"As a very unlikely tech entrepreneur, every investment has meant a great deal to me, as it is proof that incredibly accomplished people have placed their trust in our team and their dollars on a bet on kids everywhere. However, there is something even more special about winning the confidence of a group of world-class professionals and the large network of very smart women and men Plum Alley has brought together." Eileen Murphy, Founder and CEO, ThinkCERCA

Plum Alley Investments, a company that forms syndicates of its members to invest in innovative private companies with gender-diverse teams, announced the closing of a $520,000 investment in ThinkCERCA as part of the company's Series B capital raise of up to $10 million.

Technological advances, federal legislation and the adoption of new academic assessments and standards are driving changes in how teachers deliver instruction in the U.S. ThinkCERCA is a modern, technology enabled way to teach 4th-12th grade students critical thinking through the use of argumentative writing. Teachers save time, track student progress in real-time and can personalize instruction across subject areas. ThinkCERCA delivers results, as noted by three different controlled studies, Bill Gates, and the World Economic Forum. Principals and district leaders in 36 states have already purchased ThinkCERCA to better prepare students for new high-stakes tests that measure both career and college readiness.

Kim Morton, a member of Plum Alley and investor in the ThinkCerca syndicate had this to say: "As a board member of Room to Read, I'm very passionate about advancing innovative new models around education. Through Plum Alley, I had the opportunity I would not have otherwise had to invest in ThinkCERCA. I'm thrilled to be expanding my commitment to education by backing a female founder with deep experience in the field and a unique solution with the potential for achieving both impact and financial return."

The financing round was led by Intuit Co-founder, Scott Cook, and his wife Signe Ostby, founders of the Valhalla Charitable Foundation. Additional investors in the Series B round alongside Plum Alley include VCs Great Oak Venture Partners and Amicus Capital. Other investors include Esther Wojcicki, education luminary in Silicon Valley and Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn, TAL Education Group and Follett Knowledge Fund. Also as part of the Series B raise, ThinkCERCA announced that Tom Chi, a former Google X co-founder and world-renowned inventor, has joined the board.

"It takes an innovative founder to come forward with the right solution and business savvy to drive broad scale adoption and ultimately transform global education. We're proud that our unique model enabled Plum Alley members to invest in Eileen's vision and ThinkCERECA's results driven approach while aligning with their values of advancing education globally through teaching critical thinking to all children," said Andrea Turner Moffitt, co-founder of Plum Alley Investments.

Murphy is thrilled to have Plum Alley's investment and support. "We will continue to work as hard as ever in service of student outcomes and know that our students' outcomes will serve every stakeholder in ThinkCERCA well." Murphy added, "The combined success of ThinkCERCA and Plum Alley's investment model just adds another incentive to win, as the win will pave the way for so many others who also have big problems we're counting on them to solve."

Plum Alley Investments http://www.plumalley.co is a membership of investors creating the future with intention and resources. Plum Alley gives individual, family and corporate members access to highly selective private companies so they can build a portfolio of direct investments; exclusive learning experiences so they can stay "future literate" about innovation; and a way to leverage their expertise and relationships to advance women entrepreneurs building companies with technological and medical breakthroughs. Plum Alley has closed eight syndicate investments in the last 20 months aggregating over $5 million invested in women entrepreneurs. The other Plum Alley syndicate investments have been in companies with innovations in cardiovascular disease prevention, machine learning to improve efficiencies and remove biases in hiring, stem cell creation of bone, deep learning video recognition technology, and a digital market for private investigators.