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Edtech platform for cloud skills and certification Saasguru has announced a seed raise round of $4 million led by Square Peg Capital, with funds to further build out the company’s technology stack.
The investment builds on a pre-seed round of $1.3 million raised by Saasguru 10 months ago, and sees existing investors Black Nova and Antler return to participate in the latest tranche.
It also marks a strong signal to market that co-founders Amit Choudhary (CEO) and Atif Saad (CTO) are back in the fast lane, having sold their previous venture Saasfocus to US IT firm Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) in 2018.
Founded in mid-2021, Saasguru is an e-learning platform where more than 40,000 users from 20 different countries can study cloud systems.
Run in partnership with more than 20 different cloud consulting companies to help them accelerate the cloud upskilling of new hires, Saasguru users tap into a deep-tech-powered platform which combines personalisation, TikTok style micro-learning platforms and a community of mentors.
Through Saasguru, the co-founders are looking to train the next generation of workers that will require cloud computing skills in their careers. According to Amazon Web Services (AWS), the need for cloud computing skills in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region alone will triple by 2025, requiring about 109 million individuals with those skills from a base of 37 million as of 2020.
“We want to play a leading role in solving the global cloud skills crisis and supercharge cloud skilling and certification,” Choudhary said.
“Edtech has become an e-commerce like experience for users. All users are getting is an overload of content with aggressive subscription models.
“Saasguru is disrupting that with a personalised learning experience, supported by our gurus and leading to a very tangible outcome of skills, certifications and jobs.”
Since 2021, the company has added a variety of learning programs to its platform covering Salesforce, ServiceNow, AWS, GCP and Azure. Saasguru says it plans to use the investment to expand into more high-demand cloud certifications.
“While we are for profit, we are also a for-impact company,” Choudhary said.
“We provide pro bono cloud skilling and certification for people from a situation of disadvantage to change their life with future-ready skills.
“Over the next five years we want to become the most loved and trusted platform for anyone looking at starting or growing a career in the cloud industry.”
Square Peg Capital principal Lucy Tan also acknowledged the role Saasguru might play in satisfying demand for skilled cloud computing workers.
“There is a massive cloud skills shortage in the industry that is slowing down digital transformation initiatives undertaken by businesses,” Tan said.
“Universities are not well equipped to solve this skills shortage as the skills update so quickly. This means post-university upskilling is critical for continued business growth and Saasguru provides a personalised learning pathway for cloud professionals to embark on, helping them get skilled and certified in cloud technologies.
“This can make a meaningful impact on people’s lives from either landing them in a new career or getting salary increases. We’re excited to continue to work with Amit, Atif, and the team on their journey to help close the skills gap in the cloud computing industry and empower millions of workers to take on new careers.”
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