DENVER — May 19, 2020 — Guild Education, which partners with Fortune 500 companies including Walmart, Chipotle, Lowe’s, The Walt Disney Company, and Discover Financial Services to upskill frontline workers, today announced the acquisition of Entangled, a Bay Area product studio focused on the intersection of work and learning. The acquisition will enable Guild to accelerate the development of solutions that help employers solve complex workforce challenges, including the transition of displaced workers to in-demand jobs, and higher paying careers.
“For the last five years, we’ve helped our employer partners build education and training solutions to support recruitment, retention and upskilling for their frontline workers. But as unemployment hits 14.7%, companies are asking us to help their workers through a very different set of challenges — in a very different labor market,” said Rachel Carlson, CEO & Co-Founder of Guild Education. “The COVID-19 crisis has created both an unprecedented sense of urgency to up and re-skill incumbent employees, and a heightened responsibility to support laid-off and furloughed workers. The Entangled team will enable us to quickly design, test and launch products that pair innovative technology and coaching services with transformative educational experiences.”
Recently, Guild announced the launch of its latest product, Next Chapter, which enables companies to connect laid-off and furloughed workers with Guild’s education opportunities and Entangled’s jobs marketplace and career services to help workers prepare for higher paying career paths. Next Chapter was built in partnership between Guild and Entangled’s solutions and product development teams predating the acquisition, and the early success catalyzed the acquisition thesis.
“Through this acquisition, we’ve together established a platform and suite of products that reinforces our team’s commitment to unlocking human potential through education at massive scale,” said Paul Freedman, Founder and CEO of Entangled Group, now President of the Learning Marketplace at Guild Education. “As employers grapple with the fallout from the pandemic, the necessity for education solutions that boost economic mobility has dramatically expanded.”
Entangled was created in 2015 as a consulting firm and product innovation studio. It has pioneered an entirely new approach to the development and scale of education and workforce technology. As a team with deep roots in higher education, Entangled understands and lives the mission of their institutional partners. Education and workforce thought leaders like Michael Horn and Allison Salisbury are joining Guild from Entangled to play a critical role in making good on the promise of education and the future of work within new contexts.
“This acquisition represents a powerful milestone for our team, and breakthrough in the evolution of the product studio model itself,” said Nick Hammerschlag, President and Co-Founder of Entangled Group, who will serve as a senior advisor to Guild. “The combination of cultures and expertise will enable Guild to innovate at the pace that their employer partners demand.”
Alongside the team working on Entangled’s jobs marketplace, Guild will integrate existing Entangled employees into its core teams, and broaden its geographic footprint with offices in New York and San Francisco.
About Guild Education
Guild Education is on a mission to unlock opportunity for America’s workforce through education, with a double bottom-line business model that does well by doing good. Guild partners with leading employers and organizations to help offer education and upskilling opportunities to America’s workforce. To do so, Guild partners with the nation’s top universities and learning providers, with classes, certificates and programs focused on serving working adults. Guild has been named a Fast Company Most Innovative Company, Top Woman-Owned Business of the Year, Employee Initiative of the Year and was one of only three female-led companies listed on the Forbes Cloud 100 2019 List. Guild is hiring across departments. To learn more about Guild Education, visit www.guildeducation.com.
