LRNG

What LRNG does

LRNG, operated by the nonprofit Collective Shift, is a youth-learning initiative founded in 2014/2015 with the mission of redesigning learning for young people by connecting in-school, out-of-school, employer-based, and online learning experiences into a single recognized pathway. The organization is anchored by founding partners including the MacArthur Foundation, the National Writing Project, and the Show Me Campaign, with additional program funding from the Fossil Foundation, Mozilla Foundation, and others.

Its core product is the LRNG Platform, launched in Spring 2016, which delivers playlists, digital badges, learning paths, and the Passion Collector mobile app to translate interest-driven learning into employer-recognized credentials. Demand is generated through city-based learning networks — Cities of LRNG — operating in Chicago, Dallas, Pittsburgh, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and the San Francisco Bay Area, with footprint expanding from 4 to 15 cities during 2016. Scale signals include approximately 60,000 youth in Chicago, 34,000+ in Dallas, and 300 credentials in Pittsburgh.

The business model is nonprofit and grant-funded rather than commercial. LRNG monetizes through philanthropic grants (e.g., the 2016 City Challenge with Fossil Foundation grants of up to $50K per city) and corporate partner coalitions (Microsoft, GAP, Fossil, EA) that provide employer-recognized content and pathways. There is no disclosed pricing model, subscription, or fee-based revenue; the end users (youth) are not paying customers, and the beneficiaries of the platform are learners, schools, employers, and youth-serving organizations.

Name

LRNG

Legal name

Collective Shift

Website

https://lrng.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nonprofit youth learning platform (Collective Shift) connecting in-school, out-of-school, employer, and online learning through digital badges, playlists, and city-based learning networks serving tens of thousands of young people across U.S. cities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Learning Platform

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), All Other Miscellaneous Schools and Instruction (611699)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Learning Experience Platforms (LXP) & Learning Portals (EDAFAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Social Learning & Community-Enabled LMS (EDAFAAAH), LMS Integrations, Interoperability & Identity (LTI/SCORM/xAPI, SSO, APIs) (EDAFAAAI), LMS Analytics, Insights & Learning Record Stores (LRS) (EDAFAAAJ)

Keywords

• Digital learning platform
• Youth education
• Digital badges
• Connected learning
• Out-of-school learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Redwood City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Nonprofit/Funded Operations: LRNG operates as a nonprofit organization. Revenue is generated through grants and partnerships rather than product sales. The organization receives funding from foundations (MacArthur Foundation, Fossil Foundation) and corporate partners who co-design learning experiences.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

LRNG operates a digital learning platform that connects in-school, out-of-school, employer-based, and online learning experiences into a unified network for youth. The platform features Playlists (linked learning experiences, resources, and events), Digital Badges (verifiable micro-credentials), Learning Paths (interest-driven competency trajectories), and the Passion Collector mobile app. Cities of LRNG and LRNG Innovators are community and educator programs that expand the ecosystem geographically and programmatically.

Product overview

LRNG is a unified educational platform ecosystem built around its core technical platform that connects youth to learning experiences. The portfolio includes Playlists (linked learning activities), Digital Badges (micro-credentials for completed Playlists), and Learning Paths (interest-driven competency trajectories). The Passion Collector mobile app extends access to teens on-the-go. Cities of LRNG and LRNG Innovators are community and educator programs that expand the ecosystem geographically and programmatically.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cities of LRNG: Local learning network that links in-school, out-of-school, and employer-based learning opportunities across communities
• LRNG Innovators
• Passion Collector
• LRNG Playlists
• Digital Badges

Products and services

• LRNG Platform Central technical platform that serves as a connector, combining in-school, out-of-school, employer-based, and online learning experiences into a seamless open network for youth.
• Playlists Linked sets of learning Experiences, Resources, and Events—both in-person and online activities—that when completed lead to mastery of a skill or competency.
• Digital Badges Digital micro-credentials that document learning achievements; capstone awards earned upon completing a Playlist that can unlock additional learning challenges, mentorship, and internship opportunities.
• Passion Collector Mobile App Mobile application that helps teens define their interests through a quiz, recommends Playlists to develop skills, and guides career-choice decision-making.
• Learning Paths Interest-driven pathways that ladder up from completed Playlists, leading to mastery of skills and competencies.
• Cities of LRNG City-based local learning networks that link in-school, out-of-school, and employer-based learning opportunities across communities.
• LRNG Innovators A challenge program that invests in teams of teachers to develop partnerships and programs connecting in-school and out-of-school learning.

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core, major and minor.

• Electronic Arts (EA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 December 2015Working with LRNG to co-design first Playlist focusing on game design, teaching technical and workforce skills. First corporate partner to co-design learning experience.
• MicrosoftcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 December 2015Partnering to co-design learning experiences for youth as part of LRNG ecosystem.
• GAPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 December 2015Partnering to co-design learning experiences for youth as part of LRNG ecosystem.
• FossilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 December 2015Partnering to co-design learning experiences for youth, with on-the-ground partnership in Dallas to introduce young people to careers in design.
• National Writing ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Developed LRNG Innovators program supporting educator innovators. Co-founded LRNG in 2014. Partnered with John Legend for LRNG Innovators challenge.
• Collective ShiftcoreOthersLRNG is a project of Collective Shift, a nonprofit organization. Collective Shift includes projects such as LRNG, Cities of LRNG, GlassLab, and the Badge Alliance.
• Mozilla FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-launched Open Badges project in 2011. Member of Badge Alliance pushing forward badging ecosystem work.
• IMS Global Learning ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Mozilla Foundation and Collective Shift to advance Badge Alliance work and ensure digital badges have clear and recognized value through conformance certification.
• Badge AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational badging community working to develop a robust badging ecosystem. LRNG joined to support and extend the promise of alternative learning paths.
• DePaul University Digital Youth NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnchored Chicago's City of Learning effort since summer 2013, serving as national model. Engaged nearly 60,000 youth through partnerships with over 100 youth-serving institutions.
• DC TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed the District of Learning in Washington D.C., fully launched in early 2015 with over 40 organizations involved in year-round ecosystem.
• Big ThoughtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManaging Dallas City of Learning. Brings together network of 200 partner organizations providing learning opportunities for 34,000+ youth.
• Sprout FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpearheaded Pittsburgh's pilot LRNG city since 2014. Led Summer Dreamers Academy badge integration with Pittsburgh Public Schools.
• One Summer ChicagomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSummer youth employment program partnering with LRNG to connect youth to playlists and digital badges for workforce development.
• MHA LabsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkforce development organization partnering with LRNG to connect youth to learning playlists and badges.
• Philadelphia Youth NetworkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkforce development partner at White House Champions of Change event tackling summer opportunity gap.
• Steeltown Entertainment ProjectmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPittsburgh partner providing filmmaking and media production learning opportunities. Helped teen earn badges that led to internship and full-time employment.
• Philadelphia Academies Inc.majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerApplying for LRNG City Challenge to create community-wide learning infrastructure. Focused on career academies connecting youth to employment pathways.
• Peggy Notebaert Nature MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChicago partner providing nature and science learning experiences as part of City of Learning network.
• Carnegie Museum of Natural HistoryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPittsburgh partner offering 'junior naturalist' badge among 300 credentials available through City of Learning network.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Khan Academy: Khan Academy is a free digital learning platform that connects learners to structured content and mastery-based pathways. Both serve youth with free, online learning experiences, though LRNG focuses on connecting out-of-school experiences across cities.
• GlassLab: GlassLab is a sister project under Collective Shift (LRNG's parent nonprofit) that designs learning games with embedded assessment. Both share parent organization and research lineage from MacArthur.
• Degreed: Degreed is a learning experience platform that aggregates skills and credentials across sources. LRNG is the youth/out-of-school analog, with similar interoperability and badge-portfolio ambitions.
• City of Learning (UK): UK-based network linking in-school and out-of-school learning through digital badges. LRNG and City of Learning are direct conceptual peers—both built on the Cities of Learning model with shared MacArthur Connected Learning heritage.
• Remake Learning: Remake Learning is a Pittsburgh-based network of schools, museums, libraries, and nonprofits that connects learning experiences for youth. LRNG's Pittsburgh City of Learning is essentially a Remake Learning node.
• Open Badges (Mozilla Foundation): Mozilla and LRNG co-launched the Open Badges initiative in 2011. Both operate the badge specification layer that underpins interoperable digital credentialing across issuers and consumers.

Broad incumbents

• Coursera: Coursera is a large-scale online learning platform offering credentials and pathways. While Coursera focuses on higher-ed and adult learners, its certificate and credential infrastructure is a broader incumbent in the same digital learning space.

Emerging players

• Credential Engine: Credential Engine maintains a registry of credentials and competencies. LRNG's Badge Alliance partnership is a parallel effort in mapping and surfacing alternative credentials.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wearelrng
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/10261169

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about LRNG