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Craftsy

Edtech · Wayzata, United States · Founded 2011

Craftsy operates as an online learning platform specializing in video-on-demand courses for a wide range of creative skills and hobbies. Founded in April 2010 as Sympoz Inc. by former eBay executives John Levisay and Josh Scott, along with Todd Tobin, Bret Hanna, and Andrew Rogers, the company aimed to provide high-quality, in-depth instructional content as an alternative to the short-form videos prevalent on other platforms. The founders' backgrounds in internet and engineering were pivotal in building a platform designed to overcome the geographical and time constraints of traditional classes. The company's primary offering is a vast library of video classes covering subjects such as quilting, sewing, knitting, cake decorating, painting, and photography. These courses are taught by expert instructors and are known for their professional production quality, including clear video and sound. Craftsy's business model is centered on a subscription service, offering monthly or yearly plans for unlimited access to its entire catalog of over 3,000 hours of content. Additionally, the platform provides the option to purchase individual classes for perpetual access and sells downloadable resources like patterns. It originally also included an e-commerce component for craft supplies and kits, though this has been discontinued under its current ownership. Craftsy's journey has been marked by significant transformations. After securing nearly $100 million in funding by 2014, NBCUniversal acquired a majority stake in 2017. This led to a rebranding in 2018 to "Bluprint," which expanded the content scope to broader lifestyle topics like dance, fitness, and writing, aiming to create a "Netflix for hobbies." However, NBCUniversal later decided to shut down Bluprint. In July 2020, the assets were acquired by TN Marketing, a Minneapolis-based digital video subscription company. TN Marketing reverted the name back to Craftsy and relaunched the site, honoring previous customer purchases and focusing on the core subscription and a la carte class model. Keywords: online learning, craft education, video courses, sewing classes, quilting tutorials, knitting instruction, cake decorating, painting lessons, photography courses, subscription video on demand, e-learning, creative skills, hobby classes, DIY projects, instructional videos, John Levisay, Josh Scott, TN Marketing, Bluprint, Sympoz Inc.