LYNDA.COM: Online education company, Lynda.com raised a whopping $186 million from investors, TechCrunch reported today. That funding puts the company in a position to go on a "shopping spree." TechCrunch quotes an "unnamed investor" offering up acquisition possibilities that include Thinkful and Treehouse. The funding is the second round of cash, following the $103 million the company raised in 2013.
With so much cash on hand--and with outside investors who have valued the company at an estimated $1 billion-- Lynda.com is clearly taking a different path than strictly internal growth. The company will likely head toward an initial public offering as a way to reward its investors, which (after this round) include private equity firm, TPG, as well as venture investors Accel Partners, Spectrum Equity and Meritech.
