What Thinkful does

Thinkful, now operating as Chegg Skills, is an online professional certificate platform that delivers mentor-supported skills programs to working adults pursuing careers in technology, data, AI, and business. Founded in 2012 as a coding bootcamp, the company was acquired by Chegg, Inc. in 2020 and rebranded to Chegg Skills in 2024 to consolidate under the parent brand; the legal entity continues to operate as Thinkful, Inc. The platform offers 20+ programs ranging from 2-7 months in duration, covering Web Development, Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, Data Engineering, UX/UI Design, AI Fundamentals, AI Prompt Engineering, Technical Project Management, Sales, Frontline Leadership, and Business Operations. Cybersecurity curriculum is aligned to CompTIA Security+, and the Technology Fundamentals certificate carries ACE credit recommendations with articulation agreements at five universities (SNHU, Purdue Global, Excelsior, Bellevue, LSU).

The product layer combines asynchronous online curriculum with a 1:1 mentorship model (mentors with 3+ years of relevant industry experience), dedicated academic success coaches, live chat support, and AI-powered features including the SkillMate chatbot for curriculum explanations and generated practice problems, an AI Coach that adapts lesson difficulty, and the April 2025 launch of Solution Scout. The platform is delivered fully online with no physical classrooms and reaches learners across 17+ countries.

Revenue is generated through enrollment in professional certificate programs at price points historically around $9,975+ per flagship track such as Web Development. Distribution runs through two channels: direct-to-consumer online enrollment via the Chegg.com domain and a B2B2C partnership with Guild Education, through which employers offer Chegg Skills as a workforce development benefit. As a wholly-owned subsidiary of publicly traded Chegg, Inc. (NYSE: CHGG), Thinkful does not report standalone revenue; employees number 251-500 and the company is headquartered in New York, with operational alignment to Chegg's San Francisco headquarters.

Name

Thinkful

Legal name

Chegg, Inc.

Website

https://thinkful.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Chegg Skills (formerly Thinkful) is an online professional certificate platform that delivers 20+ mentor-supported programs in technology, data, AI, and business to working adults seeking career advancement, distributed directly and via Guild Education employer benefits as a subsidiary of Chegg, Inc.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Professional Education & Career Training

NAICS

Computer Training (611420), Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Computer Training (61142), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Vendor/Authorized Certification Training (Microsoft/AWS/Cisco, etc.) (BPAEANAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

IT Support & End-User Computing (Helpdesk, Desktop, M365/Google Workspace) (EDABAFAN), Product Management (Core) (EDABAHAC), Group & Class-Based Live Tutoring Platforms (EDANAGAB), Basic Coding & Computational Thinking (EDAAAIAN)

Keywords

• Online learning platform
• Coding bootcamp
• Professional certificate programs
• Tech career training
• Workforce development

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Certificate Programs: Chegg Skills generates revenue through professional certificate programs that learners pay to enroll in. Programs range from 2-7 months in duration covering technical skills (web development, cybersecurity, data analytics, AI), business skills, and technology fundamentals. Revenue is recognized upon enrollment and program delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Thinkful (now Chegg Skills) is an online professional certificate platform that delivers 20+ skills-based training programs in technical, data, AI, and business domains. Programs run 2-7 months with flexible pacing (3-10 hours/week) and combine hands-on projects with 1:1 mentorship from industry experts, academic success coaching, live chat support, and AI-powered learning tools. Curriculum is aligned to industry certifications (e.g., CompTIA Security+) and offers ACE credit recommendations for college transfer.

Product overview

Chegg Skills (formerly Thinkful) is a unified online learning platform providing 20+ professional certificate programs across technical skills (Web Development, Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, Data Engineering), AI skills (AI Fundamentals, AI Prompt Engineering, AI for various industries), business skills (Project Management, Sales, Leadership), and design (UX/UI). Programs combine hands-on projects, guided support including 1:1 mentorship and live chat, and job-relevant curriculum. The platform offers college credit pathways through ACE recommendations and partners with Guild for program enrollment. Individual programs range from 2-7 months with varying time commitments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Chegg Skills Platform (formerly Thinkful) Online professional certificate platform offering 20+ skills-based learning programs in technical, data, AI, and business domains with flexible online courses, 1:1 mentorship, and AI-powered learning tools.
• Web Development Certificate 5-7 month professional certificate program teaching HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Git, GitHub, Visual Studio, and AI prompt engineering for frontend and backend web development.
• Cybersecurity Certificate 6-7 month program aligned to CompTIA Security+ certification, covering threat detection, network security, incident response, and cloud security using tools like SIEM, IDS/IPS, and endpoint protection.
• Introduction to Cybersecurity 2-3 month foundational program exploring cybersecurity tools, AI protocols, threat detection, digital forensics, and career readiness for beginners.
• Technology Fundamentals Certificate 2-3 month program covering Excel, Google Sheets, PowerPoint, Google Slides, Zoom, AI tools like ChatGPT, cybersecurity awareness, and digital communication skills. Holds ACE credit recommendation (3 credits).
• Technical Project Management Certificate 5-6 month program teaching SCRUM, Agile, predictive methodologies, systems development, and IT management for launching MVP products from concept to finish.
• Sales Professional Certificate 3-4 month program covering prospecting, pipeline management, value proposition creation, persuasive presenting, objection handling, and closing strategies.
• Frontline Leadership Certificate 4-5 month program developing strategic planning, data-driven decision-making, team building, effective communication, and operational management skills.
• Data Analytics Certificate Program teaching data analysis skills and using data for business insights.
• Data Engineering Certificate Program covering data engineering skills and techniques.
• UX/UI Design Certificate Program teaching user experience and interface design principles and skills.
• AI Fundamentals Certificate Program teaching foundational AI concepts and how to leverage artificial intelligence for career advancement.
• AI Prompt Engineering Certificate Program focused on learning to craft effective prompts for AI systems and leveraging AI tools.
• Digital Marketing Certificate Program covering digital marketing skills and strategies.
• Business Operations Essentials Certificate Program covering essential business operations and management skills.
• Communication Skills for Professional Growth Certificate Program focused on developing professional communication competencies.
• Introduction to Data Analytics Certificate Introductory program to data analytics concepts and tools.
• Solution Scout AI Learning Tool AI-powered learning tool designed to help students learn more efficiently and confidently.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average $8,500 salary increase reported by graduates
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Guild EducationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGuild Education is the primary marketplace channel through which learners discover and apply for Chegg Skills programs. The partnership enables employer-sponsored education benefits where organizations offer Chegg Skills as part of their workforce development programs. Learners find programs and apply through Guild to begin their learning journey.
• Southern New Hampshire UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouthern New Hampshire University is one of five universities with articulation agreements accepting ACE credit transfers from Chegg Skills Technology Fundamentals certificate. Learners can transfer up to 3 credits toward eligible degree programs.
• Purdue University GlobalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPurdue University Global has an articulation agreement to accept up to 4.5 credits for Chegg Skills Technology Fundamentals certificate transfer toward eligible degree programs.
• Excelsior UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExcelsior University has an articulation agreement recognizing Chegg Skills ACE credit recommendations for transfer toward eligible degree programs.
• Bellevue UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBellevue University recognizes Chegg Skills ACE credit recommendations for transfer toward eligible degree programs.
• Louisiana State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLouisiana State University has an articulation agreement accepting up to 3 credits for Chegg Skills Technology Fundamentals certificate transfer toward eligible degree programs.
• American Council on Education (ACE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACE conducted an intensive quality review of Chegg Skills programs and provides credit recommendations for Technology Fundamentals (3 credits). This enables learners to apply professional certificate completions toward college degree requirements.
• CompTIAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChegg Skills Cybersecurity program curriculum is aligned to CompTIA Security+ certification, one of the most widely recognized entry-level cybersecurity certifications. Program covers knowledge and skills tested on the Security+ exam.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• General Assembly: General Assembly offers bootcamp-style and short-format training in web development, data, UX, and digital marketing with career-services support. It is a direct competitor in the cohort-based, mentor-supported tech reskilling space.
• Flatiron School: Flatiron School runs immersive online and in-person software engineering, data science, and cybersecurity bootcamps with career coaching. Its program structure, target audience, and outcomes-driven value proposition closely mirror Chegg Skills.
• Springboard: Springboard provides mentor-led, online career tracks in software engineering, data science, UX, and cybersecurity with job guarantees. Its 1:1 mentorship model and career-outcomes focus compete head-to-head with Chegg Skills.
• Udacity: Udacity offers Nanodegree programs and short-form online courses in AI, data, programming, and cloud, with employer and university partnerships. Its tech-focused curriculum catalog and career credentials overlap directly with Chegg Skills.
• BloomTech (formerly Lambda School): BloomTech offers online software engineering and data science bootcamps with income-share agreement payment options. It competes directly for the same career-switcher segment using similar online, mentor-supported delivery.

Broad incumbents

• Coursera: Coursera partners with universities and companies to deliver professional certificates and degree pathways globally. Its Google/IBM career certificates and ACE-recommended courses compete in the same adult-learner upskilling market, though at broader scale.
• Pluralsight: Pluralsight is an enterprise-focused technology skills platform with assessments, labs, and curated learning paths. It overlaps with Chegg Skills in tech upskilling but is sold primarily to enterprise L&D buyers rather than individual career switchers.
• Udemy: Udemy operates a global marketplace with 200,000+ courses in tech, business, and design. Its low-cost, self-paced model competes for the same working-professional learners, though without the mentor-intensive, outcomes-driven positioning.
• Skillsoft: Skillsoft provides enterprise learning content, leadership development, and tech skills training through a subscription platform. It competes for the same employer-sponsored L&D budgets that fuel Chegg Skills' B2B2C revenue via Guild.

Emerging players

• DataCamp: DataCamp focuses specifically on data and AI skills with interactive courses and enterprise plans. It is a more narrowly focused competitor to Chegg Skills' Data Analytics and AI programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thinkful
• Xx.com/thinkful

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors6 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Thinkful