London — November 3, 2021 — Espresso Capital announced today that it has provided Boclips, the world’s leading educational video platform, with a £7 million credit facility. The company will use the financing to help fund its strategic acquisition of Boston-based Listenwise Innovation, Inc.
“We’re delighted to be partnering with Espresso,” said Boclips CEO and Founder David Bainbridge. “The funding enables us to execute on our transatlantic M&A strategy and position our business for further expansion in the US market.”
The acquisition of Listenwise, the US market leader in curriculum-geared podcasts for grades 2 to 12, creates a unique offering of video and audio content for global education providers, and positions the combined business for accelerated growth in the US and worldwide.
“Boclips has a demonstrated track record of success, and has grown to become the trusted provider of video content for curriculums,” said Espresso Managing Director Will Hutchins. “With its acquisition of Listenwise, Boclips will be able to offer an even more compelling solution to the education sector, driving value for its customers and unlocking significant cross-selling opportunities.”
Boclips manages the largest educational video resource in the world, providing access to more than 2 million rights-cleared clips from over 350 trusted sources — ranging from news programming from The Wall Street Journal through Ted Talks to specialist tutorial videos from The Smithsonian. Its AI-driven content management system enables users to easily locate the right video for every stage of the school or university curriculum. Customers include courseware developers, EdTech solutions providers, as well as Ministries of Education across the Middle East and Asia.
“Espresso has been great to work with,” noted Bainbridge. “Their flexibility and experience played a critical part in our being able to successfully execute this important M&A transaction.”
About Boclips
Boclips is on a mission to educate, enlighten, and inspire learners of all ages with video. Since the company’s foundation in 2014, the Boclips video platform has offered education providers a single procurement point to find, license, and incorporate video aligned to their courseware. The platform features over 2 million educationally relevant videos including animations, short-form docs, historical footage, and breaking news from 350 of the world’s most trusted content producers, including TED Talks, PBS, The Smithsonian, and AP, as well as teacher-favorites like Crash Course, Minute Earth, and The School of Life. The platform uses machine learning to curate to academic standards and is free from advertising, inappropriate content and data security concerns. For more information, visit https://boclips.com.
About Espresso Capital
Espresso empowers companies with innovative venture debt solutions. Since 2009, we’ve helped more than 300 technology companies and their investors accelerate growth, extend runway, and increase strategic flexibility with non-dilutive capital. Learn more at espressocapital.com.
