Francisco Partners Acquires Follett School Solutions

Follett School Solutions Acquires MasterLibrary

April 18, 2024

Education

Follett School Solutions has acquired MasterLibrary, a cloud-based facilities and asset management software provider for K-12 districts, to expand Follett’s K-12 edtech portfolio. The acquisition adds facility scheduling, work-order management, asset mapping and preventative maintenance capabilities to Follett’s suite of district solutions.

MasterPeace Solutions Acquires Full Suite Solutions (FSS)

October 5, 2021

Cybersecurity

MasterPeace Solutions, a Columbia, Maryland-based provider of government cyber and intelligence services, has acquired Reston, Virginia–based Full Suite Solutions (FSS). The acquisition expands MasterPeace’s presence in Northern Virginia, integrates FSS’s software and services for the Intelligence Community, and adds Jeanine Callahan as SVP of Technology Services to lead the integration.

Francisco Partners Acquires VitalSource from Ingram Content Group

April 14, 2021

Education

Francisco Partners has signed a definitive agreement to acquire VitalSource Technologies LLC from Ingram Content Group. VitalSource is an education technology company (Bookshelf learning platform) serving millions of learners and partnering with publishers and institutions; the deal is expected to close in summer pending regulatory approval and is intended to accelerate VitalSource's product and market growth.

Jefferson River Capital-Led Investor Group Acquires Follett Corporation and Follett Higher Education

February 2, 2022

Retail

Follett Corporation announced the sale of its corporate entity and Follett Higher Education (including the Follett ACCESS business) to a group of private investors led by Jefferson River Capital LLC, a private investment company controlled by the James family. The transaction transfers ownership from the Follett family and shareholders to the investor group, with Emmanuel Kolady named CEO of Follett Higher Education and Ryan Petersen appointed President of FHE; terms were not disclosed.

Parabellum-backed ieDigital Acquires Connect FSS

October 12, 2023

Cloud & SaaS

ieDigital has acquired US-based digital banking SaaS provider Connect FSS to form the ieDigital Group and accelerate international growth. The deal, led by Parabellum Investments (the family office of Rami Cassis), will keep Connect FSS as a standalone brand and aims to expand ieDigital's US footprint and product capabilities for banks and credit unions; terms were not disclosed.

The Vistria Group Completes Majority Recapitalization of Education Solutions Services (ESS)

March 15, 2022

Education

The Vistria Group has acquired a majority stake in Education Solutions Services (ESS), a Knoxville-based K-12 staffing and virtual instruction provider; Nautic Partners sold the majority interest but will remain a minority investor. Comvest Credit Partners acted as administrative agent on a senior secured credit facility to support the transaction. ESS serves roughly 900 school districts (over 4 million students) and will use the new partnership to accelerate growth and expand its virtual and managed staffing capabilities.