Platzi

Platzi is a Latin American online education platform that provides practical, career-oriented training through video courses, interactive lessons, certificates, conferences, and technology-focused media. The company was founded by Freddy Vega and Christian Van Der Henst. Its origins can be traced to Mejorando.la, a weekly livestream show associated with the founders’ earlier technology communities, Cristalab and Maestros del Web. The business was formally established in Colombia in 2014 and adopted the Platzi name in 2015 as it sought to build a more internationally accessible identity. The platform is positioned around applied learning rather than conventional academic education. Its subject areas include software development, programming foundations, mathematics for programming, cloud computing, Internet of Things, interface and product design, digital marketing, advertising platforms, business, and English-language learning. Platzi generally develops and records its own courses, working with practitioners and subject-matter experts as instructors. The teaching roster has included technology entrepreneurs and industry professionals, allowing the service to combine structured lessons with experience drawn from operating companies and products. Courses are available in Spanish, English, and Portuguese. Platzi’s business model combines individual learning subscriptions with corporate training and educational partnerships. It has created employee-development programs for organizations including Microsoft, IBM, Facebook, and Google. The company also issues certificates to learners who complete courses and has promoted access through scholarships and free-learning initiatives. These initiatives have included election-related educational programming, free-access days, and scholarship programs intended to increase participation by underrepresented groups in technology. The company became the first Latin American-targeting startup accepted into Y Combinator’s Winter 2015 program after the founders moved to San Francisco during the company’s early expansion. It raised an initial venture round in 2015, including $2.1 million from investors such as Omidyar Network and 500 Startups, followed by a $6.1 million Series A led by Foundation Capital in 2018. Platzi subsequently expanded its presence into Spain and Brazil. Publicly reported learner counts grew from approximately 370,000 in 2017 to 600,000 in 2018 and more than one million in 2019, although these figures are historical and should not be treated as current operating metrics. Freddy Vega serves as chief executive officer, while Christian Van Der Henst has served as chief operating officer and became president in 2015. In addition to its core course catalog, Platzi has operated technology conferences and news channels and has pursued brand visibility outside education, including a main-kit sponsorship of Spanish football club Granada during the 2021–2022 period. Platzi remains an active education and professional-skills brand with a principal focus on Spanish-speaking learners and broader Latin American access to digital-economy training.

Platzi developed from the founders’ involvement in Latin American technology communities. Freddy Vega and Christian Van Der Henst had previously been associated with Cristalab and Maestros del Web, respectively, and met as competitors in those earlier activities. Before the education platform adopted its current name, the founders created Mejorando.la, a weekly livestream show focused on technology and digital development. The show provided the initial format and audience for what became a broader online-learning business. The company was founded in Colombia in 2014. Its early offices were in Bogotá and Mexico City, reflecting the founders’ regional focus. During the same early period, Vega and Van Der Henst moved to San Francisco after Platzi was accepted into Y Combinator’s Winter 2015 program. The admission was notable because Platzi was described as the first company targeting the Latin American market to enter the accelerator. In 2015, the business changed its name from Mejorando.la to Platzi, partly to create a name that would be easier to use with international audiences and markets. Platzi’s first outside funding was raised in 2015. The company secured $2.1 million from investors including Omidyar Network and 500 Startups. This financing supported the development of a larger course platform and the company’s efforts to reach learners beyond its original Colombian and Mexican base. In 2018, Platzi raised a $6.1 million Series A led by Foundation Capital. The company also expanded into Spain and Brazil, strengthening its position as a multilingual Latin American education service with ambitions beyond its home region. The platform’s educational approach emphasizes tangible, job-relevant skills instead of traditional academic credentials. Platzi produces courses, hires or engages instructors, and records lessons for delivery through its online service. Instructors can be practitioners and founders as well as professional educators. Examples cited in descriptions of the platform include Sam Altman of Y Combinator, Kevin Hale of Wufoo, and Rand Fishkin, co-founder of Moz. This model gives Platzi’s courses a strong connection to current technology and digital-business practice, although the breadth and quality of individual courses can vary by subject. Its catalog has included programming foundations, mathematics for programming, Internet of Things, Facebook advertising, Google Cloud Platform, IBM Cloud, interface design, and development with Unity. The service also began offering English lessons in 2015 and supports content in Spanish, English, and Portuguese. Alongside individual courses, Platzi developed employee-training programs for corporate customers, including Microsoft, IBM, Facebook, and Google. It has also operated conferences and technology news channels, extending the brand beyond a conventional course library. Platzi expanded access through public-interest education programs. It has offered free educational campaigns during elections, designed to provide information about parties, issues, and candidates, and has organized days when its lessons were available without charge. In 2019, the company announced scholarship initiatives with Facebook for learners in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico from groups underrepresented in technology. It also announced 3,000 scholarships for Colombians living in poverty in partnership with Colombia’s Ministry of Technology. The platform reported approximately 370,000 students in 2017, 600,000 in 2018, and more than one million in 2019. The largest concentrations were reported in Mexico, Colombia, Spain, and the United States, with more than 150,000 learners in Colombia in 2019 and the remainder distributed across other countries. Course completers receive certificates, and the company reported a 70 percent completion rate in the cited period. These are historical figures rather than current performance data. Leadership has remained closely associated with the founders. Freddy Vega is identified as chief executive officer, while Christian Van Der Henst has served as chief operating officer and became president in 2015. In 2019, both founders received Endeavor’s Entrepreneurs of the Year award. During 2021–2022, Platzi also increased consumer-facing visibility through its role as main kit sponsor of Spanish football club Granada. The brand remains active as a practical online education provider centered on technology, digital work, and access to skills for Latin American learners.

• 2021

  Granada sponsorship begins

  [1]Platzien.wikipedia.org

  Platzi became the main kit sponsor of Granada during the 2021–2022 football season period.

• 2019

  Scholarship expansion

  [1]Platzien.wikipedia.org

  Platzi launched scholarship programs with Facebook and Colombia’s Ministry of Technology.

• 2018

  Series A and geographic expansion

  [1]Platzien.wikipedia.org

  Foundation Capital led a $6.1 million Series A, while Platzi expanded into Spain and Brazil.

• 2015

  Y Combinator acceptance and rebrand

  [1]Platzien.wikipedia.org

  The company entered Y Combinator’s Winter 2015 program and changed its name from Mejorando.la to Platzi.

• 2015

  First venture financing

  [1]Platzien.wikipedia.org

  Platzi raised $2.1 million from investors including Omidyar Network and 500 Startups.

• 2015

  English courses introduced

  [1]Platzien.wikipedia.org

  Platzi began offering English-language lessons as part of its expanding course catalog.

• 2014

  Platzi is founded in Colombia

  [1]Platzien.wikipedia.org

  Freddy Vega and Christian Van Der Henst formally established the education company in Colombia.

• 2011

  Mejorando.la origins

  [1]Platzien.wikipedia.org

  The founders’ weekly Mejorando.la livestream show provided the initial community and content format from which Platzi developed.

Accessible, practical online education for technology, digital business, and professional development, with a strong Latin American and multilingual orientation.

• Technology education

  Programming and software development

  Platzi’s programming offering covers foundational concepts and practical software-development skills. The catalog has included programming foundations, mathematics for programming, application development, and development with Unity. The courses are delivered through video and interactive lessons and are intended to help learners acquire skills applicable to technology work rather than pursue a conventional academic computer-science credential.

• Technology education

  Cloud computing and platforms

  The platform has offered courses covering major cloud and enterprise technology environments, including Google Cloud Platform and IBM Cloud. These courses form part of Platzi’s broader effort to teach current infrastructure, development, and digital-work tools through practitioner-led online instruction.

• Business and marketing education

  Digital marketing and advertising

  Platzi’s business catalog includes digital marketing and online advertising topics, including instruction associated with the Facebook Ads Platform. The offering is aimed at entrepreneurs, marketers, and professionals who need applied knowledge of digital customer acquisition and campaign management.

• Design education

  Design and product development

  Design-related courses have included interface design and related product-development subjects. These lessons fit Platzi’s practical orientation by focusing on skills used to create and improve digital products, interfaces, and user experiences.

• Language education · 2015

  English-language learning

  Platzi began offering English lessons in 2015. English is treated both as a standalone learning area and as a capability relevant to international technology and digital-business careers, complementing the platform’s Spanish- and Portuguese-language content.

• Enterprise education services

  Corporate training

  Platzi creates training programs for corporate employees in technology and digital skills. Organizations cited in descriptions of its corporate work include Microsoft, IBM, Facebook, and Google. The service extends the platform from consumer subscriptions into workforce development and organizational learning.

• 2021Granada football sponsorship

  Spain

  Platzi served as the main kit sponsor of Spanish football club Granada during the 2021–2022 period, using sports sponsorship to increase consumer awareness beyond its education category.

  Source
• 2019Technology scholarships with Facebook

  Brazil · Colombia · Mexico

  Platzi partnered with Facebook to provide 1,000 scholarships for learners from populations underrepresented in technology.

  Source
• 2019Scholarships with Colombia’s Ministry of Technology

  Colombia

  Platzi announced 3,000 scholarships for Colombians living in poverty in partnership with Colombia’s Ministry of Technology.

  Source
• Election education campaigns

  Latin America

  Platzi has created free educational campaigns during elections to help voters understand political parties, issues, and candidates.

  Source
• Free-learning days

  International

  The platform has periodically made lessons available to anyone without charge as an access and awareness initiative.

  Source

• 2019

  Scholarship-led access strategyOther

  Background

  Platzi sought to increase access to technology education among underrepresented learners and people living in poverty.

  Action taken

  The company announced 1,000 scholarships with Facebook and 3,000 scholarships with Colombia’s Ministry of Technology.

  Aftermath

  The programs extended Platzi’s social-access and workforce-development initiatives, although later enrollment outcomes are not specified in the reference material.

  Source

• 2018

  Expansion into Spain and BrazilStrategy

  Background

  Platzi used its Series A financing to broaden its geographic reach.

  Action taken

  The company expanded operations into Spain and Brazil.

  Aftermath

  The expansion reinforced Platzi’s positioning as a multilingual platform serving Latin American and international learners.

  Series A financing. $6.1 million raised (2018)

  Source

• 2015

  Rebrand from Mejorando.la to PlatziStrategy

  Background

  The company originated around the Mejorando.la livestream show but sought a brand identity that would be more suitable for international consumers.

  Action taken

  The business adopted the Platzi name.

  Aftermath

  The rebrand accompanied the company’s international expansion and development as a broader online education platform.

  Source

• 2015

  International expansion through Y CombinatorStrategy

  Background

  Platzi was pursuing a larger market beyond its original Colombian and Mexican base.

  Action taken

  The founders moved to San Francisco after the company was accepted into Y Combinator’s Winter 2015 program.

  Aftermath

  The accelerator participation supported the company’s international profile and access to venture financing.

  Source

1. 1Platzien.wikipedia.org
2. 2Platzi official websiteplatzi.com