Our story begins in 2007, when our founder and CEO Paul Cypher realized there was a growing need for expanded learning experiences for professionals in the public, nonprofit, and small business sectors.
From his experience as Vice President for Advancement at the Rochester Museum & Science Center and Executive Director of the Baltimore Museum of Industry, Paul knew first-hand the challenge of trying to provide quality training opportunities to a large number of people on a limited budget. These experiences led him to found CypherWorx, with a goal of providing affordable and convenient online training opportunities for small businesses and nonprofits.
We officially started business in August 2009, when we conceived of and built a proof-of-concept prototype Learning Management System (LMS), and created our first two eLearning courses. In March 2010, we received initial seed funding from angel investors for full development of our LMS, NP Training Works, and eLearning courses for two clients, YMCA and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
We spent the rest of 2010 and the first half of 2011 writing software code for our new LMS, and developing courses for our clients. Beta testing was completed in 2012, which is also when we received a second round of funding from a group of investors spearheaded by Excell Partners, Inc., and the Rochester Angel Network. This allowed us to fully launch our product lines.
In June of 2012, we launched CollaborNation. This product fuses the eLearning foundation provided by NP Training Works with a social environment for communities of learners to connect and learn collaboratively.
In 2014, we wanted to give our partners a way to transform their existing training into online learning themselves. Our do-it-yourself tool, Create-A-Course, was born. Integrated into our LMS, the tool provides an intuitive interface that allows users to quickly and easily upload presentations and videos, add audio, quizzes, and a certificate.
Over the years, our instructional design department has grown to include a team of writers, designers, and developers focused on helping to identify and create content that meets the learning needs and organizational goals of our partners and their employees. The team has won several awards for their innovative and engaging work, including the coveted Brandon Hall Group Excellence in Learning Awards.
Today, we continue to develop innovative products and services that are transforming the learning industry. The future includes next-generation digital curriculum kits, on-demand and just-in-time mobile solutions, and continued upgrades and customizations of our Learning Management System.
