A Chicago-based digital design program has been scooped up by Flatiron School, a coding bootcamp WeWork acquired last year.
Flatiron announced Tuesday that it has acquired Designation, a program that trains UI and UX designers. Designation was founded in 2014 and has been bootstrapped since its launch. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Designation's students have landed design jobs at companies like Facebook, Allstate and Capital One. The company says it has graduated more than 500 designers, and 96 percent of its grads find work within six months.
The deal allows Flatiron to offer design courses along with its software engineering and data science programs, and gives its parent company WeWork another set of tools to offer its members.
“From the beginning, we’ve based the Designation experience and culture on preparing designers for a lifetime of learning,” Designation Co-Founder and CEO Aaron Fazulak said in a statement. “We’re fully aligned with Flatiron School’s student-first approach to education and WeWork’s values of community, collaboration, and relentless forward motion."
Designation will continue to operate out of its WeWork State Street location in Chicago and maintain its own brand.
WeWork acquired Flatiron in October in a mostly stock deal worth more than $40 million, according to Reuters. The co-working giant, valued at around $40 billion, has acquired several companies in recent months as it looks to offer more startup services to its members. WeWork acquired digital marketing startup Conductor, online events directory Meetup, and sales and marketing platform Unomy all within the last 12 months.
“Designation and Flatiron School share the same core values and approach to education,” Flatiron School Co-Founder and CEO Adam Enbar said in a statement. “Our programs combine technology and community to help students learn no matter their background or prior education. Together, we can help more people build the lives they love through these in-demand careers.”
