Tag Archives: Education

Ardian-backed AD Education acquires Oktogone Group, a leading player in online education and training

Ardian

AD Education, a leading European higher education platform, announces the acquisition of the Oktogone Group (“Oktogone”), one of the market-leaders in digital education and training, previously owned by its founder, Regis Micheli. This transaction further consolidates AD Education’s leading position in the dynamic sector of higher education in Creative Arts. It also marks an important step for the Group by diversifying into online learning and accelerates its digital capabilities.

Founded in 2002 by Regis Micheli, Oktogone has developed a wide range of online training programs in areas such as Digital, Communications & Marketing and Management. This training is delivered through two platforms: ISCOD, an online school of higher education offering 100% work-study programs, and Visiplus, an online training platform for professionals.

Leveraging on a fast-growing market and recognized brands, AD Education will support Oktogone’s growth momentum and accelerate the launch of new programs. Oktagone will benefit in particular from AD Education’s large portfolio of face-to-face training programs.

With the recent acquisitions such as IMAAT (2021), Asfored (2022) and the European activities of SAE (in progress), Oktogone Group will strengthen AD Education’s position as a leader in higher education in the Creative Arts in full. Its range of services now includes all teaching media (in person, fully digital and hybrid) and is aimed at all audiences.

The deal will also allow AD Education to accelerate the digitalization of its existing courses at a time when students increasingly prioritize online teaching and learning.

”We are thrilled to welcome Oktogone within AD Education. We share common values and the same entrepreneurial DNA. Our complementary offerings and expertise will position the Group as a leader the fast-growing higher education market. We look forward to working with Oktogone and accelerating the group’s digitalization, in France and internationally, notably thanks to their high-quality team and platform.” Kevin Guenegan, Chairman of the AD Education Group

”We are very pleased to join the AD Education Group, which marks the beginning of a new chapter in Oktogone’s development. The mix of in-person and virtual learning, as well as the strong complementary with AD Education’s brand and programs, unlocks exciting opportunities for accelerating our growth in the years to come. This merger is a unique opportunity to create a leader in face-to-face and online education for the creative industries, both in France and in other countries where AD Education is present.” Regis Micheli, Founder of Oktogone

”We are proud to support AD Education and its management team in this new acquisition and to accelerate the group’s development plan, particularly in the digital space. AD Education now offers a diverse and complete range of programs that meet the needs of all learners, whether students or professionals. With Oktogone, the AD Education Group further strengthens its French and European leadership in the private higher education sector.” Emmanuel Miquel, Managing Director in the Ardian Buyout team

PARTIES TO THE TRANSACTION

  • AD Education

    • Kevin Guenegan, Martin Coriat, Benoit Weckx

  • Oktogone

    • Regis Micheli

  • Ardian

    • Emmanuel Miquel, Nicolas Trani, Jean-Baptiste Hunaut, Anouk Daoudal

  • Seller’s advisors

    • Financial advisors: Financière de Courcelles (Martine Depas, Ambroise Boissonnet)
    • Legal corporate advisors: Cygler Avocats (Steve Cygler), Allrights Avocats (Patrice Planes)
    • Financial due diligence: D’Ornano (Claudia Foley, Marc-Olivier Longpré)

  • Buyer’s advisors

    • Financial advisors: Eurvad (Charles Guigan)
    • Legal corporate advisors: Willkie Farr & Gallagher (Eduardo Fernandez, Gil Kiener, Sarah Bibas)
    • Legal Financial advisors: Latham & Watkins (Xavier Farde, Carla-Sophie Imperadeiro)
    • Legal structuring advisors: Latham & Watkins (Olivia Rauch-Ravisé, Clémence Morel)
    • Commercial due diligence: BCG (Benjamin Entraygues, Guillaume Darrieus, Julien Vialade)
    • Financial due diligence: KPMG (Guilhem Maguin, Stephane Kuster)
    • Legal due diligence: KPMG Avocats (Benoit Roucher, Julie Brubach)
    • Tax due diligence: KPMG Avocats (Sophie Fournier-Dedoyard, Gauthier Moulins)
    • Social/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 22,000 students in 15 schools on 66 campuses in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Greece. AD Education covers 4 main sub-segments: Design & Graphical Arts, Media & Digital, Audiovisual and Culture & Luxury. Following the acquisition, will expand its presence in online education and will achieve revenues of more than 220 million euros.

ad-education.com

ABOUT OKTOGONE

Oktogone Group is one of the leading players in training and employment in the digital age. The group combines a range of expertise to support employees, students and job seekers in managing their careers. Oktogone also assists companies in developing the skills of their employees through continuous training, internal mobility and recruitment.

oktogone.com

ABOUT ARDIAN

Ardian is a world leading private investment house, managing or advising $130bn of assets on behalf of more than 1,300 clients globally. Our broad expertise, spanning Private Equity, Real Assets and Credit, enables us to offer a wide range of investment opportunities and respond flexibly to our clients’ differing needs. Through Ardian Customized Solutions we create bespoke portfolios that allow institutional clients to specify the precise mix of assets they require and to gain access to funds managed by leading third-party sponsors. We also provide a specialist service for private clients through Ardian Private Wealth Solutions. Ardian is majority-owned by its employees and places great emphasis on developing its people and fostering a collaborative culture based on collective intelligence. Our 900+ employees, spread across 15 offices in Europe, the Americas and Asia, are strongly committed to the principles of Responsible Investment and are determined to make finance a force for good in society. Our goal is to deliver excellent investment performance combined with high ethical standards and social responsibility.
At Ardian we invest all of ourselves in building companies that last.

ardian.com

Media Contact

AD EDUCATION

Nadia Bahharalves

nadia.bahharalves@ad-education.com  

ARDIAN

HEADLAND

ardian@headlandconsultancy.com

Categories: News

Tags:

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.”

Tweet this

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

Categories: News

Tags:

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

Categories: News

Tags:

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

Categories: News

Tags:

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.

Categories: News

Tags:

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.

‍

Categories: News

Tags:

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.

Categories: News

Tags:

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

Categories: News

Tags:

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.

Categories: News

Tags:

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

Categories: News

Tags: