Fundraising Fox

Newsela

Techstars '13

New York City, US · Founded 2014 · Delaware corporation · 534 employees on LinkedIn · 6 known investors

Find your way into Newsela

494 people in our graph share verified history with the Newsela team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.

Jeremy Kirschunlockedknows Dan Cogan-Drew · together at United States Navy (overlapped)
×4knows the team · via Techstars
×4knows the team · via Wesleyan University
×3knows the team · via Teach For America

Newsela provides educational content and classroom tools for K-12 teachers and students, delivering news articles and learning materials aligned to curriculum standards at multiple reading levels. The platform includes formative assessment and real-time instruction features to support personalized learning and engagement.

EdTech

Founders & leadership

Newsela was founded in 2014 by Matthew Gross and Dan Cogan-Drew.

MGMatthew Gross
Matthew GrossinCo-founder
DCDan Cogan-Drew
Dan Cogan-DrewinCo-founderHe has background in curriculum development for blended learning environments, teacher professional development, and digital learning software, and previously contributed to the design of video annotation tools and delivery of educational technology training internationally.
JCJennifer Coogan
Jennifer CooganinChief Content Officer, Founding Team2013–2023Jennifer Coogan is executive officer at Newsela, an educational platform providing news articles and learning materials to K-12 classrooms. She brings background in journalism, digital media, and finance, with experience scaling organizations across multiple funding rounds.

Board

BBBrook Byers
Brook ByersinBoard directorFounder, Kleiner Perkins
TPTory Patterson
Tory PattersoninBoard MemberCo-founder and Managing Partner at Owl Ventures

Investors · 6

Kleiner PerkinsMenlo Park · $500K – $15M
New Ground VenturesWestport
Owl VenturesSan Francisco · $5M – $50Mvia Tory Patterson · board
Reach CapitalSan Francisco · $100K – $12M
TCVMenlo Park · $10M – $500M
TechstarsBoulder · $220K

Funding

SEC filings, press & company announcements

$21.4M disclosed across 3 of 5 rounds · 2014–2021

▶$15MraisedOct 2015 · 24 investors · Other Technology
Rule 506(b)
Officers, directors & promoters on the filing
  • Brook ByersDirector
  • Tory PattersonDirector
  • Matthew GrossExecutive Officer, Director
Offering amount
$15.5M
Amount sold
$15M
First sale
May 2015
Incorporated
Corporation, Delaware, 2014
Federal exemptions
06b
Full filing on SEC EDGAR ↗
▶$6MraisedSep 2014 · 33 investors · Other Technology
Rule 506(b)
Officers, directors & promoters on the filing
  • Matthew GrossExecutive Officer, Director, Promoter
  • Jennifer CooganExecutive Officer
  • Dan Cogan-DrewExecutive Officer, Promoter
  • Daniel WinstonExecutive Officer
Offering amount
$6M
Amount sold
$6M
First sale
Sep 2014
Incorporated
Corporation, Delaware, 2014
Federal exemptions
06b
Full filing on SEC EDGAR ↗
▶$400KraisedMay 2014 · 7 investors · Other Technology
Rule 506(b)
Officers, directors & promoters on the filing
  • Jennifer CooganExecutive Officer
  • Dan Cogan-DrewExecutive Officer, Promoter
  • Matthew GrossExecutive Officer, Director, Promoter
Offering amount
$500K
Amount sold
$400K
First sale
May 2014
Incorporated
Limited Liability Company, New York, 2012
Federal exemptions
06b
Full filing on SEC EDGAR ↗

Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.

Founder mafia

4 people who came through Newsela went on to found or lead other companies.

Brook ByersDirectorFounded Insite Vision +1Jared GrusdMember of Board of DirectorsFounded Ethiqly +1Courtney MonkCo-Founder of SchoolyticsFounded Schoolytics +1Stevon JuddTechnical Project ManagerFounded SquadTrip

Competitors · 3

by search overlap
Teachers Pay Teachers4153 shared keywordsTeachers Pay Teachers is a marketplace where educators share and sell teaching resources and lesson plans. The platform serves teachers and educational institutions seeking classroom materials.
Lumen1952 shared keywordsLumen Learning provides courseware and teaching tools built on open educational resources (OER) for higher education, aimed at faculty and students. Its products support course delivery, faculty professional development, and student-centered learning in colleges and universities.
Brainly1771 shared keywordsBrainly provides 1:1 tutoring combining AI explanations with human expert intervention, targeting K-12 students and their parents seeking affordable academic support across all subjects. The platform emphasizes guaranteed grade improvement within 30 days, safety through human supervision of AI interactions, and compliance with education-focused privacy standards.

Companies competing with Newsela for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.

Acquisitions · 1

Early investors' stakes continue via these deals
Formative

Formative built a web-based platform allowing K-12 teachers to create real-time digital assessments and exercises to track student understanding and adjust instruction instantly.

In the news

Newsela Targets Back-to-School Demand With Administrator Engagement Event - TipRanks.comtipranks.com · Jul 2026Sell or Invest in Newsela Stock Pre-IPOnasdaqprivatemarket.com · Oct 2024K-12 Dealmaking: Newsela Raises $100 Million Series D Round, Reaches Unicorn Statusmarketbrief.edweek.org · Mar 2021Newsela, the replacement for textbooks, raises $100M and becomes a unicorn | TechCrunchtechcrunch.com · Feb 2021Newsela Raises $15M in Series B Funding - FinSMEsfinsmes.com · Oct 2015

Frequently asked questions

What does Newsela do?
Newsela provides educational content and classroom tools for K-12 teachers and students, delivering news articles and learning materials aligned to curriculum standards at multiple reading levels. The platform includes formative assessment and real-time instruction features to support personalized learning and engagement.
Who founded Newsela?
Newsela was founded by Matthew Gross, Dan Cogan-Drew in 2014.
Who are Newsela's investors?
Newsela's investors include Kleiner Perkins, New Ground Ventures, Owl Ventures, Reach Capital, TCV, Techstars.
How much funding has Newsela raised?
Newsela has disclosed $21.4M raised across 3 of its 5 known rounds.
Where is Newsela headquartered?
Newsela is headquartered in New York City, US.