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  • December 2014 (Revised October 2015)
  • Case
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Codecademy: Monetizing a Movement?

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Lisa C. Mazzanti
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:20
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Abstract

Codecademy, an open-platform, online community for learning computer programming, launched in 2011. By 2014, the company had raised a total of $12.5 million in funding and was, on many fronts, an overwhelming success. However, there were still no revenues. The founders decided it was time to experiment with different monetization strategies before deciding on a way forward. Although they wanted to avoid being prematurely pressured into decisions that went against their open-platform philosophy, they also knew that in order to fulfill their mission to democratize education, they had to eventually build a revenue-generating business. But what business model should they pursue and what monetization experiments should they run?

Keywords

Entrepreneurial Management; Startup Management; Technology; Computer Programming; Coding; Online Education; Monetization; Online Communities; Marketplaces; Internet and the Web; Education; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Growth and Development Strategy; Technology Industry; Education Industry

Citation

Bussgang, Jeffrey J., and Lisa C. Mazzanti. "Codecademy: Monetizing a Movement?" Harvard Business School Case 815-093, December 2014. (Revised October 2015.)
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About The Author

Jeffrey J. Bussgang

Entrepreneurial Management
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Related Work

    • April 2015
    • Faculty Research

    Codecademy: Monetizing a Movement?

    By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Lisa Mazzanti
    • December 2014 (Revised October 2015)
    • Faculty Research

    Codecademy: Monetizing a Movement?

    By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Lisa C. Mazzanti
Related Work
  • Codecademy: Monetizing a Movement? By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Lisa Mazzanti
  • Codecademy: Monetizing a Movement? By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Lisa C. Mazzanti
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