Stronger Youth Brands Acquires Little Kickers

Susquehanna Private Capital Invests in Soccer Shots

January 13, 2022

Education

Susquehanna Private Capital (SPC) made a growth investment in Soccer Shots, a youth soccer franchisor headquartered in Pennsylvania, to scale its franchise system and serve as the platform for a broader youth enrichment initiative called Stronger Youth Brands. Terms were not disclosed; Soccer Shots' existing management and founders remain in leadership roles while SPC will support expansion and franchise growth.

Justin Nihiser, Barry Gibson & Matt Rogers Acquire WonderPlay Brands (Kidcreate Studio)

February 19, 2026

Education

Justin Nihiser, Barry Gibson, and Matt Rogers have completed a majority acquisition of WonderPlay Brands, the parent company of Kidcreate Studio. The new ownership group plans to invest in franchise support, marketing, curriculum development, and disciplined expansion to grow the youth art enrichment franchise nationwide.

PowerSchool to Acquire Kickboard

November 10, 2021

Education

PowerSchool has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Kickboard, a provider of K-12 behavior management and social-emotional learning (SEL) software, to integrate Kickboard’s capabilities into PowerSchool’s Unified Classroom. The acquisition is intended to give educators a more comprehensive view of student behavior and wellbeing by combining behavior management, SIS, LMS, and analytics; Kickboard and PowerSchool will continue to operate separately until the transaction closes.

Seidler Equity Partners Acquires Majority Stake in Unleashed Brands

February 7, 2023

Education

Seidler Equity Partners has invested in Unleashed Brands, acquiring a majority stake to fund the franchisor's next phase of growth and future youth-enrichment brand development. Management, led by CEO Michael Browning, will remain in place as the company uses the capital to expand its portfolio and open additional locations across the U.S. and Canada; former investors MPK Equity Partners and AHR Growth Partners exited as part of the transaction.

Youth Enrichment Brands (Roark) Acquires i9 Sports from LNC Partners

October 19, 2021

Education

i9 Sports, a Tampa-based franchisor of multi-sport youth leagues, has been acquired by Youth Enrichment Brands, a platform company backed by Roark Capital. The deal marks an add-on acquisition to the Youth Enrichment Brands platform as LNC Partners exits its investment; i9 Sports' management will remain in place to support continued growth across its nationwide footprint.

NextGen Holdings Acquires Three KidStrong Centers in New England

March 4, 2025

Education

NextGen Holdings, LLC, led by founder Michael Reyes, has acquired three KidStrong locations in New England (Boston and New Hampshire) and plans to open 10–12 additional centers across Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The expansion positions NextGen to become one of the largest KidStrong developers in the U.S., with a goal of 25 open units within five years and an emphasis on operational scaling and same-store growth.