Uptime, the self-described ‘Knowledge Hacking’ app, has raised $16 million in seed funding, the London-headquartered company has announced recently.
The funding comes from the company’s founders – serial entrepreneurs Jamie True and Jack Bekhor, and former Youtube and Facebook executive Patrick Walker – alongside other private investors including Lord David Alliance, ex-CEO of Tesco Sir Terry Leahy, and Federal Street SPV.
Founded in 2019, Uptime offers five-minute knowledge hacks from the world’s best books, courses and documentaries, to let users quickly grasp ideas and insights from trusted authors, instructors, and creative minds without spending too much of their precious time. At the same time, the platform allows content creators to get a new way to reach audiences who may go on to purchase the full works.
Uptime aims to build a platform that makes knowledge accessible, affordable, and fun. All its hacks are available in text and audio, and its unique visual story format, with key ideas and insights from thousands of sources, keeps users informed and save them time and effort. Users can also share hacks in just a tap with anyone via socials and text.
Explaining how its platform works, the company said, as shared by TechCrunch, “Hacks are presented in a unique visual story format, designed to be inspirational and make learning effective, fun, engaging, and shareable – all verified by a team of experts. At the end of each hack, the user is presented with the option to buy the book, watch the full documentary or sign up for the course from the original source.”
Patrick Walker, Uptime’s co-founder, said, “With Uptime, we wanted to create something that could be a one-stop shop for knowledge. Instead of sifting through bestseller lists, endless sites of digital courses, and video platforms for documentaries, Uptime presents the best content from only the most trusted experts, organizations and sources. People can select the best topics they’re interested in and gain access to the key elements of the content in snackable, easy-to-watch visual stories, audio and text.”
The platform is for anyone who wants to learn but only has a short amount of time, energy and/or limited resources to do so. “It’s perfect for Gen Z, millennials, parents, anyone with an interest in enhancing their personal or career prospects, and a desire to fill their time with constructive and uplifting content, adds Walker.
Uptime’s users can access thousands of five-minute knowledge hacks from the world’s best books, courses and documentaries, for free.