SafetyCulture deepens its COVID response with $29M acquisition of ‘micro-learning’ app
September 16, 2020 | Startland News Staff
An Australian startup with a significant presence in Kansas City has acquired a mobile training app to boost COVID-era education for businesses through free “micro-learning” resources.
“We’re experiencing the biggest workplace shake-up since economies were rebuilt after World War II. This is not survival of the fittest, this is survival of those that can adapt,” said Luke Anear, CEO of SafetyCulture, detailing how folding in EdApp’s technology is the next step for the company. “The pandemic has made it clear there’s a huge appetite for training as companies look to get safely back to business. EdApp will strengthen our ability to support businesses to do their best work.”
EdApp offers micro lessons downloaded straight to users’ smartphones. Learners acquire knowledge in targeted bursts when it suits them best and can learn at their own pace, according to SafetyCulture, which boasts a Crossroads-based second headquarters in Kansas City. Courses that employ micro elearning typically see completion rates rise from as low as 15 percent to about 90 percent and beyond, the company said in a press release. The app currently delivers about 50,000 lessons per day across more than 90 countries.
Click here to learn more about EdApp, which hails from New York City.
SafetyCulture’s $29 million acquisition of EdApp comes as the Sydney, Australia-born workplace safety and quality platform dedicates its 2020 to helping businesses navigate reopening amid new safety restrictions, Anear said.
In response to COVID-19, SafetyCulture digitized workplace guidance from governments and leading industry bodies across the world into free, ready to use and customizable checklists via its iAuditor app — which already has more than 75,000 users at more than 26,000 organizations.
Click here to learn more about iAuditor.
2020 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
She was prepared for a ‘no’ but Niki Baker’s blind outreach scored her exclusive licensing with her alma mater
Faithful to her colors, Niki Baker’s fondness for Kansas State University is unwavering long after she left its campus behind to pursue an art career and a family, she said. Pouring her maker’s mission out on canvas and painting possibility, Baker is now one of the rare few to hold a piece of her alma…
Two Black, women-owned bookstores open conversation on police abolition; Why this UMKC alumna says it could reduce gun violence in KC
Two of Kansas City’s newest Black-, woman-owned bookshops are teaming up to host Derecka Purnell — human rights lawyer, author and University of Missouri-Kansas City alumna — for a community discussion on police abolition and eliminating harm. Aya Coffee + Books and BLK + BRWN are presenting “Community Book Chat with Derecka Purnell” 6:30 p.m.…
KC Tech Council elevates apprenticeship leader to COO, concluding succession plan after CEO’s departure
A leading advocate for the region’s tech community announced this week a promotion from within as the KC Tech Council transitions to new leadership after longtime CEO Ryan Weber left the organization this spring. Newly-announced chief operating officer Erin Christensen, who has served as the tech council’s program manager since October 2020 and leads its…
Bring out your good: Un-Dumpster Day launches Saturday with mission to de-clutter
As residents across Kansas City prep for the final weekend garage sales of the spring, a locally-launched website is offering an easier — and more environmentally sustainable solution: connecting those who have personal items to donate to the people, pets and nonprofits that need them. “What we thought was, ‘Why not make a one-stop drop…