Newark companies close $1M employee-training deal

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Two Newark companies have created a partnership to offer employees training and development techniques that move beyond the traditional.

1Huddle — a workforce tech company that onboards, upskills and develops employees through the use of mobile games — announced March 14 it closed a $1 million deal with audio storyteller creator Audible, an Amazon subsidiary. The partnership will make 1Huddle’s offerings available to Audible employees and will also provide local Newark organizations access to 1Huddle.

“Data shows most traditional job training methods don’t work as well as they should, with learners forgetting up to 90% of what was taught within a week if there’s no meaningful reinforcement,” Anne Erni, Audible’s chief people officer, said in a statement. “With this in mind, it’s critical for companies to invest in out-of-box ways to ensure their workforce retains the information, skills, and knowledge they need to be primed for success.”

The companies emphasized that training such as 1Huddle’s offerings — science-backed, quick-burst mobile games that cover 16 workforce skill areas — is more important than ever with the rise of remote work.

A key investment of Newark Venture Partners, the early-stage venture capital fund launched by Audible founder and Executive Chairman Don Katz, 1Huddle joined Audible in Newark to leverage NVP’s resources, the statement said. NVP’s investment in 1Huddle included strategic introductions to executives within the Audible C-suite, which led to the initial pilot project and a long-term partnership between the companies, the statement added.

As part of the deal, Audible — which also recently announced its commitment to Newark’s Harriet Tubman Monument — will also provide access to 1Huddle to select Newark community organizations and nonprofits for free, including Covenant House of New Jersey, New Jersey Reentry Corp. and All-Stars Project of New Jersey.

“We are proud to announce this partnership with our Newark neighbor, 1Huddle, which will be a transformational mechanism for Audible to provide our employees a deeper connection to our culture, while providing a practical way to incorporate Audible’s People Principles into onboarding and continued development — especially for employees who have joined us since our pivot to remote and hybrid work,” said Abhinav Mathur, Audible’s senior vice president of the Global Center for Urban Development.

Sam Caucci, founder and CEO of 1Huddle, added, “We hope that by opening up 1Huddle to deserving organizations across the city, we can continue to help fuel innovation in Newark for decades to come.”