Bloc, an online bootcamp for software development and design, today announced the company has raised a $6 million Series A investment led by Shasta Ventures, bringing the total company funding to $8.5 million.

Founded in 2012 by Roshan Choxi and Dave Paola, Bloc previously received a $2.5 million seed investment from Harrison Metal, Baseline Ventures, Learn Capital, and First Round Capital. With this new capital, Bloc plans to expand the company's job preparation and placement programs for graduates, develop new technical training courses, and expand their corporate training business.

Within the last year, the company experienced 400 percent growth with a 75 percent completion rate, becoming the largest developer bootcamp in the world. Since 2012, Bloc has expanded its course selection to include various web and mobile development courses including UX Design, Android and iOS development. Compared to other online and on-premise developer bootcamps, all Bloc courses are web-based, involve building real software projects, and include a dedicated mentor for each student. With one-on-one mentorship, students receive personalized attention and a professional guided oversight for their entire program. Following the structured apprenticeship model, graduates acquire job-ready skills, direct programming experience, and graduate to launch new careers.

'Traditional educational institutions are failing to deliver job-ready graduates in the software development and design fields,' said Roshan Choxi, CEO and co-founder, Bloc. 'With our online courses and 1-on-1 mentorship, we've found the sweet spot between the scale of a MOOC and the real outcomes of an on-premise developer bootcamp. With the support of Shasta Ventures, we can continue to scale our courses and mentor network, and provide even more students with accessible, hands-on training and professional guidance to start or advance their career.'

'The online learning market is estimated to be $107 billion in 2015, and Bloc's approach is scalable, unique, and effective,' said Sean Flynn, partner, Shasta Ventures. 'Bloc's ability to scale mentor-led courses and produce real-world results for students set it apart, and we are excited to work with Roshan and the Bloc team as they help individuals and companies close the technical skills gap.'

For more information on Bloc, please visit: https://www.bloc.io.

About Bloc
Bloc is an immersive online bootcamp that provides job-ready technical skills in software development and design. Through individual mentorship and structured training, Bloc offers accessible, personalized and effective online higher education programs. Co-founded in 2012 by Roshan Choxi and Dave Paola, the company is headquartered in San Francisco. Bloc is improving today's technical workforce and advancing careers -- to get the experience you need to get the job you want, start with Bloc: https://www.bloc.io.