K-12 Dealmaking: Digital Promise Acquires Two Asia Society Programs; Finnish Startup Raises €1M
Digital Promise Global has acquired the Asia Society’s Global Cities Education Network and its Career and Technical Education Program, the organizations recently announced. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The Asia Society’s Global Cities Education Network is composed of 10 city school systems in the Asia-Pacific region and North America.
The companies said in a statement that the acquisition builds on the Network’s existing partnership with Digital Promise’s League of Innovative Schools, which includes working groups on social-emotional learning and equitable school systems.
The Society’s Career and Technical Education program is designed to help career and technical educators integrate global learning into the classroom. It will work with Digital Promise, a nonprofit that seeks to promote innovation in schools through technology and research, to expand that organization’s current K-to-workforce initiatives.
“With its emphasis on equity and innovation in education, Digital Promise is the perfect new home for the Global Cities Education Network as well as the work to prepare CTE students for our global economy,” said Heather Singmaster, who directs of the Education Network and Career and Technical Education Program. She will join Digital Promise and continue in that role.
Science Education Startup Raises Bridge Round to Expand in U.S. Finnish science education startup Kide Science raised a €1 million bridge round, which the company said will help it expand into new subject areas under the “Kide” brand, as well as increase its presence abroad.
The round was led by Sparkmind Fund, with participation by Finland’s state-owned VC firm Tesi and an R&D loan from Business Finland.
Kide Science has raised €3.2 million since it launched in December 2017.
Currently, Kide Science offers a science education platform for early childhood educators working with children aged 3 to 8-years-old. It recently launched a partnership with Dreamworks Animation and its Netflix series Gabby’s Dollhouse.
“Our research and feedback from customers shows that a child’s imagination can help learning in more areas than just science,” co-founder Jenni Vartiainen said in a statement. “There’s really compelling evidence that shows hands-on learning through stories and play is effective in all areas. We’ve seen it help develop skills in maths, language, social emotional learning and social studies.”
In addition to expanding beyond science, Kide also aims to use the new funding to fuel its growth in the United States, explore international homeschooling markets, and hire a new head of product.
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