Tag Archives: Education

Northlane Capital Partners Invests in Infobase

Northlane

BETHESDA, Md.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Northlane Capital Partners (“NCP”) announced today that it has made an investment in Infobase, a leading provider of cloud-based educational solutions, integrating content, tools, and technology to foster lifelong learning and deliver interactive learning experiences. NCP invested in partnership with the Infobase management team, led by CEO Paul Skordilis.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with the Infobase team. We have known Paul for several years, and are excited to work alongside him and the rest of the Infobase management team as they continue to evolve the company into a leader in tech-enabled learning solutions.”

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Headquartered in New York, Infobase curates high-value content and uses its software platforms to deliver that content to students, educators, librarians, corporations, and parents. Its products are targeted primarily to the K-12 and higher education markets. Infobase has more than 160 employees and serves over 7,000 customers in the United States and internationally. Additional information is available at www.infobase.com.

“We are very excited to partner with NCP as we enter into the next phase of Infobase’s growth. NCP’s investment brings both capital resources and expertise to accelerate our company’s trajectory. NCP has an impressive track record of identifying and executing on acquisition opportunities, which will play a pivotal role in continuing to build upon our position as a leading player in the supplemental education market,” said Paul Skordilis, CEO of Infobase.

Justin DuFour, Partner at NCP, said, “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with the Infobase team. We have known Paul for several years, and are excited to work alongside him and the rest of the Infobase management team as they continue to evolve the company into a leader in tech-enabled learning solutions.”

Sean Eagle, Partner at NCP, added, “Infobase fits directly into one of NCP’s key areas of focus within our business services vertical, training and education. We look forward to leveraging our experience to help accelerate the company’s organic growth and M&A initiatives.”

ABOUT NORTHLANE CAPITAL PARTNERS

Based in Bethesda, MD, NCP is a middle market private equity firm focused on key segments within the healthcare and business services sectors, where its principals have invested more than $1.6 billion of equity capital. NCP’s strategy is to partner with industry leading companies and great management teams, aligning incentives to accelerate growth and build value. For more information, please visit www.northlanecapital.com.

Contacts

NCP

Justin DuFour, Partner
(301) 841-1375

Sean Eagle, Partner
(301) 841-1377

Chase Edmonds, Vice President
(240) 319-4102

Kalpana Siva, Senior Associate
(202) 984-0504

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Quilvest Capital Partners and IK Partners enter exclusivity with Five Arrows Principal Investments to sell a majority stake in GEDH

IK Partners

Paris, May 25th 2022 – Quilvest Capital Partners (“Quilvest”) together with IK Partners (“IK”) is pleased to announce that an exclusivity agreement has been reached to sell its respective stakes in Groupe EDH (“GEDH” or “the Group”), to Five Arrows Principal Investments (“FAPI”), alongside the management team who will be reinvesting. A potential reinvestment from both Quilvest and IK is under review and being considered.

Founded in 1961, GEDH is a leading player in the private higher education sector in France, delivering certified graduate programmes and specialised MBAs across communication, artistic and cultural management, journalism, design, cinema and digital arts. Leveraging their long-established ties with a broad network of companies across the world, the schools of GEDH develop a teaching approach that is tailored to meet the needs of students and to the requirements of work environments, specifically with regards to creative and cultural industries.

The Group is headquartered in Paris, France with close to 400 employees serving approximately 10,000 students. It encompasses eight reference schools that are spread across 25 campuses in France and beyond. At present, the Group offers 12 certified diplomas and has an alumni network of more than 45,000 graduates.

Quilvest first partnered with GEDH in November 2017 with IK joining in February 2020, having acquired a minority stake from Quilvest and Amin Khiari, Chairman and CEO of the Group. Through this combined partnership, GEDH has managed to execute on its buy-and-build plan through the: acquisition of schools with adjacent academic offerings; opening of 11 further campuses in France; accelerated roll-out of new programmes and strengthening of its organisational structure.

Amin Khiari, CEO of GEDH, commented: “Quilvest and IK have been valuable in accelerating our growth over the past few years. Most notably, they have helped us reinforce our positioning as a leading provider of higher education. We thank them for their support as it has allowed the Group to expand both geographically and in terms of academic offerings allowing us to serve a growing number of students. With continued enthusiasm and ambition, we look forward to partnering with FAPI’s team for the years ahead.”

Thomas Vatier, Partner at Quilvest Capital Partners, said: “Since our investment in 2017, we have had the pleasure of witnessing GEDH go from strength to strength. We have been impressed with their vision, know-how and drive to build a ‘best-in-class’ player in private higher education. Their accomplishments are a testament to the work from Amin and his team. We are highly confident in the successful pursuit of their journey.”

Thomas Grob, Partner at IK and Advisor to the IK Partnership Fund, added: “GEDH has grown significantly as part of our partnership; driven by both their expansion in geographical reach and continuous innovation with regards to the curriculum. This has further strengthened their position in the private higher education sector in France, which, when combined with their clear focus on operational excellence and the quality of their students’ experience, allows them to differentiate themselves amongst other players. GEDH is a solid business which benefits from strong pillars, making it well-positioned for future growth.”

Brahim Ammor, Managing Director at FAPI, said: “Since 2014, Amin and his team have built one of the leading providers in the private higher education segment in France with a remarkable growth trajectory. We are very excited to partner with GEDH to further support the expansion of the Group in France, enhance its digital profile and accelerate its international development in the coming years.”

Completion of the transaction is subject to legal and regulatory approvals.

For further questions, please contact:
Group EDH
Emmanuelle Baruch
E: e.baruch@groupe-edh.com

Quilvest Capital Partners
FTI Consulting
Mathilde Jean
T: +33 (0)1 47 03 69 54
E: mathilde.jean@fticonsulting.com

Five Arrows Principal Investments
Emma Rees
T: +44 (0) 7703 715 763
E: emma.rees@rothschildandco.com

IK Partners
Vidya Verlkumar
T: +44 (0) 7787 558 193
E: vidya.verlkumar@ikpartners.com

Or

Maitland/AMO
James McFarlane
T: +44 (0) 7584 142665
E: jmcfarlane@maitland.co.uk / ik-maitland@maitland.co.uk

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ACE Education acquires French fashion business school EIDM

Oakley
  • Adds to ACE’s sports management, luxury hospitality management, arts and design verticals
  • Takes ACE to 30+ campuses and 5,000+ students in France and abroad
  • Next step in ACE and Oakley’s buy-and-build strategy

Oakley Capital (‘Oakley’), the pan-European private equity investor, is pleased to announce that portfolio company ACE Education Group (‘ACE’) has acquired EIDM, one of France’s leading Fashion Business & Styling schools.

Based in Paris, the fashion capital of the world, EIDM offers students a range of specialised programmes from Bachelor’s to Master’s, as well as recognised professional diplomas. The school enjoys strong growth, having quadrupled student enrolments over the last three years. EIDM’s unique network of partners and relationships across the industry enables students to pursue successful careers at home and internationally. Today, 85%(1) of EIDM students go on to secure a job in the industry after graduating, and EIDM alumni have worked at premier fashion houses including Jean Paul Gaultier, Versace and Dolce & Gabbana.

ACE is a diversified higher education group with over 30 campuses in France and abroad and over 5,000 students. The business operates under four brands: AMOS, the leading French sports management business school; ESBS, a sports management school based in Valencia, Spain; ESDAC, a leading French design school group; and CMH, a heritage international luxury hospitality & tourism school.

Oakley reinvested in the business in 2021 alongside Groupe Amaury and ACE’s founder Patrick Touati to benefit from the business’ strong future growth potential, from a rich pipeline of M&A opportunities, as well as from the significant strategic and commercial benefits Amaury can bring as a prominent stakeholder in the French sports industry.

The acquisition of EIDM will enable ACE to further diversify its business and train students in the business of Fashion and Luxury, a major industry in Europe with strong, long-term growth prospects.

ACE Education Group CEO Sylvestre Louis, said: “We are delighted to welcome EIDM to the ACE Education Group. There are many synergies with the other schools in the Group, particularly with our design school, ESDAC. It is also a real opportunity to support the growth of EIDM, which has increased its student population fourfold since 2018.”

Oakley Capital Founder and Managing Partner Peter Dubens said: “We’re pleased to see ACE deliver on its buy-and-build strategy as we further diversify and grow the business to become one of Europe’s leading higher education platforms. We continue to see strong demand for specialised higher education programmes, which ACE provides across its schools and campuses. Luxury & Fashion is an exciting vertical to add and neatly complements its existing specialisations such as arts & design.”

(1) In-house survey from 2018 to 2021

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LEARNED.IO raises funding to grow its skill-based talent management platform

Arches Capital

Amsterdam, 15 May 2022 – Learned.io, a talent management platform (located in Utrecht), announced it closed its latest €1.5 million funding round led by Arches Capital. Current investor TechFund One, VIE Tech Capital and the Rabobank participated in the financing round. Learned will use the funding for product development and growth of the platform.

The founders started their mission in 2018, after experiencing first-hand the difficulties modern companies face with attracting and retaining new talent. Their goal at the time: helping 1 million employees to grow and perform, through great HR cycles that work. At the time of investment, Learned has already helped over 125 customers to modernize HR cycles towards continuous dialogues of skill and career development, resulting in engaged teams with future-proof skill sets.

The sales growth is impressive and the platform resonates with the customers. With the funding round closed, Learned will expand its team in the Netherlands over the course of 2022.

We see a bright future for HR tech that helps employees become more engaged with their employers. The Learned platform is all about people and team work. We believe the Learned team truly excels in this regard.

Frank Appeldoorn, managing partner of Arches Capital

The Learned team

About Learned
Learned is based in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Learned develops a skill-based talent management platform that helps companies modernize their HR cycles. Learned’s mission is to help 1 million employees to grow and perform, through great HR cycles that work.

For more information see www.learned.io.

About Arches Capital
Arches Capital is a fast-growing group of business angels that invests in startup and scale-up companies with a large growth potential. Through its investments Arches Capital bridges the gap between formal investors (VCs) and informal investors (business angels), by joining the best of both worlds:

“ We source, select and invest like a VC;
We engage, care and inspire as the angel we are. ”

Arches Capital differentiates itself by bringing superior deal flow, professional knowledge and a lower risk profile to the participating angel investors, while supporting its successful portfolio companies from start to exit through follow-on investments. For this Arches Capital is building the leading platform of actively engaged business angels that know how to operate and manage their investments in a professional and standardized manner.

For more information, visit www.arches.capital.

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Médisup Sciences Group Acquires a Majority Stake in Take the Wind

Stirling Square

Médisup Sciences Group acquires a majority stake in Take the Wind. Combined group creates leading global medical education and simulation provider.

‍The holding company of Médisup Sciences (“Médisup”), a leading French medical education company, is pleased to announce the acquisition of a majority stake in Take The Wind S.A (TTW).

Take The Wind is a Portuguese specialist technology leader in the virtual medical simulation market, serving medical, nursing, community colleges and high schools, scientific societies, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies globally. The Company operates primarily under the Body Interact brand, which simulates real world scenarios with virtual patients via 700+ clinical cases, dynamically integrating multiple internal and external drivers of patients’ health conditions. The product is available in eight languages, and currently serves over 180,000 users in over 50countries.

Take the Wind was founded in 2008 by Teresa and Pedro Pinto, who will both retain a significant stake in the Company and will continue to lead its management team.

Arnaud Dreyfuss, founder and CEO of Médisup said, “We are delighted to partner with the Take the Wind team in the next phase of the business’s growth. Body Interact is the best-in-class operator providing exceptional levels of education that enables medical students and professionals to dramatically improve their clinical abilities in a cost-efficient way.”

Teresa Pinto, co-founder and COO of TTW added, “We are very excited to collaborate with Médisup, and foresee a strong cultural fit given the similar founder-led mentality. We express our profound gratitude to the whole TTW team, including its business partners and customers, for being part of the development of a game-changer product and a global company, which will consolidate its industry leadership and continue its high innovative performance in this new stage.”

As with Take The Wind, Médisup continues to be founder-led, following its 2021 sale of a majority stake to StirlingSquare Capital Partners, a leading pan-European mid-market private equity firm.

‍

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Cinven Partners with Greater Share Education Fund

Cinven

Proceeds of Fund donated to NGOs addressing the global education crisis

International private equity firm, Cinven, today announces that it has signed up to the Greater Share Education Fund, a first-of-its-kind philanthropic investment model, harnessing the expertise of some of the world’s top performing private equity funds and highest impact educational NGOs to address the significant need in the global education field.

 The Greater Share Education Fund (‘GSEF’ or the ‘Fund’) is a fund-of-funds investment vehicle with the intention of attracting committed capital from a broad range of investors (Limited Partners or ‘LPs’).  This committed capital will then be invested in underlying private equity funds specially selected by Greater Share’s investment committee.

The returns generated by the GSEF will be split between the LPs of the Fund and NGOs who will receive a significant proportion.

Meanwhile, Cinven – alongside the other private equity funds selected for commitments by GSEF – will donate fees and any carry, in proportion to the investment made in the fund by GSEF, also to be distributed to the selected NGOs. This will create a multiplier effect on donations, providing NGOs with long-term, unrestricted funding to scale their impact.

The NGOs will also benefit from ongoing strategic, operational and legal assistance from Greater Share’s community of supporters, further building their ability to improve outcomes for children and reduce inequality by closing the education gap.

Eight high impact education NGOs, identified through a rigorous selection process, with a track record of using evidence-based child-centric models to transform children’s learning, will receive sustainable, long-term funding from Greater Share.

 

Stuart McAlpine, Managing Partner at Cinven, said:

“Cinven is delighted to join Greater Share in tackling the significant global challenge of transforming education for children in under-served communities across the world.  Cinven will join the initial group of private equity firms committed to the Greater Share Education Fund and leverage the Greater Share’s innovative investment model to maximise the philanthropic impact of investments in its Funds.

“Alongside the Cinven Foundation, founded in 2008, today’s announcement is the most recent example of Cinven’s commitment to effecting positive change in the communities in which we operate and more broadly.”

 

The eight NGOs which will receive long-term funding from Greater Share are:

  • aeioTU | transforming communities through developing children’s potential in innovative and sustainable ways in Latin America
  • CAMFED | providing opportunities for women and girls in Sub-Saharan Africa
  • Kaivalya | building the motivation and capacity of education system leaders in India
  • KIPP | operating a network of high-quality public charter schools in financially under-resourced communities in the US
  • London Early Years Foundation | providing access to high quality, affordable early childhood education and care in London
  • The National Institute for Student Success |increasing college attainment while reducing equity gaps in the US
  • Teach For All |developing collective leadership to ensure all children can fulfil their potential globally
  • West London Zone | supporting children and young people in the UK to build the relationships and skills to thrive in adulthood.

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Ardian-backed AD Education acquires the European operations of SAE International, a leader in Audiovisual and creative media higher education

Ardian

AD Education, a leading European higher education platform, announces the acquisition of the European operations of SAE International (“SAE Europe”), a leader in Audiovisual and Creative Media higher education, from Navitas. This marks an important milestone as AD Education extends its geographical footprint, notably in the DACH region, and strengthens its position as the largest Creative Arts pure player in Europe.

SAE Europe has developed a strong reputation across the Creative Arts industry and has been widely recognized, particularly in Audio. It has also developed a large footprint across Europe, with 22 campuses in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Belgium and the Netherlands. SAE Europe delivers accredited Certificates, Diplomas, Bachelor and Master’s degrees in Audio, Video games, Filmmaking, and Website development to 4,000+ students and generates over €50 million of revenues.

Following the recent acquisitions of Barreira Arte y Diseño in 2020, a Design & Graphical Arts leading school in Spain, and IMAAT in 2021, a French specialist in Audiovisual, the acquisition of SAE Europe is a landmark transaction enabling AD Education to consolidate its strong position in Europe with a presence in 6 new countries while expanding its courses offering in Audiovisual.

Together, AD Education and SAE Europe will capitalize on their leading positions in their respective markets in order to roll out both AD Education and SAE programs in countries, schools and campuses where such programs are not yet in place. This will allow to reinforce the offering of the group, further enriching their educational content to the benefit of the students. Both companies actually share common DNA and visions, with their main focus being the students’ fulfilment and their employability in a growing Creative Arts job market.

Founded in 2009, AD Education is a leading European higher education platform, pure player in the field of Creative Arts and teaching to more than 18,000 students in 14 schools on 44 campuses in France, Italy, Spain and Germany. AD Education covers 4 main sub-segments: Design & Graphical Arts, Media & Digital, Audiovisual and Culture & Luxury.

“We are excited to welcome the SAE Europe family to the Group. We share common values, dedicating time and energy to the development of academic programs and accompanying students towards their professional lives. We strongly believe that this combination will be mutually beneficial to both companies and we look forward to working with SAE Management team and employees to make SAE brand thrive.” KEVIN GUENEGAN, CHAIRMAN OF THE AD EDUCATION GROUP

“We are very proud to accompany AD Education, Kevin Guenegan and the management team in this major acquisition which is a key milestone in the acceleration of the internationalization and development of the group. The partnership with SAE Europe will support AD Education’s strong growth in Europe and further improve value proposition for the combined Group’s students.“ EMMANUEL MIQUEL, MANAGING DIRECTOR IN THE BUYOUT TEAM AT ARDIAN

The joint company will teach to more than 22,000 students in 10 countries in Europe with combined revenues close to €200 million.

The transaction remains subject to antitrust approval.

PARTIES TO THE TRANSACTION

  • AD EDUCATION

    • KEVIN GUENEGAN, MARTIN CORIAT, BENOIT WECKX

  • ARDIAN

    • EMMANUEL MIQUEL, NICOLAS TRANI, JEAN-BAPTISTE HUNAUT, ANOUK DAOUDAL

  • LEGAL ADVISORS

    • CORPORATE ADVISOR: WILLKIE FARR & GALLAGHER (EDUARDO FERNANDEZ, PHILIP COLETTO, WILLIAM BUCHANAN, GIL KIENER, SARAH BIBAS)
    • FINANCING ADVISORS: LATHAM & WATKINS (XAVIER FARDE, CARLA-SOPHIE IMPERADEIRO)
    • STRUCTURING ADVISORS: LATHAM & WATKINS (OLIVIA RAUCH-RAVISÉ, CLÉMENCE MOREL) AND KPMG AVOCATS (SOPHIE FOURNIER-DEDOYARD, GAUTHIER MOULINS)

  • BUYER DUE DILIGENCE

    • COMMERCIAL DUE DILIGENCE: BCG (BENJAMIN ENTRAYGUES, GUILLAUME DARRIEUS, CONSTANT MOREZ, JEAN-BAPTISTE POIRET)
    • FINANCIAL DUE DILIGENCE: KPMG (GUILHEM MAGUIN, CHARLES LAPORTE, LAUREN GOODENOUGH)
    • CARVE-OUT DUE DILIGENCE: KPMG (ANTOINE VIRY, JOSSELIN DU PLESSIS)
    • LEGAL DUE DILIGENCE: KPMG AVOCATS (BENOIT ROUCHER, JULIE BRUBACH)
    • TAX DUE DILIGENCE: KPMG AVOCATS (SOPHIE FOURNIER-DEDOYARD, GAUTHIER MOULINS)
    • LABOR DUE DILIGENCE: KPMG AVOCATS (OLIVIER MASI, CHRISTINE PIAULT)

ABOUT AD EDUCATION

Founded in 2009, AD Education is a leading European higher education platform, pure player in the field of Creative Arts and teaching to more than 18,000 students in 14 schools on 44 campuses in France, Italy, Spain and Germany. AD Education covers 4 main sub-segments: Design & Graphical Arts, Media & Digital, Audiovisual and Culture & Luxury. Following the acquisition, AD Education will operate in 10 countries in Europe with a turnover close to €200 million.

https://www.ad-education.com

ABOUT SAE

SAE Creative Media Institute is the place for creatives and innovators. Since 1976 we’ve been the leaders in creative media education across animation, audio, creative industries, creative technologies, design, film, games, and music. Every year, we support more than 10,000 students globally to develop the skills and experience needed to carve successful careers. Students enjoy access to the latest technology and are taught by industry-experienced faculty, while putting their skills to the test in small class environments. Our graduates become part of a highly-respected global community of creatives that’s been around for over 40 years. We pride ourselves on being technically explorative, transformative and brave through our range of creative media programs, from short courses and professional training through to bachelor and postgraduate degrees. In Australia, our programs are delivered at campuses in Sydney, Brisbane, Byron Bay, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide. SAE is a part of Navitas Pty Ltd.

https://www.sae.edu

ABOUT ARDIAN

Ardian is a world-leading private investment house with assets of US$125bn managed or advised in Europe, the Americas and Asia. The company is majority-owned by its employees. It keeps entrepreneurship at its heart and focuses on delivering excellent investment performance to its global investor base. Through its commitment to shared outcomes for all stakeholders, Ardian’s activities fuel individual, corporate and economic growth around the world. Holding close its core values of excellence, loyalty and entrepreneurship, Ardian maintains a truly global network, with more than 850 employees working from fifteen offices across Europe (Frankfurt, Jersey, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Paris and Zurich), the Americas (New York, San Francisco and Santiago) and Asia (Beijing, Singapore, Tokyo and Seoul). It manages funds on behalf of around 1,200 clients through five pillars of investment expertise: Fund of Funds, Direct Funds, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Private Debt.

https://www.ardian.com/

MEDIA CONTACTS

ARDIAN

HEADLAND ELLEN JOHNSON

ejohnson@headlandconsultancy.com+44 207 3435 7469

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Baird Capital Portfolio Company Vitalyst Sold to Alithya

Baird Capital
Today, Baird Capital announced portfolio company Vitayst has been sold to Alithya, a leader in strategy and digital transformation. Baird Capital engaged with investment bank G2 Capital Partners on the sale process.Founded in 1992, Vitalyst is an award-winning Microsoft Gold Partner that provides best-in-class employee experience and transformative change enablement services via an on-demand, subscription-based training platform. Vitalyst serves as a strategic partner to a diverse base of Fortune 1000 blue-chip customers across a wide variety of industries. The company is headquartered in Bala Cynwyd, Penn., and serves customers throughout the United States as well as in over 20 countries. Baird Capital initially invested in Vitalyst, formerly known as PC Helps, in September of 2012.

Learn more about the acquisition. Learn more about Baird Capital’s Technology & Services sector expertise.

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PlayOn! Sports Announces Strategic Investment from KKR

KKR

New Strategic Partnership Alongside Founding Shareholder Panoramic Ventures to Accelerate Growth and Expansion of Leading High School Sports Media Company

ATLANTA & NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)– PlayOn! Sports (“PlayOn” or the “Company”), a leading high school sports media and technology company, and KKR, a leading global investment firm, today announced the signing of a definitive agreement under which KKR will make a significant investment in PlayOn, alongside PlayOn’s existing shareholder, Panoramic Ventures. The investment will support the Company’s growth as it continues to focus on building exceptional products and experiences for state associations, high schools, high school athletes and their fans across the country. Financial terms were not disclosed.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220201005320/en/

Founded in 2008, PlayOn is best known for operating the NFHS Network, which provides live and on-demand content for millions of high school sporting events across more than 27 sports and other high school activities in all 50 states and Washington, DC. The NFHS Network is a joint venture with the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and its member state associations.

In addition to helping fans and families watch their favorite teams wherever and whenever they want, the platform directly supports student athletics by providing a new revenue stream to participating high schools and state associations. The Company currently partners directly with almost 8,000 high schools across the U.S.

“We are pleased to welcome KKR as a new investor who shares our passion for high school sports and supports our vision for building the leader in high school sports media and technology,” said David Rudolph, founder and CEO of PlayOn. “KKR’s deep experience in building leading consumer technology and digital media businesses, along with our continued partnership with Panoramic Ventures, will be invaluable as we look for opportunities to make high school sports even more accessible to new fans and communities across the country. Our extensive relationships with the NFHS, state associations, and high schools will always be central to everything we do, and we will continue to remain focused on our long-term goal of streaming every high school event in the country.”

“PlayOn is empowering high school athletic programs and providing fans and families new ways to watch the games that matter most to them,” said Ted Oberwager, Partner at KKR. “We are inspired by PlayOn’s mission, and we are excited to join forces with Panoramic Ventures, the NFHS, and the talented PlayOn management team to continue to deliver best-in-class solutions for a rapidly growing and highly passionate audience.”

“We are excited to bring KKR on as a strategic investment partner to help fuel PlayOn’s next stage of growth,” said Mark Buffington, Managing Partner at Panoramic Ventures. “David and I have long believed that we are just scratching the surface with the opportunities that lie ahead of us. KKR’s investment allows us to create more products and extend more value to all the stakeholders we serve in the NFHS ecosystem.”

KKR is making its investment in PlayOn through its North American private equity strategy. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2022, subject to customary closing conditions.

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC served as exclusive financial advisor to PlayOn and Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP served as legal counsel to the Company. Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal counsel to KKR.

About PlayOn! Sports
PlayOn! Sports was founded in 2008 with the purpose of honoring and celebrating the achievements of high school students, parents, coaches, and teachers in every community across the country. It is the nation’s leading high school sports media company and streams more live sports events than any other company in the world. PlayOn is in its ninth year of operating the NFHS Network, a joint venture with the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and its member state associations. PlayOn is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the NFHS Network, which delivers live and on demand high school events at www.NFHSnetwork.com and related apps. For additional information about PlayOn! Sports, please visit www.playonsports.com or follow PlayOn! Sports on LinkedIn.

About KKR
KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management as well as capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR’s insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life and reinsurance products under the management of The Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.

About Panoramic Ventures
Panoramic Ventures (formerly BIP Capital) is a venture capital firm based in Atlanta that takes a “wider-view” approach to investing by targeting the Southeast and Midwest and placing a focus on diverse founders and university startups. Panoramic opens new doors for overlooked founders, giving more entrepreneurs access to capital to build leading tech companies. For more information, visit www.panoramic.vc or follow Panoramic Ventures on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter @panoramicvc.

Media:
For PlayOn! Sports:
Jessica Phillips
404-671-9529
media@playonsports.com

For KKR:
Cara Major or Julia Kosygina
212-750-8300
media@kkr.com

For Panoramic Ventures:
Kathy Berardi
678-644-4122
media@panoramic.vc

Source: KKR

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KKR Invests in Taylor’s Education Group

KKR

Investment enables Taylor’s Schools to accelerate its growth and expansion plan

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Global investment firm KKR and premium Southeast Asian private educator, Taylor’s Education Group (“TEG”), today announced the signing of agreements under which KKR will acquire a minority stake in Taylor’s Schools. Taylor’s Schools owns and operates six award-winning international schools – Garden International School, Nexus International School Singapore, Nexus International School Malaysia, Australian International School Malaysia, Taylor’s International School Kuala Lumpur, and Taylor’s International School Puchong. KKR’s investment positions Taylor’s Schools to accelerate growth and regional expansion.

Focused on the K-12 education system, Taylor’s Schools seeks to empower its learners to become productive leaders in the global community through innovative and creative teaching and learning methods, preparing them for future opportunities. Taylor’s Schools is a member of TEG, a leading private education institution in Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam. Other education-focused verticals under the TEG umbrella include Taylor’s University, Taylor’s College, The British University Vietnam and Taylor’s Hostel Management, among others. These education institutions continue to be wholly owned by TEG.

Commenting on the investment, Dato’ Loy Teik Ngan, Executive Chairman of Taylor’s Schools, said, “Over the years, Taylor’s Schools has grown in significance as a provider of top-class international school education in Malaysia and Singapore. With the intention to expand our portfolio of international schools in the ASEAN region, we are honoured that KKR has decided to collaborate with us in the next phase of our growth. We view their choice as a firm endorsement of the strategy of our K-12 schools platform. We believe that their commitment to building and sustaining long-term strategic partnerships suits us. They will complement our strength in education operations with their regional network, expertise in mergers & acquisitions as well as their access to capital.”

“TEG will remain as the controlling shareholder of Taylor’s Schools and we are pleased that the current management team will continue managing our schools. We will ensure that the world class K-12 international education that we are known for and our community of parents and students have come to expect is sustained,” he added.

SJ Lim, Managing Director at KKR, added, “We are excited by this opportunity to share our knowledge and provide a capital solution for Taylor’s Schools in its ambition to further expand into the region and provide quality educational experiences to more students. Under the leadership of Taylor’s Schools’ management team, all four brands have consistently achieved strong academic outcomes and we are confident that it is primed for more success. KKR also looks to leverage our operational experience, global network, and education expertise to further enhance Taylor’s Schools’ offerings.”

Among its other areas of focus in Southeast Asia, KKR looks to support leading family businesses who contribute meaningfully to the region’s economic prosperity, in their efforts to build sustainable businesses into the next generation. KKR’s diversified and multi-asset investment platform provides KKR with the flexibility to support ambitious companies with a suite of comprehensive, bespoke financing solutions, further enhanced by its global experience and operational capabilities. In the education space, KKR has built up a strong track record in Asia and globally, including through investments in Lighthouse Learning (formerly EuroKids International), a leading Indian education services provider, Cognita Schools, a UK-based global private schools group, EQuest Education, a leading educational services provider in Vietnam, and Education Perfect, a leading education technology firm in Australia and New Zealand. KKR invests in Taylor’s Schools from its managed funds.

Rothschild & Co. is the sole financial advisor to Taylor’s Schools and its shareholders on the transaction.

About Taylor’s Education Group

Taylor’s Education Group is one of the largest private education groups in Malaysia with 20,000 students. It has established itself as a provider of highly regarded quality education and in the last decade has grown its operations to Singapore and Vietnam. With an unsurpassed track record built up over seven decades, Taylor’s has earned the reputation as the leading private educational provider in Malaysia, and offers a breadth of education institutions from pre-school to postgraduate courses. Among its tertiary institutions, Taylor’s University is currently ranked the #1 private university in Malaysia & South East Asia by QS World University Rankings 2022 and, together with Taylor’s College, has consistently been the winner of the People’s Choice awards over the last decade, as well as received recognition from multiple professional bodies around the world.

About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management and capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR’s insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life, and reinsurance products under the management of The Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.

For KKR:
Anita Davis
+852 3602 7335
Anita.Davis@kkr.com

Wei Jun Ong
+65 6922 5813
WeiJun.Ong@kkr.com

For Taylor’s Education Group:
Mark Tan
Chief Operating Officer, Taylor’s Schools
Mark.Tan@taylors.edu.my

Melissa Kong
VP Marketing, Taylor’s Schools
Melissa.Kong@taylors.edu.my

Source: KKR

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