Effectively fulfill student demand, according to Joshua Broggi, three new universities must establish every single day for the next decade. As a result, he is working on Woolf, which he claims is the first software platform capable of launching and managing an authorized online institution. Woolf wants to remove “the sophisticated weight” of accreditation, or certification that a program or institution meets particular criteria and standards, from newer institutions or programs, such as tech boot camps or a virtual business school.
Woolf aims to be the “UC” for lesser-known colleges who wish to level up their courses while still offering credits, similar to how the University of California (UC) system brings together a variety of prominent universities under one banner. Woolf has worked with seven pilot customers in seven countries so far.
Broggi’s vision of accreditation as a service, as well as the startup’s early traction, led to a $7.5 million seed round led by Todd Jackson of First Round Capital, with participation from investors such as Sitar Teli of Connect Ventures, Shuonan Chen of IOVC, Shaan Puri of All Access Fund, and Jonathan Hsu of Tribe Capital. People who do not believe in the value of a four-year degree and others who feel certification is the only way to thrive are often at odds with the accreditation issue. That, I believe, is an oversimplification; there is more commonality than you might expect when it comes to how entrepreneurs envision the future of education.
Woolf University, for example, is not competing with the slew of businesses offering non-accredited education options. Woolf, on the other hand, wants to turn them into future clients. Optionality has been the buzzword in the present IT world whether it comes to fundraising or other sorts of finance.
The same is true when it comes to the sorts of educational routes that a student should be able to choose. Broggi’s main point here is that in order to keep attracting clients, many tech boot camps or younger institutions will ultimately need to provide an approved option.
In terms of ethos, it appears that both parties agree that providing pupils with a choice of materials is crucial since traditional, one-size-fits-all learning is ineffective. Strive School was founded by Tobia De Angelis in reaction to the obsolete STEM course content provided in European businesses.
He maintained that accessibility does not correspond to efficacy, despite the fact that the majority of institutions in Europe are low-cost or free to attend. He raised millions of dollars to demonstrate the need for more alternatives.
