SWaN & Legend Venture Partners is a consumer-focused venture capital firm that invests in customer service-based companies. SWaN & Legend Venture Partners was formed in 2012 through the combination of SWaN Investors, a firm created by the management team who founded and scaled N.E.W. Customer Service Companies (a unit of NEWAsurion) and Legend Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm.

SWaN & Legend Venture Partners

When ValueAct Capital Partners sees untapped value, it acts. The firm, known for its activist slant, buys large stakes in undervalued companies and works with their management to boost performance. Founded in 2000, ValueAct manages some $1.5 billion on behalf of institutional and wealthy individual investors. ValueAct's current portfolio includes stakes in Advanced Medical Optics Inc. (contact lenses; nearly 15%). The company successfully thwarted Advanced Medical Optics' proposed acquisition of Bausch & Lomb in 2008, saying Advanced Medical could not successfully absorb its rival.

ValueAct Capital

Lumina Foundation is an independent, private foundation committed to increasing the proportion of Americans with degrees, certificates and other high-quality credentials to 60 percent by 2025. Lumina’s outcomes-based approaLumina Foundation is an independent, private foundation committed to increasing the proportion of Americans with degrees, certificates and other high-quality credentials to 60 percent by 2025. Lumina’s outcomes-based approach focuses on helping to design and build an equitable, accessible, responsive and accountable higher education system while fostering a national sense of urgency for action to achieve Goal 2025.ch focuses on helping to design and build an equitable, accessible, responsive and accountable higher education system while fostering a national sense of urgency for action to achieve Goal 2025.

Lumina Foundation

BlackRock is an investment management company that provides its services to a diverse range of clients, including institutions, intermediaries, foundations, and individual investors. The firm operates as a global asset manager, overseeing and advising on a wide array of investment portfolios. In addition to its role as an investment manager, BlackRock is also known for its technological innovations and solutions that support various aspects of the financial industry. The company's multifaceted approach encompasses investment management, financial technology, and serving a broad spectrum of clients in the financial ecosystem.

BlackRock

Owl Ventures is a venture capital fund that invests in education technology companies. The firm has invested in 24 companies across the education spectrum encompassing early childhood, K-12, higher education, and career mobility/professional learning. Owl leverages its deep domain expertise and takes an active hands-on approach to help entrepreneurs scale their businesses into transformative category-leading companies. The firm was founded in 2014 and has over $600 million in assets under management.

Owl Ventures

Noodle

Noodle is a U.S.-based organization that helps students make decisions about education. Through unbiased data and real-world advice, Noodle connects students with schools, programs, resources, experts, and more.   Noodle Education was founded in 2010 by John Katzman, the founder of The Princeton Review and 2U.

<div>Founded in 2010 by John Katzman and Steven Hodas, Noodle provides students with a network of schools, programs, resources, and experts. It also creates online and agile programs to help educators develop teaching methods and technology. The company serves the EdTech K-12 market with products and solutions including Inspirica Pros (formerly Noodle Pros), a test prep and academic tutoring solution for students; and Clarks, an end-to-end operations software for tutors acquired in 2019. The company reported that as of October 2021, it had signed 66% of all degree partnerships with the top 200 domestic universities in 2021.</div>

Remote learning is driving an education technology revolution.

EdTech: K-12

Noodle Acquires South African Learning Design Firm Hubble Studios

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 Founded in 2010 by John Katzman and Steven Hodas, Noodle provides students with a network of schools, programs, resources, and experts. It also creates online and agile programs to help educators develop teaching methods and technology. The company serves the EdTech K-12 market with products and solutions including Inspirica Pros (formerly Noodle Pros), a test prep and academic tutoring solution for students; and Clarks, an end-to-end operations software for tutors acquired in 2019. The company reported that as of October 2021, it had signed 66% of all degree partnerships with the top 200 domestic universities in 2021.
 
 
 Inspirica Pros matches students requiring test prep and academic tutoring with experienced, professional tutors. The company reports that all their tutors have several years of experience in test prep, having written test materials, trained teachers, designed courses, and are familiar with the structure and psychometrics of all major standardized tests. Being full-time tutors, their experience and skill set them apart from part-time, student or untrained tutors. Classes are conducted in-person or online for students from pre-K to graduate school. The company&rsquo;s tutoring platform was bolstered by the acquisition of Clark in 2019, a provider of end-to-end operations software, or a tutoring business-in-a-box service, to individual tutors and large-scale tutoring agencies, allowing educators to spend less time on administration. Noodle Pros merged with test preparation and tutoring firm Inspirica in September 2021 to further broaden their service offerings and better serve a wider range of clients in both domestic and global markets.
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 In October 2021, Noodle raised USD 50 million in Series C funding led by BlackRock-managed funds and accounts. The funds will be used to invest in acquisitions and product innovation.
 
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Founded in 2016, BookNook is an online literacy platform designed for learners in grades 1-5. Partnering with school districts and non-profit organizations, the company focuses on human-to-human learning and works with children one-on-one or in small groups, enabling it to gather rich, observational data. As of June 2021, the company partnered with hundreds of schools, school districts, and non-profits across 35 states.BookNook differs from other digital literacy tools by not requiring students to take formative assessments to check for their understanding. Rather, the platform lets teachers record qualitative data on oral fluency, such as whether a student pauses at punctuation marks as they read aloud, or reads in set phrases. Students can also record self-reflections on the platform.In June 2021, the company partnered with MIND Research Institute, a neuroscience and education social impact organization and creator of the PreK-8 visual instructional program ST Math, to deliver a High Dosage Tutoring program (HDT) for math to K-8 students to address unfinished learning. BookNook tutors will deliver tutoring sessions using the ST Math program over BookNook’s synchronous learning platform. The company launched a new teacher application portal at booknooktutor.com in October 2021, giving experienced teachers the opportunity to apply to become BookNook virtual tutors on its platform. BookNook intends to engage 10,000 virtual teachers to support 80,000 students by the end of the 2021-2022 school year.

BookNook

Story2 uses its proprietary Moments Method writing system, its StoryBuilder software, and live online group coaching to help high school students and professionals improve their writing, speaking, storytelling, and collaboration skills.The company aims to help different segments with their specific needs: students with college admission and scholarship essays, professionals preparing for interviews and creating cover letters, and business teams to improve sales, recruiting and company messaging through effective storytelling.Since 2013, Story2 has worked with more than 200,000 individuals in 21 countries with college admission essays, interview preparation, and pitching ideas. The company is expanding into China and India in 2020 and plans to focus on helping science and technology students improve their communication and leadership skills.

Story2

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 Vooks offers a subscription-based, ad-free curated library of children's books converted to video with narration and some slow-paced animation, allowing children to read along while watching. Aimed at young children aged 6 months to 8 years, Vooks promotes reading aloud to develop fluency and comprehension. The company was founded by siblings Marshall Bex and Shannon Bex, and Russell Hirtzel, and is reportedly the first-ever streaming service for books with illustrations, read-along text and animations.
 
 
 In February 2020, Vooks raised USD 12 million in Series A funding; however, the investors and purpose of the funding were not disclosed. In November 2020, the company raised USD 21.9 million in equity investments from more than 30 investors.
 
 
 In November 2020, Vooks partnered with United Way of Metropolitan Dallas (UWMD), a community-based, nonprofit social change organization, and Atmos Energy, a natural gas distributor, to provide around 78,000 one-year Vooks subscriptions for children aged 3 to 6 and early education teachers in the Greater Dallas area. The program is funded by a USD 1 million contribution from Atmos Energy, and contributes to UWMD’s Aspire United 2030 education goal of increasing the number of North Texas students reading at grade level by third grade by 50%. Similarly, in March 2021, the company partnered with Reach Out and Read Of Greater New York (ROR GNY), a nonprofit organization of healthcare providers who promote early literacy. The partnership aims to provide more than 75,000 preschool children with one-year Vooks subscriptions starting in March 2021.
 
 
 In July 2021, it was reported that Vooks is offering its service to authors and producers as a way of quickly testing ideas with audiences through simple animated shorts. Thereby, Vooks expands its library of original content while authors and producers get real-time performance data.
 
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Vooks

Xeropan offers an AI-powered, game-based approach to learning English through 14 of the most widely-spoken languages. As of October 2020, the app had more than one million players.

Xeropan

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 GoGuardian is a provider of student security software solutions to help educators identify learning patterns, protect students from harmful and distracting content, and support students at risk of self-harm and suicide. As of August 2021, the company had partnered with more than 10,000 schools in the US, covering more than 22 million students.  
 
 
 In November 2020, GoGuardian announced a 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/1863">
 merger with Pear Deck
 </a>
 to deepen the support provided to students and teachers and improve their in-class experience. Founded in 2014, Pear Deck is a student engagement platform that allows teachers to create, edit, and launch multimedia content and formative assessments on students' devices to increase student engagement. At the time of the merger, Pear Deck was used by 8 million educators and students in more than 17,000 schools worldwide. Pear Deck co-founder and Chief Educator, Michal Eynon-Lynch, will join the GoGuardian Board of Directors. In May 2022, the company acquired 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/10683">
 TutorMe,
 </a>
 Zovio’s tutoring services business, for USD 55 million in cash to strengthen its product offering. 
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 In August 2021, GoGuardian secured a USD 200 million investment from Tiger Global Management. The funds will be allocated for product innovation, talent acquisition, and business development. 
 
 
 
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GoGuardian

Businesses providing education delivery solutions such as learning management systems (LMS), and tech solutions for data analytics, administration, and other services to educational institutions.

Businesses delivering curriculum-based learning, particularly relating to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education to educational institutions and individual students.

Mostly for-profit corporations running state-funded, tuition-free schools as an alternative to traditional public schools.

Businesses providing extra-curricular education relating to the arts, hobbies, and life skills, and entities providing college and career guidance.

Businesses delivering English language arts (ELA) education, and language learning and literacy support to educational institutions and individual students.

Platforms providing students with after-school tutoring support on an individual or group basis.

Businesses delivering early childhood education, special education, and social-emotional learning (SEL) programs to educational institutions and individual students.

Entities providing professional development resources and tools for teachers, and those providing testing and assessment solutions to educational institutions and educators.

Platforms providing student-parent-teacher-school communication and networking solutions, and those providing search, reference, and marketplace solutions.

Companies that use GenAI as a core part of their product offering for EdTech: K12 solutions

Adaptive learning platforms, personalized learning plans, and AI-powered analytics provide insight into student performance

Learning platforms that promote an inclusive and equitable educational culture for underserved communities

Uses AI/ML to create personalized learning plans, adaptive learning platforms, and intelligent tutoring systems

GoStudent has raised $95 million in funding to advance its hybrid learning approach and AI integration in the DACH region. Byju's missed a deadline to amend a $1.2 billion term loan and is in discussions with lenders. The founders of Aakash Educational Services terminated their merger with Byju's due to a share swap disagreement. SchoolStatus acquired ClassTag, Noodle acquired Meteor, and Quizlet launched new study tools. Age of Learning introduced a new program called "Homeschool+" and TinyTap, Open Campus, and Code Green partnered to enhance children's awareness of climate change. Byju's laid off 100 employees due to performance issues, and customers of Byju's Tuition Center have requested refunds. Byju's also experienced a data breach, exposing sensitive information of students.

Noodle

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