Knowable has announced the launch of its new audio learning platform, the release of three original audio courses, and the close of an oversubscribed $4M seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from Upfront Ventures, Initialized Capital, and First Round Capital.
Knowable unites world-renowned experts and storytellers to create immersive audio courses for people who want to get inspired, learn new things, and accomplish their goals. Courses include hours of long-form audio instruction, detailed lesson summaries, curated learning tools, a downloadable e-textbook, access to private student communities, and more, all delivered through proprietary iOS, Android, and web apps.
Knowable’s creative team, hailing from NPR, Washington Post, and MasterClass, is creating educational audio with a freshness, polish, and style unmatched by legacy online learning offerings.
Knowable’s pilot releases include:
- Launch a Startup featuring Alexis Ohanian (Founder of Reddit), Michael Preysman (Founder of Everlane), Tracy Lawrence (Founder of Chewse), Eddy Lu (Founder of GOAT), and more.
- Start a Podcast featuring Paul Scheer (creator of How Did This Get Made? and Unspooled), Rob Byers (Senior Production Strategist at NPR), Jillian Weinberger (Senior Audio Producer at Vox), and more.
- Sleep Better Tonight featuring W. Chris Winter (author of The Sleep Solution), Dr. Fiona Barwick (Stanford Center for Sleep Sciences and Medicine), and Russell Foster (Oxford Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute), and more.
All courses are available for purchase online at knowable.fyi or in the Knowable iOS and Android apps.
Increased investment in the audio space, the proliferation of smart speakers and audio wearables, and the nearly-full market penetration of smartphones are fueling consumer interest in spoken-word audio.
Thirty-two percent of Americans (90M) listen to podcasts monthly, up from 26% in 2018, and 50% of Americans (141M) have listened to an audiobook, up from 44% in 2018. Most notably, 74% of podcast listeners cite the desire to learn new things as the primary reason they listen. Despite these trends, a leader has yet to emerge at the intersection of audio and learning.