Education Acquisitions in 2020

Learning Care Group, a portfolio company of private equity firm American Securities LLC, has acquired U-GRO Learning Centres, a 14-school early childhood education operator in Central Pennsylvania. The transaction closed December 31, 2020 and expands Learning Care Group's footprint in Pennsylvania by adding U-GRO's ~1,900-student network to its portfolio of preschool brands.

NPM Capital has acquired a majority stake in Futurewhiz, the parent company of Squla, WRTS and Scoyo, from Levine Leichtman Capital Partners. The Amsterdam-based education technology group (about 70 employees) operates online learning platforms across the Netherlands, Germany and Poland; NPM says the investment will support Futurewhiz's domestic and international growth ambitions.

Gryphon Investors has made a majority investment in Meazure Learning, a Birmingham, Alabama–based provider of remote exam proctoring, assessment software, and psychometric services. Existing sponsor Eastside Partners and Meazure management retain meaningful stakes, and Bain Capital Credit provided senior credit facilities to support Gryphon's investment to accelerate Meazure's growth.

Waud Capital Partners has completed a growth capital partnership with The CE Shop, a Greenwood Village, Colorado–based digital provider of compliance-driven professional education. Waud will commit new equity to support The CE Shop's organic growth initiatives, enable a robust acquisition pipeline and help expand the company's presence into new end markets; management will remain meaningful shareholders and continue to run day-to-day operations. Terms were not disclosed.

THI Investments, a family-owned investor, has made an equity investment into Corndel, the UK-based digital and management training provider. The growth capital will support Corndel’s expansion of programme offerings (including data and software development courses) and help scale its technology-enabled training and employment-focused initiatives.

Aceable, an Austin-based mobile-first education platform, closed a $50 million growth investment led by private equity firm HGGC. The capital will support Aceable’s expansion into new certification verticals, continued geographic rollout, and both organic and inorganic growth initiatives.

Five Arrows has acquired Texthelp, the Belfast-headquartered provider of literacy and numeracy assistive technologies, from mid-market private equity house LDC. Financial terms were not disclosed; Five Arrows said it will support Texthelp’s continued global expansion and product development following a period in which revenues grew from £19m to £27m under LDC.

WRAP Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: WRAP) completed an asset purchase of NSENA Inc., a developer of immersive virtual reality training for law enforcement, and will rebrand the business as WRAP Reality. The acquisition is intended to expand WRAP’s training capabilities by integrating NSENA’s VR scenarios and content with WRAP’s BolaWrap training and academy offerings to target public-safety agencies and improve de‑escalation and use‑of‑force training.

Quad-C Management has completed a majority acquisition of Learners Edge, an online training and certification provider for K–12 teachers, from L Squared Capital Partners. The transaction positions Learners Edge for continued growth under Quad-C, which plans to expand its geographic footprint, broaden services and invest in technology and human capital to accelerate growth.

Instructure has signed an agreement to acquire Certica Solutions, a Wakefield, Massachusetts-based K–12 assessment and analytics provider. The acquisition will integrate Certica's assessment platform, standards-aligned item banks, and Videri analytics into Instructure's Canvas learning platform to deliver more actionable student data and personalized learning at the district level. Certica was sold by New Harbor Capital; the transaction is expected to close before the end of the year.

TPC Training acquired eFoodHandlers to expand its online food safety training and certification offerings, integrating eFoodHandlers' state-specific, video-based courses into TPC's FUSION LMS. The deal strengthens TPC's compliance-driven eLearning footprint across restaurants, schools, and other foodservice customers nationwide.

The Vistria Group made a strategic growth investment in Edmentum and will become the company's majority stakeholder. Existing investors New Mountain Finance Corporation and funds managed by BlackRock will retain ownership positions as Vistria supports Edmentum's expansion of K–Adult digital curriculum and assessment offerings.

KnowFully Learning Group, a NexPhase Capital-backed provider of professional education (including the Surgent brand), has acquired The Income Tax School, Inc. (ITS). ITS will operate as Surgent Income Tax School, expanding KnowFully/Surgent's tax-focused continuing education and exam-prep offerings for tax and accounting professionals.

Juniper Education, a Horizon Capital portfolio company, has acquired SISRA Limited, a provider of data analytics and professional development software used by more than 1,650 secondary schools. The deal — Juniper's seventh acquisition since Horizon invested in 2019 — expands Juniper's analytics and HR/professional-development capabilities and helps Juniper serve over 10,000 schools across its product suite.

RJD-backed Babington has agreed terms to acquire the majority of the apprenticeship business from PeoplePlus (part of Staffline Group). The deal brings around 100 employees and nearly 2,000 learners into Babington, expanding its apprenticeship programmes and customer base across England and Scotland.

Funds managed by ICG plc have acquired BIMM, Europe’s leading creative arts education provider, from Sovereign Capital Partners. The transaction represents Sovereign’s realisation of a ten-year investment during which BIMM expanded across multiple campuses and student enrolments grew substantially.

GoGuardian, backed by Sumeru Equity Partners, has merged with Pear Deck to combine classroom management, student-safety, and student-engagement tools for K-12 schools. The deal brings together complementary EdTech products to expand GoGuardian's instructional technology offerings and deepen support for teachers, students, and districts across in-person, remote, and hybrid learning environments.

Noodle has acquired key assets of HotChalk, an online program manager, effective November 19, 2020. The deal brings HotChalk's portfolio of programs plus marketing, enrollment, and technology teams (including Creative Communication Associates) into Noodle to expand its in-house marketing, recruitment, and program delivery capabilities for university partners.

TrueFire Studios has acquired FaderPro, the leading online EDM and electronic music production tutorial platform, expanding TrueFire's music education offerings beyond guitar into dance and electronic production. FaderPro will operate as a standalone unit within the TrueFire portfolio, and existing investor Growth Catalyst Partners will continue to support TrueFire's strategy.

Inverness Graham-backed Syntrio has acquired KnowledgeStart, a King of Prussia, Pennsylvania-based provider of Diversity & Inclusion eLearning content and facilitation services. The add-on expands Syntrio's D&I course library and training capabilities as part of Inverness Graham's strategy to grow Syntrio's governance, risk and compliance (GRC) learning platform.

Online Education Services (OES) has acquired a majority stake in Construct, a provider of online learning design and course production. The deal makes Construct a majority-owned subsidiary of OES and aims to broaden service capabilities and expand OES's presence in the US, UK and South Africa while enhancing learning design, analytics and global client support.

Charterhouse Capital Partners has acquired a controlling stake in Novetude Santé, a France-based specialist provider of higher education and continuing professional development for healthcare professionals, from BIM. Charterhouse invested alongside Novetude Santé’s management, which retains a shareholding, and intends to support the company’s growth through internationalisation and buy-and-build add-on activity.

LINQ, a provider of integrated K-12 administrative software based in Wilmington, North Carolina, acquired TITAN School Solutions, a California-based cloud-native school nutrition management SaaS provider. The deal brings TITAN's nutrition management capabilities into LINQ's platform to better serve K-12 districts and streamline child nutrition program operations.

Anthology acquired the Foundation and Matching software solutions from xRM.com LLC to expand its alumni advancement and donor engagement capabilities. The acquisition complements Anthology's higher-education CRM and alumni engagement portfolio and integrates xRM's solutions built on Microsoft Dynamics 365 into Anthology's product set.

PowerSchool has acquired Hoonuit, a leading K-12 education analytics and data management provider, from Renovus Capital Partners. The deal adds Hoonuit’s analytics and data-management capabilities—supporting more than 14.5 million students and multiple state deployments—to PowerSchool’s K-12 product portfolio to deliver unified analytics across SIS, LMS, enrollment, ERP and talent systems.

Frontline Education, a leading provider of K-12 school administration software, has acquired SuccessEd, a Texas-based specialist in special education management software. The acquisition expands Frontline's special education capabilities and Texas-specific domain expertise, providing SuccessEd clients access to Frontline's broader K-12 portfolio and national resources.

Health & Safety Institute (HSI), a Waud Capital Partners–backed leader in EHS and workforce development software and training, has acquired e-learning provider Vado, Inc. The acquisition expands HSI's content catalog and enables customers to access workplace safety, compliance, and business skills training from a single provider.

Boathouse Capital–backed ACI Learning has acquired ITProTV to expand its audit, cybersecurity and IT learning offerings. ACI Learning will integrate ITProTV’s people, content/IP, production capabilities and customer contracts while retaining the ITProTV brand, increasing the combined platform’s reach to more than 250,000 professionals globally.

Eureka Equity Partners has acquired Perfect Creation, Inc., d/b/a iPEC Coaching, a provider of coach training and certification solutions headquartered in Shrewsbury, New Jersey. The transaction, Eureka's second platform investment from its Eureka IV fund, will partner with iPEC's senior management to support growth and expansion into complementary service lines.

NewSpring Growth, the growth strategy of private equity firm NewSpring, invested in Skillshare in a growth capital round to support the online learning platform's international expansion and expansion of its enterprise offering. Skillshare, an online creative learning community with over 12 million registered members and roughly 8,000 teachers, will use the proceeds to localize internationally, deepen its U.S. presence, and invest in teacher and engagement tools.

Eckerd Connects has merged with Odle Management Group, LLC to expand its workforce development and youth services capabilities. The merger brings Odle’s outreach, enrollment and placement expertise (headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona) into Eckerd’s national operations, increasing Eckerd Connects' scale across nearly 20 states.

Palatine Private Equity's Impact Fund has taken a stake in Manchester-based Back2Work Group, a training provider that helps long-term unemployed individuals return to work and offers apprenticeships and online reskilling courses. The investment will support Back2Work's growth plan—building on recent contract wins that have driven revenues to about £11.5m and a headcount of more than 140 employees.

Luminary acquired Declare, a leadership and career-advancement platform for professional women, purchasing the Declare brand and assets to combine networks, programming and corporate partnerships. The deal brings Declare’s community and corporate partners under Luminary’s membership platform to expand Luminary’s professional development offerings and strengthen its position as a workplace equity advocate.

IRIS Software Group acquired iSAMS, a cloud-based school management (MIS/SIS) provider, on 20 October 2020. The acquisition expands IRIS’s education portfolio and brings iSAMS’s web-based MIS (used by hundreds of UK and international schools) into IRIS’s suite of school software and cloud services.

KEV Group, a Serent Capital-backed provider of the SchoolCash platform, has acquired Lunchbox Orders, an online ordering and fundraising platform for K-12 school lunch programs. The add-on expands KEV Group's capabilities into lunch management and fundraising, enabling broader service to schools across Ontario and beyond.

Cambium Learning Group, a portfolio company of Veritas Capital, completed the acquisition of Rosetta Stone, including its Lexia Learning literacy division. The deal expands Cambium’s digital education portfolio by adding Rosetta Stone’s language-learning technology and Lexia’s PreK–12 literacy solutions to its suite of K‑12 and lifelong learning products.

Skillsoft (through its business combination with Churchill Capital Corp II) completed the acquisition of Global Knowledge Training LLC in a transaction announced in 2020 and closed June 11, 2021. The deal was reported at approximately $233 million and combines Global Knowledge’s IT and technology training capabilities with Skillsoft’s digital learning platform to expand enterprise learning content and modalities.

USATestprep, a Serent Capital‑backed provider of standards‑aligned curriculum and test‑prep tools, has acquired Education Galaxy, an online and mobile K‑8 assessment and intervention platform headquartered in Richardson, Texas. The deal expands USATestprep's state standards‑aligned content—including multilingual K‑8 materials—and broadens its reach across K‑12 customers nationwide.

US Sports Camps, the licensed operator of NIKE Sports Camps, has acquired Play Your Game Collective (PYGC), the operator of Esports Camps, to add competitive gaming programming to its youth camp portfolio. The deal brings PYGC's esports curriculum and partner relationships (including Logitech, Riot Games and Statespace) into US Sports Camps' platform as it expands virtual and in‑person esports offerings.

Health & Safety Institute (HSI), a provider of EHS software, training and compliance solutions, has acquired SOS Intl (SOS), a specialist provider of training and compliance services to the electric utilities (distribution, transmission and generation) market. HSI is majority‑owned by Waud Capital Partners, which has supported HSI's growth through add-on acquisitions.

Liaison International acquired TargetX to expand its higher-education technology suite and complete a full student lifecycle solution by combining Liaison’s application, enrollment marketing and CAS capabilities with TargetX’s Salesforce-based CRM and retention tools. The combined offering will serve nearly 1,500 campuses and broaden Liaison’s reach across undergraduate, graduate and community college markets. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Trinity3 Technology, a Rotunda Capital Partners portfolio company, has merged with FireFly Computers to create a larger K‑12 technology platform. Rotunda provided additional equity for the transaction alongside co-investments from First Capital Partners and minority investments from Kari Phillips and Devang Shah; the combined business will retain operating locations in St. Paul and Arden Hills, Minnesota.

Boxlight Corporation (Nasdaq: BOXL) has acquired Sahara Presentation Systems PLC for GBP 74 million (approximately USD 94.9 million), consisting of cash and preferred stock. The acquisition adds the Clevertouch and Sedao brands, expands Boxlight's geographic reach (particularly in EMEA), and brings immediate revenue growth and consolidated profitability to the combined education-technology business.

TCG (The Chernin Group) acquired a majority stake in online education company SketchyMedical via a $30 million investment to scale growth and build an in‑house studio for live content and animation. The investment will be used to expand course offerings beyond medical subjects and accelerate user growth with TCG taking board seats to support operations and content development.

Education Advanced, a Tyler, Texas–based K-12 EdTech SaaS company, has acquired Wisconsin-based School Software Group, maker of BuildYourOwnCurriculum (BYOC). The acquisition expands Education Advanced's product suite (adding BYOC's curriculum and learning-management capabilities) and increases its client footprint to over 500 districts, 6,500 schools and 4.6 million students.

Finalsite, a provider of K-12 websites and digital communications software, has acquired the Blackboard K-12 Community Engagement division from Anthology. The acquisition combines complementary website, marketing, and communications solutions (including Blackboard Web Community Manager, Connect, Reach, Mass Notifications, and the Mobile Communications App) to expand Finalsite's K-12 product portfolio and global client base.

SSI Acquisition, LLC — an acquisition vehicle formed by TCW Asset Management, Cerberus Capital Management and Lantern Capital Partners — acquired substantially all assets of School Specialty, Inc. in a transaction that recapitalizes the business and restructures its balance sheet. Post-closing the business will operate as School Specialty, LLC, with Ryan M. Bohr named President and CEO.

HelioCampus, a technology-enabled decision-support firm for higher education, has acquired ABC Insights, a higher education benchmarking consortium. The acquisition expands HelioCampus' benchmarking, data analytics and decision-support capabilities and brings ABC Insights' leadership into HelioCampus' management team.

An affiliate of Carnegie Learning acquired Scientific Learning Corporation in an all-cash merger valued at approximately $15 million. The acquisition makes Scientific Learning a privately owned subsidiary of Carnegie Learning and is intended to strengthen Carnegie Learning's digital literacy and neuroscience-based literacy product offerings for K-12, clinicians and direct-to-consumer channels.

Colibri Group, a Gridiron Capital-backed online education platform, has acquired HomeCEU, a provider of continuing education for therapy-focused healthcare professionals. The acquisition brings HomeCEU's video-based content and CEU360 B2B offering into Colibri's healthcare education portfolio to expand course breadth for individual and employer customers.