I know… my blogging frequency is somewhat (totally) lacking. Well, honestly, I’ve got a few things going on in my life.

(1) if you haven’t noticed in my Facebook feed, we added a new puppy, Stella the French Bulldog — go check her out in my Facebook photos — she’s awesome

(2) we’re in the middle of a mini/major-house renovation, and have been since July/July — it’s nearing completion, but has been for what feels like months

(3) I’m training for a marathon, to be run in Honolulu in mid-December (click if you’d like to donate to fight Leukemia Lymphoma) — long run of 18 miles last weekend, and will be running 20 miles in ~2 weeks. Then off to the fun in the sun.

(4) finally, TeachStreet’s been making amazing progress. We launched our payments/revenue systems in July and September, and have been spending the last several weeks optimizing the site experience — some major improvements to note:

– We added a focused Test Prep Class and teacher site, featuring premium partners such as Kaplan, PowerScore, Knewton and more. So, if you know students looking for SAT, GMAT, LSAT, GRE test prep classes, have them check it out

– You can now easily find upcoming classes in your area – the selection of teachers, subjects and classes is becoming pretty amazing, all across the country

– We’ve got another pretty cool ‘launch’ coming tomorrow, hopefully significantly improving the teacher profile page experience, and a few other little pleasantries

Hope you’re lives are going great — Karen and I are racing around, as usual — hope to see you all soon!

It’s been a tumultuous several months, with emotions running the gamut. But today’s a great day, as we announce our launch of metro #6 (Chicago teachers and classes, here we come!) and also an addition $1.2 million of investor funding.

We’ve been running non-stop for the last year plus, and the launch of New York teachers and classes several weeks ago, plus the upcoming premium services launch (payments and more), has kept our hands very full — we’ve recently been able to take a few days to reflect, paint the office, and refocus as a team, and that’s been great.  We’re TRYING to build a company with a mission-driven culture. We’ve definitely made some missteps along the way, but we’re striving to continue to learn.

 

TeachStreet Unveils New Website to Help Students of Any Age Find Great Local Teachers and Classes

Launching in Seattle with More Than 25,000 Classes, Teachers, Instructors, Coaches, and Schools, TeachStreet Gives Lifelong Learners A Simple Way to Connect with Local Experts SEATTLE, WA — April 21, 2008 – For the lifelong learners among us, it’s not always easy to find the right teacher. Whether hoping to brush up on their Spanish, learn how to swing dance, or prepare for the SAT, students have had to search far and wide — and often with little success. TeachStreet, the first website dedicated to helping teachers and students connect with one another in the real world, today took the covers off its beta site at www.teachstreet.com. Representing the largest free directory of learning experiences for students of all ages, TeachStreet features more than 25,000 Seattle-area teachers, trainers, tutors, instructors, coaches, and classes. Students can search for teachers across more than 500 subjects and filter the results according to map-based location, ratings from other students, teacher availability, promotional pricing, and more. For teachers, TeachStreet provides a simple yet powerful way to promote themselves online and manage their learning business. “We have heard time and again from adult learners, and from parents looking for tutors and coaches for their children, how difficult it is to find relevant and up-to-date information to evaluate teachers. At the same time, teachers are craving easy-to-use tools to help market themselves on the Internet, manage their student rosters, and find more prospective students in their neighborhoods,” said Dave Schappell, founder and CEO of TeachStreet. “One of our goals with TeachStreet is to use the latest online technologies to facilitate real-world connections and provide anyone who wants to either learn or teach a new skill with a rich, geographically targeted website that feature’s a city’s best teaching resources.”

TeachStreet provides teachers and instructors with an array of free online tools to help them grow their business. These include:

• Online Profile Builder: In under three minutes, teachers can create a robust web presence where they can feature photos, sample lesson plans, pricing, and student references;

• Search Engine Optimization: TeachStreet was designed specifically to help teachers’ listings be discovered more easily on major search engines including Google, Yahoo! and MSN, providing teachers with an easy way to be found by students; and

• Scheduling and Management Tools: To help teachers organize their schedules and manage their workload, TeachStreet offers an assortment of calendering and management tools that let teachers focus their energy on what they do best.

With more than 25,000 Seattle-area classes, teachers, instructors, and coaches currently listed on the TeachStreet beta site, there’s a class for every interest. Classes and teachers currently available on TeachStreet include everything from the popular (SAT prep courses, tennis coaching, piano lessons, and cooking classes) to the esoteric (break dancing lessons, surfing lessons, and Texas Hold ’em Poker lessons, to name just a few). The site can be searched by keywords or visitors can scroll through TeachStreet’s extensive directory of classes, which are organized by subject.  Currently, some of the most popular subjects in Seattle include: 918 yoga classes in 31 neighborhoods, 413 dance classes in 28 neighborhoods, and 131 dog obedience classes in seven neighborhoods. In addition, students are encouraged to submit reviews of teachers, and teachers are invited to enhance their profiles with lesson plans, class photos, and more.

While this extensive coverage is currently limited to the Seattle area, TeachStreet plans to expand its service to other US cities in the coming months. “As a guitar teacher trying to expand my student base, I think TeachStreet will be an invaluable resource. I’ve spent four years teaching guitar to students of all ages and that’s where I want to focus my energy, not trying to keep abreast of new technologies,” said Ryan Casperson, a guitar teacher based in Wallingford and early tester of the site. “In less than three minutes I was able to set up a full-featured online presence on TeachStreet and I now have a permanent address to send my students where they can get a true sense of my teaching style and how I work with students.”

About TeachStreetFounded in June 2007, TeachStreet is dedicated to helping students find great local teachers, and empowering teachers with robust online tools to manage their teaching business. The free site provides the information that students need to make a good decision about their learning experiences, including student reviews and teacher recommendations, pricing information, location, teacher background and training, and more. TeachStreet is headquartered in Seattle, WA and backed by Madrona Venture Group. For more information, visit www.TeachStreet.com.

Wow — what a journey — the TeachStreet site launched today, and humbly, I think it looks great. I’m so proud of the team, and what we built.  We’ve got everything from Arabic tutors to Zumba classes, and everything in between!

More on the TeachStreet blog (including some photos from launch celebration!).

Also some great coverage today from John Cook at the Seattle P-I, Mike Arrington at TechCrunch, ParentMap, and more — really awesome.

Thanks to friends and family — I love you!

Dave

Today was really awesome — we’ve got our launch bugs (yes, bug extermination in full force!) in front of us, and the team went at them with focused intensity — the list has fallen steadily, with all hands on deck. We even managed to laugh a few times, eat some half decent Thai food, and spot a meth smoker across the street in their Chevy Citation. Really, an eventful day all around.

The last several weeks (months, really) have been a really hard push for myself, and the TeachStreet team. We’ve seriously been pushed to the extreme. But, the beginning (the launch) is near, and with that we’ll move to our next stage as a company, and as a team.

These are the great days — the hard days — the days that we remember later on. These are the days that most people aren’t willing to rise to. We did. I’m so proud of the team.

Now, we’re off to sleep, to prepare for another day of battle 🙂