FutureLearn named Startup of the Year
Last night (18th September) FutureLearn took home the first ever ‘Startup of the Year’ prize at the British Interactive Media Association (BIMA) Awards, which have recognised excellence in British digital creativity for the last 30 years.
Coming exactly a year to the day since FutureLearn.com went live, the award cited the social learning platform’s rapid growth, modern product design and innovative software development techniques. In the last 12 months, FutureLearn has built a community of close to 600,000 learners from over 190 countries and territories, studying more than 1.2 million courses between them. FutureLearn’s unique approach to building storytelling into its courses guides learners through a compelling narrative made up of videos, articles and other multimedia elements. The biggest course to date – ‘Exploring English: Language and Culture’, from the British Council – has attracted over 100,000 learners from around the world, while the course line up as a whole continues to attract consistently high levels of engagement and participation.
FutureLearn was also shortlisted in the ‘Education’ and ‘User Experience’ categories at this year’s BIMA Awards, in recognition of the high quality of courses offered by 40 world-leading universities and cultural bodies, as well as the website’s clean and intuitive design.
FutureLearn Chief Executive said, “What a fantastic way to celebrate that day last year when we pushed the button to launch FutureLearn to the world! We’re all thrilled at BIMA’s recognition, and deeply honoured to have shared the evening with some of Britain’s leading talents in the digital scene.”
Adam Graham, Chair of BIMA, said, “Congratulations to all at FutureLearn for taking home the inaugural Startup of the Year trophy from the 30th annual BIMA Awards last night. In a brilliant piece of timing, they celebrated their first birthday, won a Premium Award and helped us celebrate our 30th – all in one action-packed night!”
