33599 - Coursera Equity

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Summary of Investment Information

Project Number

33599

Company Name

Coursera, Inc.

Date SPI Disclosed

May 30, 2013

Country

World Region

Region

Global

Projected Board Date

Jul 1, 2013

Environmental Category

C - No Impact

Status

Completed

Last Updated Date

Mar 14, 2025

Department

Gbl Ind, Manufact, Agribus & Services

Industry

Health, Education and Life Sciences

Previous Events

Approved : Jul 1, 2013
Signed : Jul 2, 2013
Invested : Jul 9, 2013

Sector

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools

Project Description

Coursera is an educational technology company started in 2011 by two- computer science professors from Stanford University. The company offers the new generation of online and scalable courses known as Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). The company’s mission is to provide access to high-quality courses from top universities to every student around the world. Coursera is looking to raise a Series B round of equity to support its ambitious growth plan. The Series B round is expected to significantly increase Coursera’s exposure and impact in developing markets where there is significant unmet demand for quality higher education and MOOCs. Specifically, Coursera will help provide students in emerging markets with access to an innovative online learning experience that can help them build skills, enhance their employability, and support life-long learning. Coursera will also help increase the number of top emerging markets universities in the Coursera network; and help build the capacity of higher education institutions in emerging markets by integrating Coursera’s content and developing innovative and flexible pedagogies such as blended learning.

Sponsor / Cost / Location

Product Line	IFC Investment (million USD)
Risk Management
Guarantee
Loan
Equity	5.0

Development Impact

(i) Promoting affordability: MOOCs will counter-act the trend of continuous increases in costs of higher education experienced in many countries by making available to students of different socioeconomic backgrounds high quality instruction and education materials for free.
(ii) Improving quality and accountability: By making available new learning opportunities in emerging markets, Coursera can help build the capacity of local higher education institutions, potentially promoting systemic quality improvements and greater accountability on student outcomes.
(iii) Supporting employability: The wide variety of course offerings coupled with Coursera''s student recruitment services can allow students globally to access knowledge and skills that otherwise would not be available to them and open opportunities to access quality jobs by making job-seekers more visible to potential employers.
(iv) Supporting lifelong learning in an increasingly knowledge-based economy: MOOCs make available advanced courses that are not widely available in emerging markets and can help the next generation of life long learners acquire 21st century skills and apply them in the workplace.
(iv) Supporting innovation: Coursera has the potential to transform the traditional classroom-based education, by allowing universities to license their content to develop personalized and more flexible programs that effectively meet student''s needs.
(v) Individualizing learning: Technology has the potential to promote a more individualized learning experience, segmenting the student population according to learning patterns and preferences and providing each segment with customized content and pedagogical tools.
(vi) Measuring outcomes: the combination of scale and technology can facilitate data-driven approaches to measure student learning (e.g. through data mining) feeding back relevant information about student learning patterns to instructors and institutions for academic improvement.

(i) Global partner for growth in Emerging Markets: IFC can help Coursera grow and cater effectively to the demand for higher education in developing countries by leveraging its global footprint, relationships with governments through the World Bank, and through its existing client portfolio of over 80 higher education institutions in emerging markets.
(ii) Knowledge sharing: IFC can provide Coursera with knowledge about regulatory frameworks in higher education in emerging markets and help them expand into harder to reach geographies in Asia and Africa.
(iii) Proof of Concept and Signaling: IFC''s investment will send a positive signal to the market that private sector-led, technology-enabled solutions have the potential to transform public and private higher education in emerging markets. It will also signal the high potential for financial and educational returns of Coursera''s innovative business concept, and of MOOCs more broadly.

E&S Category Rationale / Risks and Mitigation

Contacts

For Inquiries About the Project, Contact

Coursera
1975 El Camino Real West
Mountain View, CA 94040
United States
Phone: (312) 344-3239

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