Athlete Education Startup The Skills Secures $5 Million Series A

The Skills, an online education platform offering on-demand courses taught by pro athletes, has raised a $5 million Series A round. The startup also announced that 23-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps will teach a swimming course and USWNT star Megan Rapinoe will teach a soccer skills course.

Athletes on The Skills’ video courses provide tips about a sport’s fundamentals while sharing life lessons that they’ve picked up throughout their careers. Phelps’ course will launch this month while Rapinoe’s will debut in January.

Subscriptions range from $69 to $149. Other athletes to teach courses include Maria Sharapova, Larry Fitzgerald, Kerri Walsh Jennings and Shaun White. 

The Series A round was led by Will Ventures, a sports-tech focused firm co-founded by former NFL linebacker Isaiah Kacyvenski. Global Founders Capital, 8VC, Maveron, Hack VC, and Correlation VC also contributed to the round.