A Denver tech company that soon will open a Phoenix campus has closed on a $45 million Series B round to provide more students access to its web development and data science programs.
Galvanize, a Denver-based technology learning community, is opening a new tech campus by the end of the year in the Warehouse District in downtown Phoenix.
Galvanize’s fundraising round was led by ABS Capital Partners, a late-stage growth company investor with offices in Baltimore and San Francisco.
Denver-based Colorado Impact Fund, New York City-based Haystack Partners, Liberty Media Corp. President and CEO Greg Maffei, Aspen Grove Capital in Avon, Colorado, and existing investor University Ventures from New York City, also participated in the round.
“With ABS as our partner, Galvanize will continue to build leading web development and data science technical education programs and provide needed tech talent to industry partners to meet their continuous skill needs,” Galvanize CEO and co-founder Jim Deters said in a statement. “By offering the most comprehensive training on the market, our students achieve true mastery, making them ‘job ready’ – which our industry partners recognize as essential and nets our alumni a meaningful increase in earning potential.”
Galvanize raised $18 million in a Series A fund in 2014, led by University Ventures.
Paul Mariani, a general partner with ABS Capital, will join the Galvanize board of directors.
“We were attracted to Jim’s passion and commitment to Galvanize’s mission, and we were very impressed with the industry-aligned programs the company has built that prepare learners to succeed in technology roles,” Mariani said in a statement.
Galvanize recently signed a month-to-month license agreement for a temporary office in downtown Phoenix as it gears up for its new Phoenix campus.
Galvanize provides training and education in areas such as web development, data science and engineering. It also builds a community of entrepreneurs and learners, and connects the community with skilled graduates.
Galvanize partners with Allstate Insurance Co., Amazon.com Inc., Salesforce.com Inc., IBM and Tesla Motors Inc. to understand what skill sets are most relevant for its curriculum. It also offers corporate training and workshops to help re-skill employees on the “evolving modern technology,” according to a company statement.
Graduates have over a 90 percent job placement rate in technology within six months of graduating from its immersion programs. Galvanize grads also receive an average annual salary increase of over $30,000, according to the company.
Galvanize has more than 700 companies in its membership program, which is offered on a per seat, per desk or per suite basis.
The tech company has nine campuses across the country, including Denver, Boulder, Ft. Collins, San Francisco, Seattle and Austin. A pop-up campus in New York is open with a plan to open a 55,000-square-foot space in early 2017.
Galvanize’s Phoenix campus will be in the same renovated, historic building as software firm WebPT at 515 E. Grant St.
