K-12 Dealmaking: Frontline Buys School Improvement Network; Kahoot! Gains $10 Million

Contributing Writer

The education software company Frontline Education has continued its acquisition streak with the purchase of a professional-development provider. Meanwhile, the game-based learning platform Kahoot! has brought in more money through its Series A fundraising round.

Frontline Education Acquires School Improvement Network: Frontline Education announced that it has purchased the professional growth provider for education, in what the company said was it s tenth acquisition overall and the second this year.

The Malvern, Pa.-based company most recently acquired Teachers-Teachers, a national job search resource that connects educators with school systems.

“Professional growth is a critical part of the Frontline Insights Platform and School Improvement Network’s unique resources in professional learning are unmatched,” said Frontline president and CEO, Tim Clifford in a statement.

Frontline says it currently offers a platform of solutions that includes a focus on recruiting and hiring, professional growth, and special education and student interventions.

With the addition of School Improvement Network’s content offering to Frontline Professional Growth’s existing library, “content can be mixed and matched over time to create a rich collection of personalized professional learning resources,” Frontline said.

“Moreover, the acquisition will extend Frontline’s offering and award-winning services to more organizations, bringing the company’s total number of clients to 12,000,” Frontline added.

Kahoot! Raises $10 Million: Game-based learning platform Kahoot! has added $10 million of funding to its Series A financing round, the company said in a statement. This Series A extension funding round was led by new private investors from Norway, together with current investors Microsoft Ventures, Creandum and Northzone.

The financing will be used to fund Kahoot!’s higher investment in product development and expansion of its commercial activities, the company said. This round brings the total Series A funding to $20 million, including $10 million closed in September 2016.

“We are excited about increasing our investment in our commercial activities and in product development, including in mobile, with mobile being the ubiquitous platform that will enable learning anytime, anywhere among learners of all ages and in all contexts,” Erik Harrell, CEO of Kahoot! said in the statement.

KickUp Raises $750,000: Philadelphia-based startup KickUp has raised $750,000 in a seed round led by Red House Education, with follow-up capital from former investor Reach Capital, according to a report from Technical.ly.

KickUp offers an analytics platform designed to help professional development teams synthesize feedback, take action to support teachers, and report on impact over time, according to the company website.

The additional funding will allow the company to “accelerate hiring and launch a new suite of event management tools in time for the upcoming school year,” cofounder and CEO Jeremy Rogoff told the publication.

Peergrade Accepted Into Y Combinator Program: Copenhagen-based ed-tech startup Peergrade has been invited to join seed accelerator Y Combinator, according to a blog posting on Peergrade’s website.

Y Combinator offers startups a standard investment deal–of $120,000 in return for 7 percent of a company’s equity, according to the accelerator’s website.

Peergrade is an online software application designed to enable teachers to create peer assessment sessions, monitor student performance and create a better learning experience for students, according to the company website.

Last December, Peergrade raised $300,000 in seed funding from U.K. ed-tech accelerator Emerge Education and angel investors Nordic Makers.

PlayAblo Raises $600,000: Bengaluru-based educational app PlayAblo has raised $600,000 from automotive component company ABI-Showatech (India) Ltd, according to press reports.

PlayAblo combines gamified learning experience for children and analytics for parents and offers lessons for students in grades 1 thru 5.

The edtech startup, which is owned by GoSharp Technology & Consulting Pvt. Ltd, will use the capital to upgrade its technology platform and optimize product development initiatives, besides investing in infrastructure to increase sales, according to reports.

Be sure to check back on Marketplace K-12 for updates on mergers, acquisitions, fundraising, and other dealmaking.

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