Education Acquisitions in 2022

360training has acquired AdvanceOnline Solutions to expand its Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) online training catalog and add DOT transportation safety courses, including CMV Driver and CMV Motor Carrier Management. The deal broadens 360training's OSHA Online Outreach offerings and complements its existing regulated training brands.

Pearson agreed to acquire PDRI (Personnel Decisions Research Institutes, Inc.), a provider of workforce assessment services to U.S. federal government agencies, from SHL for an enterprise value of $190 million. SHL described the sale as a strategic divestiture aligned with its shift toward commercial SaaS solutions; completion was expected in H1 2023 and the transaction closed in March 2023. The acquisition expands Pearson’s workforce assessment capabilities and its position in the U.S. government and public-sector assessment market.

Clearspring Capital Partners and OneLink Capital (with financial participation from BDC Growth Equity Partners) announced a minority growth investment in Groupe Tecnic and École de Conduite Tecnic Rive-Nord. The founding Sévigny and Aubé families remain significant shareholders with management continuity (CEO Mylène Sévigny to remain); the capital will support Tecnic's growth plan and potential expansion beyond Quebec.

LinkIt!, a K-12 assessment, analytics and MTSS software provider, has received a growth investment from Serent Capital to accelerate geographic expansion and further invest in product development and platform integrations. Lane Rankin will join LinkIt!'s board as part of the transaction, and Leonis Partners advised LinkIt! on the deal.

TrueLearn has acquired APEX Anesthesia Review, a provider of high‑stakes exam preparation for Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists (SRNAs) and continuing education for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs). The deal expands TrueLearn’s healthcare education platform into the nurse anesthesia market and adds APEX’s exam‑prep and CE capabilities to TrueLearn’s analytics‑driven learning products.

Housatonic Partners has made a strategic growth investment in Brainfuse, a New York City–based provider of online tutoring, career counseling, and veterans assistance that serves public libraries, higher education institutions, and K‑12 school districts. Financial terms were not disclosed; Housatonic Managing Director Mark Hilderbrand joined Brainfuse's board as the firms partner to enhance the company's proprietary online learning platform and support growth.

3STEP Sports has acquired MOD Volleyball Club, a Chicago-area youth volleyball organization founded in 2020 that operates four facilities, fields 80 full-season teams and runs camp programs with more than 1,000 participants. The acquisition expands 3STEP's volleyball vertical and local presence in the Chicago suburbs as part of its strategy to grow club and event operations nationally.

Emler Swim School has acquired King's Swim Academy, a family-owned swim school with locations in San Carlos and San Mateo, California. The acquisition expands Emler's footprint into California and increases its network to 44 facilities across multiple U.S. states; King's Swim Academy will continue operating under its name with existing staff and enrollment plans.

Agathos has completed a majority investment into Targeted Provision, a UK specialist provider of tailored, trauma-informed educational support to vulnerable children and young people. The deal provides an exit for certain existing shareholders and will fund the business’s planned growth and rollout of its tech-enabled SEND tutoring and mentoring services across the United Kingdom.

McGraw Hill has acquired Ryan Medical Education LLC, d/b/a Boards & Beyond, a provider of on-demand video libraries and assessment content for medical students and professionals. The deal expands McGraw Hill's digital capabilities and bolsters its presence in medical education, complementing its existing professional and institutional learning resources.

Grace Hill, a technology-enabled performance platform backed by Aurora Capital Partners, has acquired Edge2Learn and Ellis Partners in Management Solutions to expand its training, policy management, survey and mystery-shopping capabilities for the multifamily real estate industry. Financial terms were not disclosed; the deal is intended as an add-on to strengthen Grace Hill's employee and property intelligence platform and accelerate product innovation.

3STEP Sports has acquired North Pacific Juniors Volleyball Club (NPJ), adding NPJ's four-location youth volleyball platform in the Pacific Northwest to 3STEP's national volleyball vertical. The acquisition expands 3STEP's footprint in Oregon and Washington and brings NPJ's year-round programming, beach volleyball assets and a 38,000 sq. ft. Salem hub into 3STEP's network.

GoStudent, the Vienna-based EdTech unicorn, has acquired Studienkreis, Germany's leading centre-based tutoring provider, from private equity firm IK Partners. The deal creates a hybrid, omnichannel tutoring platform combining GoStudent's online capabilities with Studienkreis's 1,000+ physical learning centres to broaden product offerings and accelerate growth across the DACH region.

CeriFi, a Leeds Equity Partners-backed professional education platform, has acquired Checkpoint Learning and West LegalEdcenter from Thomson Reuters, significantly expanding its continuing education and licensing offerings for accounting, tax and legal professionals. The acquisitions add scale across employer and academic relationships and broaden CeriFi's product suite for lifelong professional learning; terms were not disclosed.

LRN Corporation acquired the Compliance Learning business unit from Thomson Reuters, expanding LRN’s global ethics and compliance learning capabilities and client base. The deal enhances LRN’s presence across Europe and Asia and strengthens its offerings for the financial services vertical, after a strategic investment in LRN by Leeds Equity Partners.

3STEP Sports, the nation’s largest youth sports club and event operator, has acquired BEST FC Soccer Club, a Massachusetts-based youth soccer organization founded by Maria and Paul Mumby. BEST FC — which grew from summer camps into a year-round club with roughly 30+ teams and community programs — will be integrated into 3STEP’s soccer division as the company expands its club network and youth development footprint.

Simplilearn, a Blackstone-backed online bootcamp operator, has acquired Fullstack Academy, a New York–based tech bootcamp, in an all-cash, 100% acquisition. The deal expands Simplilearn’s U.S. footprint and university/government partnerships, and brings Fullstack’s ~300 employees and ~USD 30M in annual revenue into Simplilearn’s global platform.

Promethean, a global education technology company, has acquired substantially all of the assets of Explain Everything, a digital whiteboard platform for creating lessons, videos and interactive presentations. The acquisition will integrate Explain Everything's team and platform into Promethean's portfolio to expand its interactive and collaborative edtech offerings.

Securly, a Golden Gate Capital-backed K-12 student safety and wellness platform, has acquired Eduspire Solutions, a provider of e-hallpass and flex period management software for K-12 schools. The deal adds on-campus student movement and scheduling capabilities to Securly's whole-student success platform to better support student safety and wellness across districts.

Lepaya, an Amsterdam-based edTech learning & development provider, has acquired UK-based Speak First to expand its global training capabilities and reach. The deal adds Speak First’s instructor-led communication and leadership training expertise and trainer network to Lepaya’s scalable learning platform, supporting accelerated innovation in VR and AI coaching for enterprise clients.

Cassyni, a London-based research seminar platform, has acquired Mora.stream to combine communities and technologies aimed at creating a global searchable library of online and hybrid research seminars. The deal brings Mora.stream's academic seminar communities and expertise into Cassyni, enabling citable DOIs for seminars and AI-enhanced seminar recordings.

The Riverside Company has invested in Motivating Systems LLC (creator of PBIS Rewards) as an add-on to its portfolio company Navigate360, expanding Navigate360’s K–12 student wellness and behavioral management capabilities. Motivating Systems’ PBIS Rewards SaaS will be integrated into Navigate360’s suite to give districts data-driven tools for whole-child safety and early intervention; PBIS Rewards CEO Pat Heck will continue with Navigate360 as CTO.

Emler Swim School acquired Stony Creek Swim Center, a single-location swim school in Noblesville, Indiana, with the deal closing on November 17, 2022. The acquisition expands Emler’s footprint into its eighth state and grows its network of locations to 42, while Stony Creek will continue operating under its current name with existing staff and enrollment plans.

Digital Intelligence Systems (DISYS) has acquired a controlling interest in Grand Circus, a virtual coding bootcamp and upskilling provider. The acquisition adds training and talent-pipelining capabilities to DISYS's staffing and managed-services portfolio, enabling expanded custom upskilling programs for clients and historically underrepresented communities.

University Headquarters (UHQ), an online education and career information publisher based in Scottsdale, Arizona, has acquired the website Discover Early Childhood EDU to expand its early childhood education content. The acquisition complements UHQ's recent content purchases (including Cyber Degrees EDU) and is intended to increase exposure to prospective early childhood teachers and broaden UHQ's education portfolio.

Chicago-based private equity firm Frontenac has completed a recapitalization with CertainPath, a technology-enabled training and development provider for HVAC, plumbing, electrical and roofing contractors. Financial terms were not disclosed; the partnership will fund CertainPath's investments in its core offerings and support growth through complementary acquisitions.

3STEP Sports, the U.S. youth sports club and event operator, has acquired North Bay Basketball Academy (NBBA), a Northern California youth basketball club founded in 2010 by coach Rick Winter. The acquisition provides 3STEP a foundation to expand its basketball footprint across California and the Pacific Northwest by integrating NBBA's teams, camps, clinics and community programs.

City & Guilds has bought Trade Skills 4U, a UK provider of electrician training and adult vocational courses, from Palatine’s Impact Fund. The acquisition transfers ownership of the business to City & Guilds to scale its electrical training provision and extend its impact on skills and apprenticeships in the UK.

School Specialty, a leading provider of learning environments and K‑12 supplies, has acquired Chicago-area SchoolKidz, a provider of school-supply kitting and wellness kits. The purchase brings SchoolKidz’s Teacher Tailored and Kits for Kidz programs into the School Specialty platform to expand its bundled supply and nonprofit support capabilities nationwide; the seller was PE firm Skyview Capital.

Stronger Youth Brands, the PE-backed youth enrichment franchisor platform (backed by Susquehanna Private Capital), has acquired Little Kickers, an international franchisor of preschool soccer programs based in the United Kingdom. Little Kickers will continue to operate as a standalone brand and the acquisition expands Stronger Youth Brands' global footprint and franchise network.

Ariel Group, a U.S. leadership development provider backed by Renovus Capital Partners, has acquired Executive Coaching Connections (ECC), a Chicago-based leadership and organizational advisory firm. The deal — finalized in early October 2022 — expands Ariel's Leadership Development portfolio by adding individualized executive coaching, C-suite mentoring, and organizational effectiveness capabilities.

Edcetera, the Eden Capital‑backed provider of continuing education and licensing programs, has acquired Pulse Radiology, an online pre‑licensure and continuing education provider for radiologic technologists. The acquisition expands Edcetera’s allied‑health education offerings and integrates Pulse Radiology’s online courses and network of 1,100+ affiliated imaging centers into Edcetera’s learning ecosystem as an add‑on to its platform.

Investment funds managed by Morgan Stanley Capital Partners (MSCP) have completed an investment in Emler Swim School, partnering with the company's management team led by CEO Greg Laird and President/CFO Jim Draudt, who will continue to lead the business. Headquartered in Dallas, Emler operates more than 38 swim school locations across multiple U.S. states and teaches roughly 30,000 students per week; MSCP intends to support growth and add-on acquisitions to expand the platform nationally.

SchoolStatus has acquired School Innovations & Achievement (SI&A), a K-12 attendance management software and services provider, including its operations, technology, 73 employees, and clients across more than 400 districts in nine states. The acquisition will integrate SI&A's Attendance Initiative and Attention2Attendance capabilities into SchoolStatus' data and family-communication platform to expand attendance interventions and multi-channel communications for districts; financial terms were not disclosed.

Littera Education has acquired Tutor Matching Service and GoBoard to expand its K-12 high-impact tutoring offerings into higher education and to incorporate GoBoard’s interactive tutoring platform and patented text‑to‑board technology. Littera will integrate these assets with its Tutoring Management System to enhance virtual tutoring experiences for K‑12 schools, colleges, and universities.

Follett Higher Education has acquired Indianapolis-based edtech platform Willo Labs to integrate its single-connection LMS technology into Follett's ACCESS and campus retail offerings. The deal aims to expand digital course-material access, improve privacy and security for institutions, and broaden Follett's digital services for millions of students.

YouScience, a college and career readiness platform based in American Fork, Utah, has acquired the National Center for College and Career Transitions (NC3T). The deal brings NC3T’s Seamless WBL work-based learning platform, professional development, and consulting services into YouScience to expand its career-connected learning, certification, and educator support offerings for K–12 districts and schools.

Emler Swim School acquired Little Flippers Swim School (including the Planet Gymnastics movement center) on October 13, 2022, adding two Massachusetts locations (Natick and Winchester) to its portfolio. The acquisition expands Emler’s footprint to 38 facilities across seven states and aligns two mission-driven organizations focused on child water safety and youth movement education; founders Sally and Edward Poveromo are selling and staff were invited to remain.

The Riverside Company has acquired Applied Educational Systems (AES), a Lancaster, Pennsylvania–based provider of digital career and technical education curriculum. AES will be integrated as an add-on to Riverside’s iCEV platform to expand iCEV’s SaaS-based K–12 and career-technical curriculum offerings and broaden reach across U.S. schools and career centers.

KIRKBI A/S, the family-owned holding company of the LEGO brand, has acquired 100% of BrainPOP, a leading K–12 educational technology platform. KIRKBI will operate BrainPOP as an independent business, invest to accelerate its product roadmap, and leverage the LEGO ecosystem to expand BrainPOP’s digital learning reach and direct-to-consumer offerings.

Empowering People Group, a Limerston Capital-backed human capital management platform, has acquired Learning Nexus, a Gloucester-based provider of compliance-led online learning and LMS solutions. The bolt-on purchase expands Empowering People Group's digital learning capabilities and recurring subscription-based revenue while broadening its customer offering to corporates, public sector organisations and non-profits.

3STEP Sports, the nation’s largest youth sports club and event operator, has acquired Patriot Lacrosse Club, a New Jersey–based elite youth lacrosse organization founded in 1998. The acquisition expands 3STEP’s lacrosse division and brings Patriot’s team, clinic and camp programming into 3STEP’s national platform.

The Maven VCTs completed a £3 million VCT investment in Bud Systems, a Bristol-based provider of an end-to-end learning management platform for apprenticeship and training organisations. The funds will be used to enhance Bud's product functionality and to expand sales and marketing to accelerate growth into adult education and apprenticeship segments.

NexPhase Capital-backed Aztec Software has acquired iGrad, a San Diego-based web-based financial literacy and financial wellness platform. iGrad will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary led by its current CEO and expand Aztec’s suite of adult-education and workforce-training solutions by adding AI-powered financial wellness, serving colleges, employers and financial institutions. The deal is an add-on acquisition to bolster Aztec’s product capabilities in financial wellness and loan-management education.

Axcel, the Alpine Investors-backed professional education platform, has partnered with and acquired EduMind (parent of School of PE). Terms were not disclosed; Axcel said it will invest in technology, personnel and course development while Christopher Lam becomes EduMind CEO and founders Vinod and Radhika Dega transition from day-to-day roles.

K1 Investment Management invested $117 million in Ocelot, a Boulder-based edtech AI communications and student engagement platform. The growth capital will be used to fuel expansion, build new functionality, and develop additional solutions for colleges and universities to improve student engagement and retention.

Charterhouse Capital Partners has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Kids&Us, the Spain‑based English language teaching provider for children, partnering with the company's founders and existing investor Corpfin Capital who are reinvesting. The investment will support Kids&Us' international expansion across Europe and other regions and fund further development of supplementary digital content to enhance the company's hybrid classroom and digital offering.

EAB, a provider of education research, technology, and enrollment solutions, has acquired Concourse (Concourse Global), the company behind an alternative college admissions platform that enables institutions to proactively make admission and financial-aid offers. The acquisition expands EAB’s Greenlight Match program and combines Concourse’s technology with EAB’s network to help thousands more first-generation, underserved, and international students connect with colleges.

upGrad has acquired 100% of Centum Learning in a share-swap deal; Bharti Enterprises and its affiliates are joining upGrad's cap table as part of the transaction. Centum, headquartered in New Delhi, is a corporate and vocational training provider that reported ~USD 21 million in FY23 revenue and has a total headcount of over 2,000; the business will continue to operate independently under CEO Sanjay Bahl.

Rockbridge Growth Equity has made a strategic growth investment in The Nest Schools, a premium early childhood education operator that runs 36 centers across Ohio, North Carolina, Texas, Florida and Virginia. The company's co-founders Gerry Pastor and Jane Porterfield will remain in leadership as Rockbridge provides capital and operational support to scale the business; financial terms were not disclosed. The Nest employs more than 600 team members and serves over 3,000 children, with plans to expand into new markets.