Pear Deck raises $4 million

With a boost of $4 million, co-founders of Pear Deck, an Iowa City education technology company, said they plan to expand staff, hire more software developers and bolster their marketing team.

Launched in 2014, Pear Deck announced the new investors Wednesday.

The company has created a software tool that allows teachers to produce interactive presentations for their students.

'Part of our ability to grow is going to be based on how quickly we can innovate and put more features into the platform,” co-founder Anthony Showalter said.

The company hopes to add between five and 10 employees by the end of the year.

Investors included Growth Street Partners of San Francisco, Hyde Park Venture Partners of Chicago, Village Capital of Washington, D.C., and AOL co-founder Steve Case.

Some Iowa investors joined in on the recent round, Showalter said. They include the Iowa Seed Fund and North Iowa Venture Capital Fund.

In a statement, CEO Riley Eynon-Lynch said the investment will allow the company to 'accelerate growth, invest in product, optimize go-to-market, and remain focused” on aiding educators.

The investment in Pear Deck is the first deal for Growth Street, according to a statement.

'Growth Street is very excited to partner with Pear Deck ...

. Our partnership will help extend Pear Deck's reach, engage more students and improve educational outcomes,” Growth Street co-founder Nathan Grossman said in the statement.

Showalter said Pear Deck has raised a total of about $5.2 million since it started, including a $500,000 seed round in 2014. The Iowa Economic Development Authority also provided them with $125,000 in 2014.

They've also previously crossed paths with Case after winning his 'Rise of the Rest” competition in 2015 during South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. That win netted the company $150,000.

The company said its product is being used in school districts in 40 states. It also has 16 employees and a second office in Kansas City.

Pear Deck's founders have a history with start-ups, having sold an early venture, Active Grade to Haiku Learning.

As for the current company, Showalter said Pear Deck is focused on serving kindergarten-through-grade-12 schools, but can see its product being used for all types of presentations.

'There's so much more ahead (for) what we can do for these teachers and students,” he said. 'That said, any time there's a presenter or a trainer or a teacher at any level, we think Pear Deck is a superior, more fun experience than PowerPoint.”

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