TakeLessons closes $7M to connect students & teachers

Education startup TakeLessons has raised a fresh $7 million in funding to grow its student and teacher matching platform, the startup announced today.

TakeLessons is a marketplace where you can see the availability of qualified teachers that specialize in music, dance, acting, math, photography, and foreign languages. It offers a clear advantage to finding instructors via Craigslist or other classified services because the teachers are “vetted,” the startup said.

The service is also useful for instructors and allows them to market their services, manage scheduling, handle billing/payments, and communicate with clients. TakeLessons said teachers have earned over $20 million through its marketplace and taught more than a million lessons since it’s platform launched.

The startup said it plans to use the new capital to further develop its mobile scheduling and payment tools. It also plans to expand into new categories for instructors that specialize in crafts, sports/fitness, visual arts, and computers.

The new round was led by Lightbank with participation from Crosslink Capital, SoftTech VC, Triangle Peak Partners, and Moore Venture Partners.

Founded in 2006, the San Diego, Calif.-based startup has raised a total of $20 million in funding to date.