LOS ANGELES, CA — December 4, 2020 — InStride, the premier global provider of strategic enterprise education™ programs, has been named to Inc.’s inaugural Best in Business list in the Education category. Inc. created the Best in Business Awards to honor companies that have gone above and beyond to make a positive difference. 

The list, which can be found in the Winter issue of Inc. (on newsstands December 29, 2020) and online at inc.com/best-in-business, recognizes privately held American businesses that have had a superlative impact on their communities, their industries, the environment or society as a whole. 

A public benefit company at its core, InStride works with its partners to design and deliver strategic enterprise education programs for their employees to earn career-boosting degrees, credentials and skills in collaboration with leading universities. These opportunities provide business value and social impact, plus help address workforce challenges 

“We’re offering organizations a better approach to business growth, by cultivating workforces of the future and equalizing access to quality online education,” said Vivek Sharma, CEO of InStride. “I’m proud this award recognizes our partnerships with corporations and executives who recognize the importance of lifelong education for their employees and our world-class academic network that enables that to happen.”     

Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc., says, "It's been an incredibly challenging year for companies. Across industries, businesses have had to make brutally tough decisions and face unprecedented uncertainty. That's why we knew 2020 called for a new recognition program, something to complement our annual Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the country. For Best in Business, companies have prioritized tackling today’s problems to lead us to a better future." 

Instead of relying on quantitative criteria linked to sales or funding, Inc.'s editors reviewed the companies' achievements over the past year and noted how they made a positive difference in the world. They then selected honorees in more than 30 different industries–health, software, retail, business services, and more–and in age- and revenue-based categories. The applicant pool was very competitive, with around 2,700 entries and an acceptance rate in the low single digits–a huge success for these honorees in their inaugural year.

InStride now has more than 30 corporate partners, including adidas, Aramark, Banfield Pet Hospital, Prime Communications and others who are delivering strategically-designed educational opportunities to their employees. InStride connects these partners to high-quality degree and certificate programs from a curated network of leading academic institutions in the United States, Latin America, Australia and Europe, including founding partner Arizona State University, City University of New York School of Professional Studies, Harvard Business School Online, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Washington Continuum College, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Universidad Tecmilenio, University of New South Wales – Sydney and Dublin City University.

ABOUT INC. MEDIA

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across various channels, including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the Inc. 5000 allows these founders a chance to engage with their peers' in an exclusive community with the credibility to help drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

ABOUT INSTRIDE

As the premier global provider of strategic enterprise education™ programs, InStride enables employers to provide career-boosting degrees and credentials to their employees, through leading global academic institutions across the U.S., Mexico, Europe and Australia. InStride helps organizations achieve transformative business and social impact by unlocking the power of education, through advanced technology-enabled experiences for learners and corporate partners alike. For more information, please visit www.instride.com or follow InStride on Twitter and LinkedIn.