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PTC ANNOUNCES FIRST FISCAL QUARTER 2025 RESULTS

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Solid ARR and Cash Flow

BOSTON, Feb. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — PTC (NASDAQ: PTC) today reported financial results for its first fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2024.

“In Q1’25, we delivered solid year-over-year constant currency ARR growth of 11% and cash flow growth above 25%, which was in-line with our guidance. Our differentiated strategy leverages our unique portfolio to help product companies accelerate their time to market and manage increasing complexity. It’s an exciting time because our products are at the epicenter of driving business transformation at our customers,” said Neil Barua, President and CEO, PTC.

“In order to better serve the needs of our customers and strengthen our ability to drive consistent growth, in Q1’25, we began the realignment of our go-to-market organization to align with the vertical industries we serve. We will continue to focus on optimizing how we operate, so we can increase customer value while also enhancing shareholder returns,” concluded Barua.

First Fiscal Quarter 2025 Highlights

Key operating and financial highlights are set forth below. The definitions of our operating and non-GAAP financial measures and reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures to comparable GAAP measures are included below and in the reconciliation tables at the end of this press release.

$ in millions

Q1’25

Q1’24

YoY Change

Q1’25
Guidance

ARR as reported

$2,205

$2,057

7 %

Constant currency ARR (FY’25 Plan FX rates1)

$2,277

$2,059

11 %

~10.5% growth

Operating cash flow

$238

$187

27 %

~$234

Free cash flow

$236

$183

29 %

~$230

Revenue2

$565

$550

3%3

$540 to $570

Operating margin2

20 %

22 %

 (110 bps)

Non-GAAP operating margin2

34 %

36 %

(240 bps)

Earnings per share2

$0.684

$0.55

23 %

$0.28 to $0.52

Non-GAAP earnings per share2

$1.10

$1.11

(0 %)

$0.75 to $0.95

Total cash and cash equivalents

$196

$265

(26 %)

Gross debt5

$1,548

$2,267

(32 %)

1

On a constant currency basis, using our FY’25 Plan foreign exchange rates (rates as of September 30, 2024) for all periods.

2

Revenue and, as a result, operating margin and earnings per share are impacted under ASC 606.

3

In Q1’25, revenue grew 2% year over year on a constant currency basis. 

4

Q1’25 GAAP EPS included a non-cash tax benefit of $5.4 million or $0.04, due to the release of a tax reserve related to prior years.

5

Gross debt excludes unamortized debt issuance costs.

“In a selling environment that continued to be challenging, our Q1’25 ARR grew 11% year over year on a constant currency basis. Our Q1’25 cash flow was solid, with operating cash flow growing 27% year over year and free cash flow growing 29% year over year, driven by ARR growth and a disciplined process for incremental investment in our business. Additionally, as we indicated, we resumed share repurchases, buying back $75 million worth of our stock in Q1,” said Kristian Talvitie, CFO.

“Given our differentiated product portfolio, the resilience of our subscription business model, the actions we have taken over time to align our investments with market opportunities, and allowing that our go-to-market changes are expected to take time to have their intended effect, we expect Q2’25 constant currency ARR growth of approximately 9.5%. Supported by ARR growth, the predictability of our cash collections, the disciplined budgeting structure we have in place, and being mindful of foreign exchange rate fluctuations, we expect Q2’25 free cash flow of approximately $270 million. We also intend to continue to execute on our share repurchase program, with approximately $75 million of buy backs expected in Q2’25,” Talvitie concluded.

Full Fiscal Year 2025 and Second Fiscal Quarter Guidance

$ in millions

FY’25 Previous
Guidance

FY’25
Guidance

FY’25 YoY
Growth
Guidance

Q2’25
Guidance

Constant currency ARR (FY’25 Plan FX rates1)

9% to 10% growth

9% to 10% growth

9% to 10%

~9.5% growth

Operating cash flow

$850 to $8652

$850 to $8652

13% to 15%

~$2742

Free cash flow

$835 to $8502

$835 to $8502

14% to 16%

~$2702

Revenue

$2,505 to $2,605

$2,430 to $2,530

6% to 10%

$590 to $620

Earnings per share

$3.68 to $4.57

$3.36 to $4.24

8% to 36%

$0.79 to $1.05

Non-GAAP earnings per share

$5.60 to $6.30

$5.30 to $6.00

4% to 18%

$1.30 to $1.50

1

On a constant currency basis, using our FY’25 Plan foreign exchange rates (rates as of September 30, 2024) for all periods.

2

FY’25 cash flow guidance includes approximately $20 million of outflows related to go-to-market realignment, of which $11 million was paid out in Q1’25 and approximately $4 million is expected in Q2’25.

 

Reconciliation of Operating Cash Flow Guidance to Free Cash Flow Guidance

$ in millions

FY’25
Guidance

Q2’25
Guidance

Operating cash flow

$850 to $865

~$274

Capital expenditures

~$15

~$4

Free cash flow

$835 to $850

~$270

 

Reconciliation of EPS Guidance to Non-GAAP EPS Guidance

FY’25
Guidance

Q2’25
Guidance

Earnings per share

$3.36 to $4.24

$0.79 to $1.05

Stock-based compensation expense

$1.90 to $1.66

$0.48 to $0.40

Intangible asset amortization expense

~$0.65

~$0.16

Impairment charges to right-of-use lease assets

~$0.04

~$0.04

Income tax adjustments related to the reconciling items

($0.65) to ($0.59)

($0.17) to ($0.15)

Non-GAAP Earnings per share

$5.30 to $6.00

$1.30 to $1.50

 

FY’25 financial guidance includes the following assumptions:

We provide ARR guidance on a constant currency basis, using our FY’25 Plan foreign exchange rates (rates as of September 30, 2024) for all periods.We expect churn to remain low.For cash flow, due to largely similar invoicing seasonality, and consistent with the past 4 years, we expect the majority of our collections to occur in the first half of our fiscal year and for fiscal Q4 to be our lowest cash flow generation quarter.Compared to FY’24, at our FY’25 ARR guidance, FY’25 GAAP operating expenses are expected to increase approximately 4% and FY’25 non-GAAP operating expenses are expected to increase approximately 5%, primarily due to investments to drive future growth.Cash flow guidance includes approximately $20 million of outflows related to go-to-market realignment.Capital expenditures are expected to be approximately $15 million.Cash interest payments are expected to be approximately $90 million.Cash tax payments are expected to be approximately $110 million.GAAP and non-GAAP tax rates are expected to be approximately 25%.GAAP P&L results are expected to include the items below, totaling approximately $284 million to $314 million, as well as their related tax effects:approximately $200 million to $230 million of stock-based compensation expense,approximately $79 million of intangible asset amortization expense, andapproximately $5 million of impairment charges to right-of-use lease assets related to facilities subleasing activities.Our long-term goal, assuming our Debt/EBITDA ratio is below 3x, is to return approximately 50% of our free cash flow to shareholders via share repurchases, while also taking into consideration the interest rate environment and strategic opportunities.We currently intend to repurchase approximately $300 million of our common stock in FY’25 and retire the $500 million senior notes due in Q2’25.We currently expect our fully diluted share count to be approximately flat in FY’25.

PTC’s First Fiscal Quarter Results Conference Call

The Company will host a conference call to discuss results at 5:00 pm ET on Wednesday, February 5, 2025. To participate in the live conference call, dial (888) 330-2508 or (240) 789-2735, provide the passcode 7328695, and press # or log in to the webcast, available on PTC’s Investor Relations website. A replay will also be available.

Important Information About Our Operating and Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Non-GAAP Financial Measures
We provide supplemental non-GAAP financial measures to our financial results. We use these non-GAAP financial measures, and we believe that they assist our investors, to make period-to-period comparisons of our operating performance because they provide a view of our operating results without items that are not, in our view, indicative of our operating results. These non-GAAP financial measures should not be construed as an alternative to GAAP results as the items excluded from the non-GAAP financial measures often have a material impact on our operating results, certain of those items are recurring, and others often recur. Management uses, and investors should consider, our non-GAAP financial measures only in conjunction with our GAAP results.

Non-GAAP operating expense, non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP EPS exclude the effect of the following items: stock-based compensation; amortization of acquired intangible assets; acquisition and transaction-related charges included in general and administrative expenses; restructuring and other charges and credits, net; non-operating charges and credits shown in the reconciliation provided; and income tax adjustments. Additional information about the items we exclude from our non-GAAP financial measures and the reasons we exclude them can be found in “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024.

Free Cash Flow: We provide information on free cash flow to enable investors to assess our ability to generate cash without incurring additional external financings and to evaluate our performance against our announced long-term goals and intent to return approximately 50% of our free cash flow to shareholders via stock repurchases. Free cash flow is cash provided by (used in) operations net of capital expenditures. Free cash flow is not a measure of cash available for discretionary expenditures.

Constant Currency (CC): We present CC information to provide a framework for assessing how our underlying business performed excluding the effects of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations. To present CC information, FY’25 and comparative prior period results for entities reporting in currencies other than United States dollars are converted into United States dollars using the foreign exchange rate as of September 30, 2024, rather than the actual exchange rates in effect during that period.

Operating Measure
ARR: ARR (Annual Run Rate) represents the annualized value of our portfolio of active subscription software, SaaS, hosting, and support contracts as of the end of the reporting period. We calculate ARR as follows:

We consider a contract to be active when the product or service contractual term commences (the “start date”) until the right to use the product or service ends (the “expiration date”). Even if the contract with the customer is executed before the start date, the contract will not count toward ARR until the customer right to receive the benefit of the products or services has commenced.For contracts that include annual values that increase over time as there are additional deliverables in subsequent periods, which we refer to as ramp contracts, we include in ARR only the annualized value of components of the contract that are considered active as of the date of the ARR calculation. We do not include the future committed increases in the contract value as of the date of the ARR calculation.As ARR includes only contracts that are active at the end of the reporting period, ARR does not reflect assumptions or estimates regarding future customer renewals or non-renewals.Active contracts are annualized by dividing the total active contract value by the contract duration in days (expiration date minus start date), then multiplying that by 365 days (or 366 days for leap years).

We believe ARR is a valuable operating measure to assess the health of a subscription business because it is aligned with the amount that we invoice the customer on an annual basis. We invoice customers annually for the current year of the contract. A customer with a one-year contract will typically be invoiced for the total value of the contract at the beginning of the contractual term, while a customer with a multi-year contract will be invoiced for each annual period at the beginning of each year of the contract.

ARR increases by the annualized value of active contracts that commence in a reporting period and decreases by the annualized value of contracts that expire in the reporting period.

As ARR is not annualized recurring revenue, it is not calculated based on recognized or unearned revenue and is not affected by variability in the timing of revenue under ASC 606, particularly for on-premises license subscriptions where a substantial portion of the total value of the contract is recognized at a point in time upon the later of when the software is made available, or the subscription term commences.

ARR should be viewed independently of recognized and unearned revenue and is not intended to be combined with, or to replace, either of those items. Investors should consider our ARR operating measure only in conjunction with our GAAP financial results.

Because ARR is independent of recognized and unearned revenue, deferred ARR should not be viewed as a measurement of revenue which will be recognized in future periods.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this document that are not historic facts, including statements about our future financial and growth expectations and targets, potential stock repurchases, and the expected effect of our go-to-market realignment, are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. These risks include: the macroeconomic and/or global manufacturing climates may not improve or may deteriorate due to, among other factors, the effects of recently imposed import tariffs and threats of additional import tariffs, volatile foreign exchange rates, high interest rates or increases in interest rates and inflation, tightening of credit standards and availability, geopolitical uncertainty, including the effects of the conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and in the Middle East, and tensions with China, any of which could cause customers to delay or reduce purchases of new software, reduce the number of subscriptions they carry, or delay payments to us, which would adversely affect ARR and/or our financial results and cash flow; our investments in our software solutions may not drive expansion of those solutions and/or generate the ARR and/or cash flow we expect if customers are slower to adopt those solutions than we expect or if they adopt competing solutions; our go-to-market realignment and other strategic initiatives to improve organizational and operational efficiency may not do so when or as we expect and may disrupt our business to a greater extent than we expect; other uses of cash or our credit facility limits could limit or preclude the return of 50% of free cash flow to shareholders via share repurchases, or could change the amount and timing of any share repurchases; and foreign exchange rates may differ materially from those we expect. In addition, our assumptions concerning our future GAAP and non-GAAP effective income tax rates are based on estimates and other factors that could change, including changes to tax laws in the U.S. and other countries and the geographic mix of our revenue, expenses, and profits. Other risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected are detailed from time to time in reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

About PTC (NASDAQ: PTC)

PTC (NASDAQ: PTC) is a global software company that enables industrial and manufacturing companies to digitally transform how they engineer, manufacture, and service the physical products that the world relies on. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, PTC employs over 7,000 people and supports more than 30,000 customers globally. For more information, please visit www.ptc.com.

PTC.com   @PTC    Blogs

PTC Investor Relations Contact   
Matt Shimao
SVP, Investor Relations
mshimao@ptc.com
investor@ptc.com

PTC Inc.

UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

(in thousands, except per share data)

Three Months Ended

December 31,

December 31,

2024

2023

Revenue:

Recurring revenue

$

524,311

$

506,027

Perpetual license

9,405

8,440

Professional services

31,412

35,747

Total revenue (1)

565,128

550,214

Cost of revenue (2)

111,797

110,020

Gross margin

453,331

440,194

Operating expenses:

Sales and marketing (2)

157,532

136,924

Research and development (2)

115,516

105,783

General and administrative (2)

53,319

69,206

Amortization of acquired intangible assets

11,440

10,363

Restructuring and other credits, net

(795)

Total operating expenses

337,807

321,481

Operating income

115,524

118,713

Other expense, net

(22,370)

(33,114)

Income before income taxes

93,154

85,599

Provision (benefit) for income taxes

10,922

19,212

Net income

$

82,232

$

66,387

Earnings per share:

Basic

$

0.68

$

0.56

Weighted average shares outstanding

120,243

119,124

Diluted

$

0.68

$

0.55

Weighted average shares outstanding

121,145

120,250

(1) See supplemental financial data for revenue by license, support and cloud services, and professional services.

(2) See supplemental financial data for additional information about stock-based compensation.

 

PTC Inc.

SUPPLEMENTAL FINANCIAL DATA FOR REVENUE AND STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

(in thousands, except per share data)

Revenue by license, support and services is as follows:

Three Months Ended

December 31,

December 31,

2024

2023

License revenue (1)

$

172,754

$

183,998

Support and cloud services revenue

360,962

330,469

Professional services revenue

31,412

35,747

Total revenue

$

565,128

$

550,214

(1) License revenue includes the portion of subscription revenue allocated to license.

The amounts in the income statement include stock-based compensation as follows:

Three Months Ended

December 31,

December 31,

2024

2023

Cost of revenue

$

5,913

$

5,089

Sales and marketing

18,068

16,127

Research and development

16,155

14,238

General and administrative

15,715

23,559

Total stock-based compensation

$

55,851

$

59,013

 

PTC Inc.

NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES AND RECONCILIATIONS (UNAUDITED)

(in thousands, except per share data)

Three Months Ended

December 31,

December 31,

2024

2023

GAAP gross margin

$

453,331

$

440,194

Stock-based compensation

5,913

5,089

Amortization of acquired intangible assets included in cost of revenue

8,300

9,566

Non-GAAP gross margin

$

467,544

$

454,849

GAAP operating income

$

115,524

$

118,713

Stock-based compensation

55,851

59,013

Amortization of acquired intangible assets

19,740

19,929

Acquisition and transaction-related charges

215

2,506

Restructuring and other credits, net

(795)

Non-GAAP operating income (1)

$

191,330

$

199,366

GAAP net income

$

82,232

$

66,387

Stock-based compensation

55,851

59,013

Amortization of acquired intangible assets

19,740

19,929

Acquisition and transaction-related charges

215

2,506

Restructuring and other credits, net

(795)

Income tax adjustments (2)

(24,691)

(14,038)

Non-GAAP net income

$

133,347

$

133,002

GAAP diluted earnings per share

$

0.68

$

0.55

Stock-based compensation

0.46

0.49

Amortization of acquired intangibles

0.16

0.17

Acquisition and transaction-related charges

0.00

0.02

Restructuring and other credits, net

(0.01)

Income tax adjustments (2)

(0.20)

(0.12)

Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share

$

1.10

$

1.11

(1) Operating margin impact of non-GAAP adjustments:

Three Months Ended

December 31,

December 31,

2024

2023

GAAP operating margin

20.4

%

21.6

%

Stock-based compensation

9.9

%

10.7

%

Amortization of acquired intangibles

3.5

%

3.6

%

Acquisition and transaction-related charges

0.0

%

0.5

%

Restructuring and other credits, net

0.0

%

(0.1)

%

Non-GAAP operating margin

33.9

%

36.2

%

(2) Income tax adjustments reflect the tax effects of non-GAAP adjustments which are calculated by applying the applicable tax rate by jurisdiction to the non-GAAP adjustments listed above. Additionally, adjustments exclude a $5.4 million benefit in Q1’25 and $3.6 million charge in Q1’24 related to the non-cash tax impact of tax reserves related to prior years in foreign jurisdictions.

 

PTC Inc.

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(in thousands)

December 31,

September 30,

2024

2024

ASSETS

Cash and cash equivalents

$

196,338

$

265,808

Accounts receivable, net

694,807

861,953

Property and equipment, net

71,069

75,187

Goodwill and acquired intangible assets, net

4,295,528

4,359,367

Lease assets, net

128,357

133,317

Other assets

689,265

687,910

Total assets

$

6,075,364

$

6,383,542

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

Deferred revenue

$

726,167

$

775,274

Debt, net of deferred issuance costs

1,543,991

1,748,572

Lease obligations

175,890

181,754

Other liabilities

399,495

463,544

Stockholders’ equity

3,229,821

3,214,398

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

$

6,075,364

$

6,383,542

 

PTC Inc.

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(in thousands)

Three Months Ended

December 31,

December 31,

2024

2023

Cash flows from operating activities:

Net income

$

82,232

$

66,387

Stock-based compensation

55,851

59,013

Depreciation and amortization

25,823

27,222

Amortization of right-of-use lease assets

7,928

7,724

Operating lease liability

(3,850)

(4,953)

Accounts receivable

131,353

153,950

Accounts payable and accruals

(15,336)

(64,687)

Deferred revenue

(27,810)

(29,094)

Income taxes

(13,528)

13,467

Other

(4,234)

(41,688)

Net cash provided by operating activities

238,429

187,341

Capital expenditures

(2,767)

(4,563)

Acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired(1)

(93,457)

Borrowings (payments) on debt, net(2)

(205,125)

558,404

Repurchases of common stock

(75,000)

Deferred acquisition payment(3)

(620,040)

Payments of withholding taxes in connection with vesting of stock-based awards

(42,789)

(50,326)

Settlement of net investment hedges

28,308

(7,347)

Other financing & investing activities

(1,410)

Foreign exchange impact on cash

(9,201)

6,689

Net change in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash

(69,555)

(23,299)

Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash, beginning of period

266,466

288,798

Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash, end of period

$

196,911

$

265,499

Supplemental cash flow information:

Cash paid for interest(3)

$

15,398

$

44,757

(1) In Q1’24, we acquired pure-systems for $93 million, net of cash acquired.

(2) In Q1’24, we borrowed $740 million to fund the ServiceMax deferred acquisition payment and the pure-systems acquisition and made $181 million in payments on our debt.

(3) In Q1’24, we made a payment of $650 million to settle the ServiceMax deferred acquisition payment liability, of which $620 million is a financing outflow and $30 million is an operating outflow and included in cash paid for interest.

 

PTC Inc.

NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES AND RECONCILIATIONS (UNAUDITED)

(in thousands)

Three Months Ended

December 31,

December 31,

2024

2023

Cash provided by operating activities

$

238,429

$

187,341

Capital expenditures

(2,767)

(4,563)

Free cash flow

$

235,662

$

182,778

 

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Technology

Jtibot Showcases Autonomous Outdoor Sweeping Innovation at Interclean Amsterdam 2026, Accelerating European Market Expansion

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AMSTERDAM, April 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Jtibot, a developer of autonomous outdoor cleaning solutions, concluded a successful showcase at Interclean Amsterdam 2026, highlighting its focus on large-scale, AI-driven sweeping for industrial, municipal, and campus environments.

At Hall 8, Booth 538, Jtibot presented its autonomous outdoor sweeper designed for environments exceeding 10,000 sqm. Positioned between traditional equipment and emerging robotics, the system addresses the growing demand for more efficient and less labor-dependent outdoor cleaning operations.

During the exhibition, Jtibot attracted strong interest from European distributors and facility management professionals seeking scalable solutions for large-area maintenance. The company was also featured in an official media interview at the event, reflecting increasing attention toward autonomous technologies in the cleaning industry.

Jtibot’s approach centers on human-machine collaboration. By reducing repetitive manual work while maintaining operational flexibility, its systems support more sustainable and efficient facility management practices. This aligns with broader ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) priorities, including improved resource efficiency and enhanced working conditions.

Building on its presence at Interclean, Jtibot is currently advancing discussions with multiple European partners for regional distribution and deployment. The company is also in the final stage of a fleet procurement agreement valued at approximately $1.4 million, signaling early commercial traction in large-scale applications scenarios.

“As outdoor environments continue to grow in scale and complexity, automation is becoming essential,” said Steven, VP at Jtibot. “Our goal is not to replace people, but to empower them—making operations more efficient and labor more sustainable.”

Following Interclean Amsterdam 2026, Jtibot is actively expanding its European partner network and preparing for broader market deployment across key regions, as it accelerates its global commercialization strategy.

About Jtibot
Jtibot specializes in autonomous outdoor sweepers designed for large-scale environments. By combining AI-driven navigation with industrial-grade hardware, the company enables efficient, scalable, and sustainable cleaning operations worldwide.

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2U Refinances and Raises Growth Capital

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ARLINGTON, Va., April 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Many education technology companies spent 2024 and 2025 scaling back. New university partnerships slowed as institutions built internal capacity. Against that backdrop, 2U completed a growth recapitalization, with its existing owners putting growth capital into the business alongside a refinancing of its current credit facilities.

The question worth asking is: why now, and what did they see?

2U operates edX, a global online learning platform originally co-founded by Harvard and MIT that now reaches more than 100 million people through over 5,300 programs with 250-plus institutional and enterprise partners. Employees from more than 60% of Fortune 500 companies use edX for professional development. To date, over 76,000 people have graduated from 2U-powered degree programs from leading institutions, including UC Berkeley, Howard University, and Georgetown. The company has been privately held since completing a financial reorganization in 2024, and Kees Bol has served as CEO since January 2025.

Lincoln International, which advised 2U on the transaction exclusively, described the refinancing outcome: extended credit maturities, improved capital structure, and financial flexibility to continue executing on 2U’s long-range plan. Managing Director Alex Stevenson said the deal “reflects the confidence of 2U’s owners in the long-term value of the business.”

Confidence in what, exactly? The AI workforce training market. Skills in AI-affected roles are evolving 66% faster than average according to PwC research, and IDC has estimated that unfilled AI skills gaps could cost the global economy $5.5 trillion. Universities and enterprises are both trying to solve that problem, and both are looking for platforms with the breadth and accreditation backing to do it credibly.

2U’s partnerships are designed for exactly that. IBM’s six technical microcredentials on edX train the engineers and data scientists who build AI systems. Microsoft’s CxO Edge program, launched in late 2025, targets the C-suite executives who need to move from AI pilots to enterprise-wide adoption, part of a Microsoft presence on edX that has drawn over 40,000 learners in the past six months alone.. Oxford’s Faculty of Law program addresses governance: what board members and legal advisors need to understand about AI liability, compliance, and fiduciary responsibility. UC Berkeley’s Master of Information and Data Science (MIDS) online program prepares learners to shape the future of AI and data science with human-centered values and focuses on solving the world’s most pressing data challenges. Each program exists because a specific employer community identified a specific gap.

That’s the differentiation investors are backing. Generic online courses are abundant. Programs designed in partnership with IBM, Microsoft, UC Berkeley, and Oxford’s Faculty of Law and delivered on a platform with proven Fortune 500 adoption are not.

Credentials earned on 2U’s edX platform carry the academic standing of the issuing partner institutions. Its programs span executive education, professional certificates, microcredentials, and accredited online degree programs, all powered by 2U’s infrastructure but conferred by partner universities and institutions with their own accreditation.

HolonIQ data puts the broader trend in context: microcredentials grew from 7% of global online program offerings in 2022 to 19% by 2025. The shift toward stackable, job-aligned credentials, in addition to traditional degrees,  is real and accelerating. The global online education market is projected to exceed $200 billion as that trend matures. 2U’s decision to build depth in short-form, employer-designed AI training aligns directly with where learner demand is heading.

None of this is abstract for the organizations that use edX at scale. When a company needs to certify 500 engineers on AI development, or prepare its entire C-suite for a board presentation on AI governance, the platform’s reach and credential quality both matter. A certification backed by IBM and a degree from institutions such as Berkeley carries weight with hiring managers in a way a generic online course does not.

The refinancing extends 2U’s ability to keep building that catalog and the partnerships behind it. Stevenson framed it as giving the management team “the financial foundation to keep executing on its mission.” The mission, under Bol’s leadership, is straightforward: help universities and enterprises close the AI skills gap by meeting learners where they are, at the pace the market demands.

The investors who contributed growth capital made a bet that a platform that reaches 100 million people and has 250-plus partners, including IBM, Microsoft, UC Berkeley, and Oxford in its program portfolio, is better positioned to close that gap than any platform that would need to build from scratch.

Media Contact:
Kees Bol
social@2u.com 

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Autonomous Resource Corporation and Oak Ridge National Laboratory Partner to Accelerate AI-Enabled Defense Manufacturing at National Scale

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Strategic partnership combines ORNL’s supercomputing and advanced manufacturing expertise with ARC’s autonomous production platform to address critical defense industrial base shortfalls

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. and NEW YORK, April 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Autonomous Resource Corporation (ARC), a Delaware corporation, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the U.S. Department of Energy’s largest multi-program science and energy laboratory, today announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) establishing a strategic public-private partnership to accelerate the on-demand manufacture of qualified, mission-critical components for U.S. national security applications.

The partnership combines ORNL’s HPC and manufacturing capability with ARC’s ARCNet distributed AI-manufacturing platform

The partnership — known as the Exascale Foundry — will combine ORNL’s computing and manufacturing capabilities with ARC’s ARCNet distributed manufacturing platform to create a closed-loop system for AI-enabled materials and manufacturing qualification and autonomous production at defense-relevant scale.

“The United States faces an urgent need to rebuild its manufacturing capacity for critical defense components,” said Bryan Wisk, CEO of ARC. “By combining ORNL’s world-leading computational, materials science, and manufacturing capabilities with our autonomous production infrastructure, we can compress manufacturing and qualification timelines from years to months and deliver manufactured parts at the volumes the warfighter needs.”

Partnership Highlights

Under the MOU, ARC will deploy advanced manufacturing equipment organized into seven production nodes connected to ORNL via ARC’s secure ARCNet infrastructure. ARC will expand capability through ORNL’s high-performance computing (HPC) resources.

ORNL will provide access to HPC expertise for simulation-driven materials characterization and qualification, along with technologies developed at the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF), the Department of Energy’s only large-scale, open-access advanced manufacturing facility. ORNL’s Peregrine AI software, which has analyzed over 1.9 million additive manufacturing layers, will be integrated into ARC’s production nodes for real-time adaptive control and quality assurance.

This partnership also supports DOE’s Genesis Mission, a national initiative to build the world’s most powerful scientific platform to accelerate discovery science, strengthen national security and drive energy innovation. ARC and ORNL’s collective capabilities will help reenvision advanced manufacturing and industrial productivity, accelerate defense production and qualification, and secure critical supply chain elements.

“ORNL’s advanced manufacturing and computing capabilities are uniquely positioned to help accelerate the transition of laboratory-proven technologies into production-scale defense manufacturing,” said Moe Khaleel, ORNL associate laboratory director for National Security Sciences. “Partnering with ARC ensures we are transitioning our research into real production outcomes.”

The initial implementation will focus on high-temperature nickel superalloy turbine components for autonomous air vehicle engines using metal binder jetting technology, directly addressing demonstrated production bottlenecks in the U.S. defense supply chain.

ORNL Chief Manufacturing Officer Craig Blue added, “This partnership exemplifies the type of relationship necessary to build and grow domestic supply chains for our national security.”

About Autonomous Resource Corporation

ARC is a New York–headquartered corporation building and operating an AI-enabled, autonomous manufacturing platform for national security and critical infrastructure applications. ARC’s Autonomous Resource Controller Network (ARCNet) connects distributed production cells into a secure, federated manufacturing grid capable of producing qualified components at scale. ARC’s leadership team brings deep experience across defense technology, capital markets, materials science, and additive manufacturing at production scale.

About Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is the largest U.S. Department of Energy science and energy laboratory, conducting basic and applied research to deliver transformative solutions to compelling problems in energy and security. DOE’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at ORNL partners with more than 300 companies, spurring over $5.5 billion in economic growth. ORNL is managed by UT-Battelle, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

Media Contacts:

ARC: Bryan Wisk, Chief Executive Officer | bryan@autonomousresource.com | 929-523-3953

ORNL: Eric Swanson, National Security Sciences Communications Lead | swansonej@ornl.gov | 865-206-5794

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SOURCE Autonomous Resource Corporation

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