Two Leading Local Organizations Join Forces to Eliminate the Technical Talent Gap
(Denver, Colo.) – January 21, 2016 – The Colorado Impact Fund (CIF), a venture capital firm dedicated to supporting Colorado companies that generate consistent investment returns in addition to positive community impact, announced today an investment in Galvanize, Inc., a network of urban campuses where students and entrepreneurs can learn data science and web development and access the network they need to pursue a career in innovative tech-related fields. Finding great technical talent is one of the biggest pain points for startups and large businesses, and Galvanize helps eliminate the talent gap by helping hundreds of graduates and entrepreneurs each learn in-demand industry skills.
“This investment represents a perfect synergy of our two organizations with complementary missions coming together for the greater good,” said Jim Kelley, Managing Partner of the ColoradoImpact Fund. “Galvanize is filling a much-needed gap between the demand and supply for technical talent, while also attracting industry partners to create a strong hiring pipeline for its graduates.Preparing our workforce and students to compete in an increasingly tech oriented economy is very much on strategy for CIF.”
Founded in 2012 in Denver by Jim Deters, Chris Onan, and Lawrence Mandes, Galvanize provides educational programming in data science, web development, data engineering and related fields, as well as community workspace across eight urban campuses (four in Colorado, one in Seattle, one in San Francisco, one in Austin and one in Phoenix). Galvanize’s immersive 12- to 24-week courses are market-leading offerings that result in impressive placement rates in jobs with high base salaries for students. Galvanize allows an increasing number of individuals to re-purpose their professional lives into more relevant positions in the economy while significantly increasing the earning potential of all its students. As one of the emerging market leaders in the for-profit alternative education market, Galvanize’s programs are an attractive value proposition resulting in an over 95 percent job placement rate for graduates.
About Colorado Impact Fund
The Colorado Impact Fund, founded in July 2014, is a venture capital firm, managed by an affiliate of Vestar Capital Partners, which is dedicated to supporting local Colorado companies that generate consistent investment returns in addition to positive community outcomes. Investors in the Fund include some of Colorado’s most respected executives, families, foundations and corporations, each of whom is committed to making a difference in the State of Colorado and beyond. Targeting investments in the areas of community health, natural resource conservation, education and workforce development and economic development, the Colorado Impact Fund leverages its collective experiences, resources and networks to help Colorado entrepreneurs create exceptional and lasting companies. For more information visit www.coloradoimpactfund.com.
About Galvanize
Galvanize is an education company that blurs the lines between learning and working. We create easy access for anyone who has the aptitude and drive to succeed with technology, especially in data science, engineering and entrepreneurship. Our campuses are home to instructors, students, startups and others who want to reach their full potential. Start your journey at galvanize.com.