Blackboard

Blackboard is an educational technology company founded by Stephen Gilfus, Daniel Cane, Michael Chasen, and Matthew Pittinsky through a business combination in 1997. Blackboard went public in 2004 and operated publicly until it was acquired by Providence Equity Partners in 2011. Blackboard products for the K-12 sector include Blackboard Unite (a suite of virtual learning tools and resources; launched in April 2020), Blackboard Learn (a learning management system), an accessibility tool, mobile app, and a service and implementation kit to help districts launch their remote learning efforts. As of October 2020, the company had nearly 20,000 organizational clients and student users reaching into the millions.

In October 2020, Blackboard launched Blackboard Reach, a tool that allows teachers and families to communicate securely with each other as part of the company’s efforts to aid learning and improve the remote, or hybrid, learning experience. The company also announced the creation of a formal Blackboard Student Advisory Council, comprising a diverse and international group of students, as part of its efforts to involve students in developing and designing the company’s software and solutions. In July 2021, the company formed the Center for Advancing Learning (CAL), a hub for education thought leadership, policy, and corporate social responsibility to support student and institutional success. The Center, which comprises internal and external experts, has three main aims: increasing access, supporting underserved and at-risk communities, and improving learning outcomes.

In September 2021, Blackboard announced its merger with Anthology, a provider of enterprise application services, admissions management, student engagement services, learning effectiveness solutions, and alumni advancement services to higher education institutions. Blackboard plans to use this merger to build a comprehensive, global EdTech ecosystem comprising academic, administrative, and student engagement applications. Additionally, the merger will allow the combined entity to gain deeper insight into learners. Following the merger, Veritas will be the majority shareholder of the new company, while Providence and Leeds will hold minority stakes. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2021.

In March 2021, the Education Development Institute (EDI), a member of the Qatar Foundation, selected Blackboard to provide its Blackboard Learn and Blackboard Collaborate solutions to more than 1,300 PreK-12 educators across 13 schools in Qatar and the Middle East. In April 2021, Blackboard’s Learn and Collaborate solutions were selected by several more K-12 schools across the Middle East and Africa (MEA). In May 2022, the company sold Blackboard Collaborate to EdTech solution provider Class Technologies for USD 210 million. In September 2022, the company sold the Blackboard K-12 Community Engagement division to online digital marketing and communications platform provider Finalsite, allowing Anthology to continue its focus on Blackboard Learn Ultra, Anthology Student, and other areas of expertise in the EdTech space. Additionally, the company stated that Anthology will continue to be the preferred learning management system provider for K-12 schools that use Blackboard Learn.

Key customers and partnerships

In May 2021, the company partnered with software development firm Concentric Sky, developers of the branded learning ecosystem developer Badgr, to build its suite of digital credentialing tools including skill-aligned micro-credentials and stackable credential pathways available within Blackboard Learn via Badgr’s “Spaces” feature. In June 2021, Blackboard partnered with K16 Solutions, a provider of LMS course migration, course design, and course archiving services, to facilitate its own LMS migration and onboarding process for new Blackboard Learn Ultra clients. The company also partnered with Amazon Web Services in July 2021 to integrate the Amazon Chime SDK service into Blackboard Collaborate, allowing developers to use its infrastructure and services such as messaging, audio, video, and screen share capabilities. In September 2021, the company announced a partnership with Busuu, a language learning platform, to bring Busuu's language learning content to students via Blackboard Assist.