Fiveable

Founded in 2018 by Amanda DoAmaral and Tan Ho, Fiveable is a social learning platform for high school students studying for Advanced Placement (AP) courses after school. Students and teachers can join live-streamed lessons, interactive discussions, and communities. Fiveable connects students with students, students with teachers, and teachers with teachers to build academic, pedagogical, and social-emotional skills. Building on its success with AP students, Fiveable seeks to extend its platform to other educational and professional development markets such as standardized exams, college admissions, academic skill-building, and career exploration. As of May 2021, the company reported serving about four million students since its launch in 2020 with a 92% pass rate on AP exams.

In October 2020, the company raised USD 2.3 million in funding to build an online social learning community to achieve its goal of blending education and socialization. The community seeks to promote socialization, engagement, and discussion among students on social justice, mental health, and LGBTQIA. In April 2021, the company raised USD 700,000 to grow the company’s student support community, expand headcount, and manage its user base. In September 2021, Fiveable raised USD 10 million in a Series A funding round led by Union Square Ventures. The company now plans to reach the entire US high school demographic which includes 18 million students across areas like academics, SATs and ACTs, college and career exploration, vocational training, finances, mental health, and activism, among others.

In May 2021, Fiveable acquired Hours, a company founded in 2020 by high school junior Calix Huang to connect students at home through virtual study rooms to boost productivity. The acquisition allows Fiveable to create single- and multi-player study rooms, enabling students to connect with peers working toward similar goals. Huang will join Fiveable as a Lead Product Manager to grow Hours even further.