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Technical evaluation company CodeSignalwhich counts Index Ventures and Menlo Ventures among its backers, is launching a learning platform called CodeSignal Learn. The new platform, aimed at audiences wanting to learn technical topics, also has an AI-powered bot called Cosmo, which helps users with their learning.
The company said there are hundreds of courses available at launch, ranging from intro to programming, tutorials on specific languages, data analysis and machine learning. Ultimately, CodeSignal wants to develop in certain non-technical areas, such as management skills, which accelerate career paths.
How does the platform work?
CodeSignal Learn is currently accepting users via a waitlist. Once you enter, the Cosmo robot asks you questions such as what you want to learn and what your skill level is. On this basis, it constitutes a course for you.
Image credits: CodeSignal
The platform has two levels and the company has chosen a gamified route to monetize its product. With the free tier, you can take classes on your own. But as soon as you ask the Cosmo bot a question, or ask it to help you with an evaluation of your code, you lose a bar of energy. Free users receive five energy bars with one bar recharging every four hours. This whole process feels like a mobile game.
If you don’t want to go through this hassle, you can pay up to $24.99 per month and get unlimited energy.
Users can learn about different topics via text or convert the lessons into a slideshow or video-style presentation. The company said it created courses with subject matter experts to emphasize learning by doing. So, courses typically contain 90% content that requires users to work with an integrated development environment (IDE).
Why CodeSignal is developing a learning platform?
The company was originally called CodeFight when it was founded in 2014 as a competitive coding platform. But as it evolved, the startup focused more on technical evaluation and renamed CodeSignal in 2018.
CodeSignal CEO Tigran Sloyan told TechCrunch on a call that the co-founders launched the company with a mission to discover skilled workers and develop the skills that will shape the future. Sloyan said the startup wanted to do it all and also create an educational product.
“We quickly realized that concentration was essential. So we thought it was necessary to fix the assessments first because they are fundamental for both recruitment and development,” he said. With the new platform, the company is once again targeting the idea of developing people’s skills.
“We believed that until we found a great one-on-one tutoring product, we couldn’t have a revolutionary educational product. But with the rise of AI-based technologies, we thought it was the right time,” Sloyan said.
While the company believes the learning platform can upskill a wide audience, CodeSignal thought about its customers and how it could help bridge the skills gap of their workers or people who they want to hire.
Competition and the road ahead
Many companies compete in the technical assessment and skills development market. Microsoft-owned LinkedIn has both learning And assessment modules. Last year it launched a AI-powered learning assistant. Plural viewwhich Sloyan considers CodeSignal’s biggest competitor, also an evaluation product. In the learning space, there are a ton of competitors like Coursera and Udemy, as well as more focused competitors like Guild And Articulate.
Sloyan believes CodeSignal has an advantage because it offers a practice-oriented approach to learning. Additionally, he believes the Cosmo AI robot is like having a private tutor by your side.
The company is also launching CodeSignal for Teams and beta testing enterprise products, which will offer a more personalized version for larger organizations. The CEO expects the learning product to generate 50% of the company’s revenue within two years.
CodeSignal raised its latest investment with a $50 million Series C raise in 2021. Even though the startup is not yet profitable, it is not looking to raise another round of funding anytime soon. The company has raised $87.5 million to date. The company employs 200 people, almost three times more than the 70 people it had in 2021.
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