WeWork’s next expansion plan? Study halls

Co-working company launching partnership with online education company 2U

Adam Neumann
Adam Neumann

Study halls are coming to a WeWork near you.

The $20 billion co-working company is partnering with 2U Inc., an online education company, to let students enrolled in 2U courses use any of WeWork’s 207 offices as study spaces, according to Bloomberg. The students will be able to rent conference rooms where they can work with classmates and join in-person study groups at the offices, and 2U has also pledged to give WeWork members $5 million in scholarships.

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This is not the first push WeWork has made into education. Last year, it started testing out a private elementary school for “conscious entrepreneurship” and acquired the coding academy Flatiron School. The company also plans to build a learning center with 2U next year where faculty can host classes, lectures and events. (WeWork also acquired the social networking startup Meetup late last year for an undisclosed amount of money.)

With a joint venture partner, WeWork purchased Lord & Taylor’s flagship Fifth Avenue store last year for $850 million. It’s received over $5 billion in funding.  [Bloomberg]Eddie Small