Stepful Expands Into Degree Programs Following $55M Series C and College Acquisition
Stepful has expanded beyond short-term vocational credentials into accredited degree programs, backed by a $55 million Series C funding round and the acquisition of an accredited institution.
Founded in 2021, the New York-based healthcare training platform originally focused on preparing candidates with a high school education for entry-level clinical roles—including medical assistants, nursing assistants, and phlebotomists—in four months or less. As reported by EdTech Innovation Hub, Stepful acquired the 45-year-old St. Louis College of Health Careers (SLCHC). Operating as Stepful College, the ABHES-accredited institution allows the platform to offer degree pathways for registered nurses and respiratory therapists alongside its certificate tracks.
The School-as-a-Service Model
Hospitals and regional health networks spend roughly $97 billion annually on agency and contract staffing to fill clinical vacancies. Traditional trade schools and community colleges often struggle to match regional demand due to physical campus caps, high tuition, and manual admissions workflows.
Stepful operates an employer-sponsored school-as-a-service platform that handles admissions, curriculum delivery, personalized AI tutoring, clinical coaching, and outcomes tracking. Training runs online with local hands-on clinical placements. The model gives health systems a structured hiring pipeline while allowing students to train debt-free without leaving existing jobs.
The software stack supporting the student experience relies on Ruby on Rails, React, and PostgreSQL. To date, the platform has graduated more than 32,000 students and achieved an 89% certification exam pass rate. Stepful works with over 35 healthcare networks, including Providence, Mount Sinai, and Ochsner.
Leadership Team
Stepful was established by three founders with experience scaling workforce marketplaces, consumer tech platforms, and engineering teams:
- Carl Madi, Chief Executive Officer: Madi previously worked at Uber and managed a $75 million P&L at Handy, overseeing user acquisition pipelines that brought on more than 100,000 workers. At Stepful, he leads employer partnerships and user acquisition.
- Tressia Hobeika, Chief Product Officer: Hobeika previously led product teams at Udacity and Triplebyte, where she developed learning platforms that trained and placed over 200,000 tech candidates. She directs product development and operational workflows at Stepful.
- Edoardo Serra, Chief Technology Officer: Serra holds an engineering degree from Politecnico di Torino. He spent a decade as an engineering manager at Apple from 2011 to 2021 and previously served as CTO at SATISFLY.
Capital and Institutional Expansion
Stepful's $55 million Series C round was led by healthcare-focused investment firm Oak HC/FT, with participation from the Citi Impact Fund, Hearst Ventures, Foresite Capital, SemperVirens, Intermountain Health, ECMC Education Impact Fund, and Y Combinator, as reported by AlleyWatch. The round brought the company’s total equity funding to $105 million.
The institutional acquisition expands Stepful's addressable programs into roles that require degree qualifications. In an interview with AlleyWatch, Madi noted: "Health systems don't just need more medical assistants and patient care techs. They need nurses, respiratory therapists, and other healthcare professionals in roles that require graduates from degree programs."
The company reported that its enterprise bookings grew more than fourfold year-over-year prior to the round, accompanied by a net dollar retention rate exceeding 200%.
Hiring Priorities
Stepful lists 14 open roles across engineering, product design, marketing, and operations. The company employs roughly 100 people, and almost all new openings are based out of its New York City headquarters under hybrid or onsite arrangements.
Technical hiring centers on data architecture and student interface workflows. The company is actively recruiting an Engineering Manager, Data and a Staff Product Manager, Student Experience to build out internal reporting models and interactive learning tools.
To support health system integrations and degree scaling, the business is also adding operational capacity through roles like the Director, Healthcare Strategy & Operations and enablement teams that work directly with enterprise healthcare clients.
Open Roles at Stepful
| Role | Location | Work Mode | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staff Product Manager, Student Experience | New York City | Hybrid | $191,000 – $254,000 |
| Engineering Manager, Data | New York City | Hybrid | $180,000 – $225,000 |
| Senior Product Manager, Student Experience | New York City | Hybrid | $143,000 – $211,000 |
| Data Lead | New York City | Hybrid | $180,000 – $210,000 |
| Director, Healthcare Strategy & Operations | New York City | Hybrid | $180,000 – $210,000 |
| B2B Operations Enablement Lead | New York City | Hybrid | $180,000 – $210,000 |
| Staff Product Designer | New York City | Onsite | $150,000 – $190,000 |
| Senior Product Marketing Manager | New York City | Hybrid | $140,000 – $170,000 |
| Senior Manager, Paid Acquisition | New York City | Hybrid | $140,000 – $160,000 |
| Growth Automation Manager, Student Engagement | New York City | Onsite | $110,000 – $160,000 |
| Manager, Growth Marketing | New York City | Onsite | $120,000 – $140,000 |
| Field & Events Marketing Manager | Remote, United States | Remote | $110,000 – $130,000 |
| Senior Learning Program Manager | New York City | Hybrid | $115,000 – $130,000 |
| Executive Assistant to the Founders | New York City | Hybrid | $90,000 – $120,000 |