Lore

Lore, originally launched as Coursekit in May 2011, was conceived by University of Pennsylvania students Joseph Cohen, Dan Getelman, and Jim Grandpre. The founders, motivated by their frustrations with existing learning management systems like Blackboard, left university to focus on creating a more social and engaging educational platform. The company secured approximately $6 million in funding from investors including Founder's Fund, Shasta Ventures, and The Social+Capital Partnership.

The platform operated as a cloud-hosted course management system designed for higher education institutions. It provided tools for instructors to manage their courses, including features like a gradebook, file management, and a calendar. What set Lore apart was its emphasis on social networking; it aimed to create an academic social network that functioned like a Facebook for the classroom, allowing students and professors to share resources, post updates, and engage in continuous conversation. The platform was free for both educators and students, with a potential monetization strategy centered on the distribution of content and software, such as textbooks, rather than advertising.

Initially known as Coursekit, the company rebranded to Lore in April 2012. By August 2012, it had expanded its features to allow students to form groups beyond specific courses, such as study groups or faculty-based communities, and to build academic profiles. The platform saw adoption by professors across more than 600 campuses. In March 2013, Lore was acquired by Noodle, an education search and recommendation engine founded by John Katzman. The deal was a technology acquisition, with the Lore platform intended to continue operating and be integrated into a new Noodle business unit called Noodle Launch. The founding team did not join Noodle post-acquisition.

Keywords: edtech, learning management system, social learning, course management, higher education, academic social network, Coursekit, Joseph Cohen, Noodle acquisition, online education platform, student engagement, collaborative learning, digital classroom, education technology, university tools, online pedagogy, virtual campus, professor resources, student collaboration, academic profiles