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
Merit-based economy is an illusion ripe for AI disruption, talent coop founder says
Organizing Midwest talent to use artificial intelligence and machine learning to combat societal challenges like income inequality could be a powerful tool for a new generation of problem solvers, said Brian Curry. “I truly believe in the possibility of artificial intelligence for changing the way we look at jobs, income, capitalism, poverty, wealth disparity, disease…
Video: Check out 8 elevator pitches from this year’s Sprint Accelerator companies
With a cohort of companies ranging from artificial intelligence to organic ice cream sandwiches, Sprint Accelerator demonstrates its strength by creating an environment where founders and their teams can learn and develop alongside disparate forms of innovation, Doug Dresslaer said. “They’ve all started realizing they can work together — they’re all on the same side,”…
KCultivator: Kemet Coleman urges KC to think progressively, says music kept him alive
Editor’s note: KCultivators is a lighthearted profile series to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The KCultivator Series is sponsored by WeWork Corrigan Station, a modern twist on Kansas City office space. From the Royals to slow jams with Mayor Sly James, Kansas City serves as an inspirational force in Kemet…
Former Walmart exec, VC founder who was second attorney for Google joining Kauffman trustees
Editor’s note: Startland News, in its capacity as a nonprofit digital magazine, is financially supported by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Two high-powered women are expected to bring diverse business, investment and education backgrounds to the table of one of Kansas City’s leading entrepreneurship engines. Susan Chambers, a five-time “50 Most Powerful Women in Business”…

