Eduson.tv Raises $1 Million and Launches Online Business Learning Service

MOSCOW, April 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Eduson.tv, a new online business learning service, was launched today. Eduson is offering three types of courses: 1. by professors from top rated business schools (e.g. Strategy in Stormy Times by London Business School Adjunct Professor Dominic Houlder), 2. by guest speakers, who are leading experts in their given business field (e.g. Roadmap to IPO by Merrill Lynch director Arie Kravchin), 3. and, free courses, featuring existing content by globally-recognized experts (e.g. Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Ballmer, Tony Hsieh, Tim Draper, Steve Blank).

Each course consists of videos, slides, reading materials for every lecture, and tests. Tiny progress bar fills in with every step the student makes towards final exam and her certificate.

Eduson's mission is to make high-quality business learning accessible to students worldwide. Currently, most popular option - a full-time MBA - requires leaving one's job for 2 years, paying around $150K, and relocating, often with family. Distance learning with Eduson is an alternative.

Demand for business knowledge is huge. Eduson CEO and co-founder, Daria Zimina notes: 'As an ex-investment banker I'm all about looking at numbers and drawing conclusions. Let's look at three facts: Only 30% of Harvard MBA students are from outside the US; the Stanford MBA program accepts less than 400 students a year; and, there are 60 million managers in BRIC countries who need business knowledge to advance their careers. My conclusion is pretty straightforward - several million people will be learning online soon. And, Eduson is here to disrupt this market'.

Eduson has secured around $1 million in funding from angels including Groupon Russia founders. The investment will be spent to add high quality content and improve the platform. Eduson is expecting to generate revenue since day one. One third of courses are free, and enrollment fees are charged for others, with first lectures always offered as a free trial. Eduson then pays royalties to its lecturers.

The team behind Eduson has experience in launching successful Internet businesses. Previously as top-managers they attracted 48+ million users (mostly from the US, Brazil and Russia) and earned $130+ million for their companies.

Elena Masolova, Eduson investor and co-founder, notes: 'Our plans are to focus on content and platform. At least one new course will be added every week. We'll add features like a 'networking tool' for our alumni or 'interactive video', which will allow detailed study of cases and getting personalized explanations to wrong answers. Learning experience shall be fun'.

Dominic Houlder, Adjunct Professor of Strategic and Entrepreneurial Management at London Business School, notes 'Eduson is a pioneer in getting to the heart of a great learning process online - which is connecting students to great faculty worldwide, with minimum complexity and maximum ease of access'.

Website: http://eduson.tv

SOURCE Eduson.tv