EdBizWatch

Ed Tech's Funding Frenzy

Consumer-facing companies, however, are receiving more funding than ever before.

Ed Tech's Funding Frenzy, Carl Strausheim, Inside Higher Ed

Pearson sells PowerSchool to Vista Equity Partners for $350M

PowerSchool provides back-office software, such as pupil attendance tracking, etc.

Pearson sells PowerSchool to Vista Equity Partners for $350M, D. Hipwell, The Times 

McGraw-Hill Education Prepares for IPO

Apollo acquired the business from McGraw-Hill Companies in Mar 2013 for $2.4 billion. 

McGraw-Hill Education Prepares for IPO, Baker, Oran, and Roumeliotis, Reuters

Laureate Education Inc. Seeking a $1 Billion IPO

Largest for-profit college network in the world was taken private in 2007 for $3.8 billion.

Laureate Education Inc. Seeking a $1 Billion IPO, Picker & Banerjee, Bloomberg

Scholastic Sells Ed Tech Business for $575M to HMH

Shareholders pressured Houghton to return more of its growing cash pile.

Scholastic Sells Ed Tech Business for $575M to HMH, Trachtenberg & Chen, WSJ

LinkedIn to Acquire Lynda.com for $1.5 Billion

Lynda.com will be part of LinkedIn's Economic Graph which maps the world’s people, jobs, skills and knowledge. 

LinkedIn to Acquire Lynda.com for $1.5 Billion, Kirsten Winkler, Edukwest

OverDrive Bought for $410 Million by Rakuten

Rakuten's OverDrive deal comes a week after it's $530M funding round for Lyft.

E-Book firm OverDrive Bought for $410 Million by Rakuten, Teppei Kasai, Reuters

SoFi Raises $200 Million Led by Third Point Ventures

The new funding values SoFi at $1.3 billion ahead of its upcoming IPO.

SoFi Raises $200 Million Led by Third Point Ventures, Kay Alexander, Edukwest

Ed Tech Funding Hits $1.87 Billion in 2014

A number of ed tech companies are nearing the $1 billion valuation mark.

Ed Tech Funding Hits $1.87 Billion in 2014, CB Insights 

Lynda.com Raises $186 Million, Led by TPG Capital

This amount represents the largest ed tech financing deal in the last six years.

Investors Put $186 Million Into Lynda.com, Natash Singer, New York Times

SurveyMonkey Raises $250 Million

Participants: T. Rowe Price, Morgan Stanley, Baillie Gifford, Tiger Global, & Dave Goldberg.

SurveyMonkey Raises $250 Million, Serena Saitto and Jillian Ward, Bloomberg 

Modern Star Bought for $222 Million from Australia's Navis

Purchase is Navis's 2nd in Australian child learning sector, after Guardian Early Lrng deal.

Modern Star Bought for $222 Million from Australia's Navis, Reuters

LightSide Labs Acquired by Turnitin, Terms Undisclosed

Last June, the company was purchased by Insight Venture Partners & GIC for $725M.

LightSide Labs Acquired by Turnitin, Justine Coyne, Pittsburg Business Times

Minecraft Maker Mojang Bought For $2.5 Billion by Microsoft

“Yes, the deal is real. Mojang is being bought by Microsoft. Everything is going to be OK.″

Minecraft Maker Mojang Bought For $2.5 Billion by Microsoft, Samantha Sharf, Forbes

IParadigms Bought for $752M by Insight Venture Partners

Online plagiarism-prevention & grading service acquired by IVP & a Singapore fund.

IParadigms Bought for $752M by IVP & GIC, Patrick Hoge, SF Business Times

CrossKnowledge Bought for $175 million by Wiley

Co offers teacher skills assessment, training & certifications delivered a via cloud platform.

CrossKnowledge Bought for $175 million by Wiley, Michael Calia, Wall Street Journal

2U IPO, Stock Up 7.5% ON First Trading Day

Co sold 9.175M shares at $13 apiece, bringing in a total of $119.3M on 3/28/14.

2U IPO, Stock Up 7.5% ON First Trading Day, Kirsten Winkler, Edukwest

2U’s Upcoming IPO: Filing estimates $533M Company Value

2U IPO will be a bellwether on how the market will value ed tech companies, especially after Chegg’s disappointing IPO and subsequent trading. 

2U’s Upcoming IPO: Filing estimates $533M Company Value, Phil Hill, eLiterate

Charterhouse in the Lead to Buy Skillsoft for $2.3 Billion

Skillsoft provides cloud-based learning solutions to 6K+ customers globally.

Charterhouse in the lead to buy Skillsoft, Kim, Roumeliotis, Damouni, Reuters

Renaissance Learning Sold for $1.1 Billion

Only last month Renaissance Learning raised $40M from Google, valuing co at $1B.

Renaissance Learning Sold for $1.1 Billion, Michael De La Merced, New York Times