ViridisLearning, Inc., a New York-based SaaS technology company that uses data analytics to match students with employers, today announced it has raised nearly $7.5 million to date through investments from Salesforce Ventures, Thayer Ventures and others. These new investments will further empower Viridis to achieve its mission of expanding economic mobility around the world, ending the global skills gap, and leading in 21st century workforce development.
"Viridis Learning is a technology company at the nexus of data interoperability between education and employment," said Founder and CEO Felix W. Ortiz III. "Viridis Learning will utilize the investment to continue expanding its Skill Passport Accountability Tracking solution adoption and will be opening up an office in Austin, Texas."
Ortiz describes this as "a major milestone in our vision to become the leading cloud-based platform connecting the middle-skills workforce to growing economies around the world. We are positioning to scale our platform internationally and create a seamless integration of the employment triangle of students, colleges, and employers. Our goal remains to be the singular hub for colleges and employers to validate student skill sets and using Salesforce will help up fulfill our vision for ending the global skills gap through a connected campus ecosystem."
As a Salesforce Ventures portfolio company, Viridis Learning will have access to the world's largest cloud ecosystem and the guidance of Salesforce's innovators and executives.
Viridis Learning uses a proprietary software platform to close the skills gap by integrating students, colleges, and employers. Utilizing Viridis technologies, colleges can better track and understand their students' performance and outcomes, reduce student time-to-completion rates, and improve students' employment placement. The Viridis platform allows employers to hire more quickly, cut recruitment and retention costs, and reduce churn with skill-based job matching. Viridis will also integrate with Salesforce Trailhead, Salesforce's online, interactive and guided learning platform, to further workforce development within the Salesforce ecosystem.
Viridis bolsters its Board of Directors with the addition of Caretha Coleman. A respected professional in Silicon Valley. Caretha's experience spans 40 years in the technology industry in companies such as Interval Research. Prior to Interval, Caretha was EVP, with global responsibility for Human Resources at Software Publishing Corporation, where her leadership was instrumental in pioneering one of the first successful desktop computer software businesses. Caretha began her career in the Silicon Valley companies of Hewlett-Packard and Spectra Physics. Caretha was a founding member of The Angels' Forum, a unique 'angel' investment organization in Palo Alto, where she served on the Advisory Committee and worked closely with entrepreneurs vetting their ideas and providing guidance and coaching. An advocate for women and minorities in business, Caretha demonstrates her commitment to mentoring young professionals and entrepreneurs across the country. Caretha is member of the board of directors for Dignity Health, a $16 billion healthcare system whose mission focuses on the delivery of quality healthcare to the underserved. She chaired the board during a time of significant transition for the organization and the industry. She also chaired their Human Resources and Compensation Committees. She is also a member of the National Diversity and Inclusion Committee for the US Tennis Association; and serves on the National Board of Facing History and Ourselves. Caretha is a Black Corporate Director, and an American Leadership Forum Fellow. She most recently was named as one of the Bay Area's most Influential Women by the San Francisco Business Times, and a 2015 Outstanding Director by the Silicon Valley Business Journal.
Viridis elevates longtime executive Sudhir Wadhwa to the position of Chief Technology Officer. In his 25+ years of professional experience, Sudhir has held senior leadership positions in leading technology companies including Altera, Allied Telesis and a number of startups, including Canesta (acquired by Microsoft), StarCite, Leap Motion, Pluribus Networks and FixStream Networks. A respected expert in the field, his specialties include market research, product development, machine learning techniques, and cross-platform integration. Sudhir holds Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Mathematics from Delhi University.
About Viridis Learning
Viridis is a cloud-based, SaaS technology platform that has developed a proprietary Skills Passport TM, which integrates with existing student information systems, government databases and labor market information to connect students to employers. With the Viridis platform, colleges can create and assess student pathways with the highest precision, leading to a better understanding of their own institutional needs and the needs of their students. Viridis then uses data analytics to validate skills, match students' career aspirations and skill sets with employer demand, a data-driven process which represents the future of human capital acquisition and development. www.viridislearning.com
About Salesforce Ventures
Salesforce is the fastest growing top five enterprise software company and the #1 CRM provider globally. Salesforce Ventures — the company's corporate investment group — invests in the next generation of enterprise technology that extends the power of the Salesforce Intelligent Customer Success Platform, helping companies connect with their customers in entirely new ways. Portfolio companies receive funding as well as access to the world's largest cloud ecosystem and the guidance of Salesforce's innovators and executives. With Salesforce Ventures, portfolio companies can also leverage Salesforce's expertise in corporate philanthropy by joining Pledge 1% to make giving back part of their business model. Salesforce Ventures has invested in more than 200 enterprise cloud startups in 14 different countries since 2009. For more information, please visit www.salesforce.com/ventures.
