Clipboard secures $3.1 million raise for its school extracurricular activities platform

Australian edtech startup Clipboard has exclusively revealed a $3.1 million raise to SmartCompany.

An extracurricular activity management system for schools, Clipboard will use the fresh cash injection to further build out the platform and make new hires.

The funding round is being led by SaaS venture capital investor EVP, and is being joined by Jelix Ventures and Sprint Ventures.

Clipboard was originally developed in Sydney back in 2017 by then-uni students Ed Colyer and Sam Clarke. While coaching basketball at their former high school, they became frustrated with the manual systems being used to organise extracurricular programs and activities.

They felt there were limitations on organisation and communication, which ultimately impacted participation. They also realised this was a problem being faced by most schools in Australia.

“That experience provided us with the insights we needed to improve extracurricular delivery for students, parents and schools,” co-founder and head of product Colyer said.

“It is simply impossible to have an exceptional experience for hundreds or thousands of participants when you’re using paper forms and Google Sheets.”

So the team created a mobile-friendly and single-point platform to manage all activities and communication. The aim was to not only save time on admin, but to improve child safety and communication between staff, parents and students.

“We set out to develop a tailored solution, one that was simple to use, adaptable and user-friendly. What we were offering resonated with schools and parents,” Colyer said.

And it worked. Originally trialled at their former school, the platform and company has grown significantly over the past five years.

It is now used in more than 100 schools in Australia and southeast Asia and saw a 200% uptick in growth in the last financial year.

Some of the schools using the platform include Pymble Ladies’ College, Geelong Grammar School, Matthew Flinders Anglican College, Covenant Christian School, and Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School.

Now the team is looking to use the capital raise to improve the platform and hire more staff.

“Until recently we had no sales team at all and our entire business was built off the referrals from customers that loved our product.”

EVP partner Daniel Szekely has also joined the Clipboard board off the back of the investment.

“We love that this is a business by students and teachers for students and teachers. The founders aren’t coming in as consultants to make a quick buck, they truly appreciate the pain points and are on a mission to improve extracurricular delivery,” Szekely said.

“With the capital raised, the business is now attracting top-tier talent from much larger edtech businesses and we are excited by its growth plans locally and offshore.”