, which is building the trusted educational and professional coaching marketplace to become the go-to place for people looking to achieve a specific career goal.
There is no shortage of stories and data illustrating the need for this valuable resource. Gen Z has notoriously struggled to find purpose and direction while transitioning into adulthood and building a career, with 47% reporting that they want a career change and one third not making any income or salary (up 22% from 1990). Meanwhile, for the first time in history, younger generations are as likely to be worse off than their parents as they are to be better, given the mounting financial pressures that exist today. Viral stories about the Varsity Blues Scandal and tutor charging $200,000/month for college prep (working with 11 year olds, no less) show the sheer desperation and desire for young people to get ahead in an increasingly competitive environment.
There have been many efforts to leverage technology to reshape upskilling and bridge the gap between education and careers, and we at Forerunner have long wanted to invest in solving this problem. It wasn’t until meeting the Leland team did we finally feel we’d found the right approach to drive fundamental scale and impact for consumers.
The Marketplace Model:
Leland’s marketplace model is effective in this category because there are very clear opportunities for network effects, trust-building and transparency through reviews and profiles, broader selection & price points across coaches, and a scalable model across expertise, with coaching delivered in its most valuable format (one-on-one, personalized collaboration vs. unilateral online courses and content). By accepting only ~5% of the coaches that apply to be on the platform, Leland is becoming the most trusted source for top-quality professional development coaches. The referrals and organic growth that Leland is already seeing demonstrate the network effects at work.
The Team:
John Koelliker, the CEO and Co-founder of Leland, is uniquely qualified to start this business. His strong operating experiences at three marketplaces (Uber, LinkedIn, and Curated) have given John tremendous appreciation and competency when it comes to the nuances of scaling marketplace models. Additionally, John’s entry point into the coaching space happened organically, born out of his passion for helping others get ahead, when he started his own MBA coaching program as a side hustle and quickly saw it take off, helping 1,000+ people get into their school of choice. The sheer demand for his program was humbling, and somewhat of a surprise — highlighting the profound opportunity to transform this concept into a scalable service for countless people to benefit from.
A Focus on Outcomes:
Finally, Leland stands out for its laser focus on driving real career outcomes. While many upskilling and mentoring platforms are hobby-based or exploratory, Leland is about achieving tangible results. There is meaningful willingness to pay (amongst consumers and their family members) when there’s the prospect of actually landing a job, getting a promotion, and building a career.
Today, Leland serves 70+ countries across 50+ categories, helping 100,000+ consumers with everything from becoming a product manager to getting into dental school, and beyond. And yet the team is still early in realizing their vision in unlocking human potential by making the world’s expertise more accessible. There’s never been a better time to join the mission or share Leland’s services with someone in your life: https://www.joinleland.com/