Future Design School, which is dedicated to incorporating innovative and design thinking in classrooms, has received an undisclosed round of seed-stage financing led by the MaRS Catalyst Fund.
Future Design School provides immersive educational programs — such as workshops — for students, teachers, and business professionals. Future Design School’s in-class workshops encourage kids to build prototypes and pitch creative solutions to world problems.
“We’re thrilled to have partnered with investors who share our vision and are enthusiastic about our strategy for expanding our programming across North America,” said Sarah Prevette, founder and CEO of Future Design School. “Participants in our programs develop incredible innovation skills and we’re looking forward to working in many more communities in 2017.”
Future Design School is the first company to receive investment from the MaRS Catalyst Fund, a $5 million fund which supports early stage companies tackling social and environmental challenges. Other investors include Yes To Carrots co-founder Ido Leffler and director of product at Shopify Satish Kanwar.
“FDS has a strong business model and we see high growth potential in the company,” said Kathryn Wortsman, Fund Manager at MaRS Catalyst Fund. “It also takes its social mission very seriously, empowering young people with an entrepreneurial mindset that will ultimately help solve significant social problems and create meaningful employment.”