The Silicon Valley-based training software company Learn to Win, founded by UNC alumni Andrew Powell and Sasha Seymore, has secured $30 million in Series A funding. The investment is led by the California-based Westly Group and includes participation from Durham’s Bull City Venture Partners (BCVP).
Learn to Win was founded in 2019 with its original target market in college and professional sports, drawing from Seymore’s experience on the UNC men’s basketball team. To master the team’s playbook, Seymore used analog methods, flipping through three-ring binders and watching video clips.
During that time, Powell was serving as UNC’s student body president, and he was working with faculty to develop technology-based learning approaches. The pair reconnected at Stanford’s business school (where they both earned MBAs) and teamed up to design Learn to Win: a platform that aims to be the fastest, best way to learn.
This most recent round of funding brings Learn to Win’s total funds raised to $34 million. They plan to use the money to accelerate their progress in the military market, where they have expanded their training software to the U.S. Department of Defense, as well as in the commercial segments such as sales training.
That progress—and the larger opportunity ahead—was part of what led BCVP to come aboard, said David Jones, BCVP’s Co-Founder and General Partner.
“It’s a huge, huge market out there,” said Jones. “A great team, a revolutionary product, and I think all of that kind of led us to really jump on and say, ‘Hey, we want in.’”
Learn to Win will also be using the new funding to grow their engineering team and invest in more AI for the platform. So far, the startup has over 75 customers between the defense industry, federal government and commercial sectors.
Customers pay a subscription to access Learn to Win, where the companies use the software to transform their existing training materials—such as PowerPoints, PDFs and webinars—into interactive, engaging mobile learning lessons.
Jones said Learn to Win is revolutionizing the way to do training, moving away from old learning management systems. Powell said he is excited to have BCVP on board and considers the investment a huge milestone.
“We were really impressed with the folks at Bull City Venture Partners,” Powell said. “They bring a lot of expertise in the markets that we’re trying to serve.”
Local ties
Most of Bull City’s investments are on the East Coast, but Jones said one of the reasons he was interested in Learn to Win is the founders’ local connection. Both founders were Morehead-Cain scholars at UNC and have remained involved with the university since graduating.
“They are great people,” Jones said about Powell and Seymore. “Besides that, they are certainly some of the smartest people and hardest workers you’ll find.”
Powell said North Carolina connections have been “instrumental” to Learn to Win’s growth. In March 2023, Learn to Win received an investment from Carolina Angel Network, which works with UNC-affiliated entrepreneurs. Powell and Seymore have also hired several employees from UNC, Duke and NC State.
Powell said he hopes to inspire the next generation of student entrepreneurs at UNC, “bridging the worlds of Silicon Valley and Chapel Hill.” He invites people to reach out to him at andrew@learntowin.com.
