Rachel Carlson’s Guild Education Hits $4.4 Billion Valuation In The Wake Of Buzzy Female Exec Departures

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There have been better times for high-profile female leaders. Last week, Glossier cofounder Emily Weiss abandoned the chief executive post of the beauty brand she grew to a $1.8 billion valuation. This week, Meta COO and resident adult-in-the-room Sheryl Sandberg announced her departure from the social media giant.

So as we search for signs of powerful women growing companies and getting promoted, here’s the biggest one of the week: Rachel Carlson, who made the Forbes Under 30 list in 2017, has catapulted her company Guild Education to a $4.4 billion valuation after raising $175 million, led by Wellington Management and others including Oprah Winfrey (!). Because Carlson owns about 14% of the company, we’re estimating her net worth to be $570 million, solidifying her spot on Forbes’ Self-Made Women list.

Guild makes money from corporations, such Walmart, Chipotle and Disney, that pay it to enroll their workers in higher education programs—advancing their staff personally and professionally, and cultivating employee loyalty along the way. “We just hit this massive inflection point…