Shunwei, Angelvest back English evaluation firm Vericant
Shunwei Capital Partners and Anglevest have led a Series A round of funding for Vericant, a Chinese company that provides a third-party English evaluation services to North American universities.
The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Established in 2010, Beijing-based Vericant helps overseas universities and boarding schools verify Chinese applicants' English by arranging face-to-face meetings with students.
Applicants are tested on their spoken English and their writing skills, all the information gathered is then sent to the schools for evaluation. Vericant does not evaluate the candidates' English ability. The company plans to use the new funding to expand its university partnerships in the US and Canada.
"Perhaps the most crucial skill for any student is the ability to engage with their professor and classmates. So far, it's not being widely required or measured," said Chris Boehner, co-founder and CEO of Vericant, in a statement. "Vericant's spoken English evaluation and accompanying video interviews helps admission officers know exactly how well an international applicant communicates in English."
Shunwei was set up by angel investor, and Xiaomi co-founder, Lei Jun in 2011. In May, the VC firm closed its second fund at $525 million.
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