Curious.com

About Curious.com

Curious.com, Inc. operates as an online learning marketplace connecting teachers with lifelong learners. Founded in 2012 by CEO Justin Kitch, CTO Thai Bui, and Head of Engineering John Tokash, the Menlo Park, CA-based company provides a platform for individuals seeking to develop personal and professional skills. Kitch's prior entrepreneurial success, having founded Homestead and sold it to Intuit, informed his vision for Curious.com as a solution to the unstructured and non-interactive nature of learning on platforms like YouTube. He, along with Tokash, also an Intuit alumnus, aimed to create a more curated and engaging educational experience.

The company's business model is centered on a subscription service, offering users unlimited access to a vast library of over 20,000 video lessons. For a share of the revenue, approximately 30%, the platform equips teachers with tools to create, market, and monetize their courses. This creates a symbiotic ecosystem where instructors can build a business around their expertise. Curious.com caters to a broad market of individuals interested in a wide array of subjects, from practical skills like crafts and coding to hobbies such as juggling and music. The platform is designed for self-paced learning, accessible on various devices, and includes interactive elements like exercises and the ability for students to engage with teachers and peers.

Financially, Curious.com secured significant backing from venture capital. An initial seed round of $500K in late 2011 was followed by a $7.5 million Series A funding round in 2012, led by Redpoint Ventures. Total funding reached $22.5 million, with investors including GSV Capital, Bill Campbell, and Jesse Rogers. A key feature developed by the company was the 'Curious Quotient,' a system designed to offer personalized learning paths and track progress through what it termed the 'Game of Lifelong Learning'. While the platform gained early recognition, including being named one of Time Magazine's best websites in 2013, its current operational status is unclear as the domain is now associated with a different investment entity.