Follett

Follett is a prominent provider of educational products and services, dedicated to supporting Pre-K to higher education institutions for over 140 years. The company serves more than half of the students in the United States, collaborating with approximately 80,000 schools. Follett's offerings include education technology, print and digital content, and a wide range of educational materials such as new and pre-owned books, reference materials, and audiovisual resources. As the largest campus retailer in higher education, Follett operates nearly 1,200 local campus stores and over 1,600 virtual stores, fostering school spirit and community engagement. Their extensive market presence allows them to understand the educational landscape, enabling them to anticipate the needs of teachers and students effectively. Follett positions itself not just as a supplier of books but as a gateway to knowledge, leveraging insights to enhance student outcomes and influence the future of education.

Patrick Connolly

President and CEO

21 past transactions

Willo Labs

Acquisition in 2022
Willo Labs operates an online education platform that aims to simplify digital learning by creating a zero-step access process. The platform enables students to effortlessly access ebooks and learning software through their learning management systems or portals. This design not only facilitates easy access to educational content but also benefits institutions and providers by streamlining the introduction of digital resources.

Lumen Learning

Series C in 2018
Lumen Learning, LLC is dedicated to enhancing education through the provision of open educational resources (OER) and digital course materials. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Portland, Oregon, the company aims to reduce textbook costs and improve student success for K-12 and higher education institutions. Lumen offers a range of educational solutions, including complete OER-based courses, modules, textbooks, and various teaching tools. Their offerings include interactive learning content, online homework, and personalized feedback, all designed to facilitate effective learning and engagement. By integrating learning design and analytics into their resources, Lumen simplifies the adoption of open content, making it a reliable choice for instructors and students alike. The company's courses span multiple disciplines, including biology, business, economics, and psychology, while also providing degree programs in areas such as business and general education. Through its innovative approach, Lumen Learning seeks to foster improved access and affordability in education.

NextTier Education

Acquisition in 2018
NextTier Education aims to simplify the college application process for students by offering a mobile-based postsecondary readiness platform. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the company provides tools that help students navigate the complexities of applying to college. Its platform delivers essential information about two- and four-year colleges across the United States, guiding students through the application process by keeping them informed about key dates for college entrance tests and admissions. This approach not only reduces the frustration often associated with college applications but also engages students, allowing them to focus on achieving their educational goals.

Fishtree

Acquisition in 2018
Fishtree Ltd is an education technology company based in Dublin, Ireland, that provides an online platform designed to deliver personalized learning materials for K-12 and higher education students. Founded in 2012, Fishtree allows teachers to easily align educational resources with various standards and tailor them to meet individual student needs. The platform offers access to a wide range of resources, including real-time media and publisher content, while enabling educators to monitor and track student progress through robust analytics. Fishtree operates as a subsidiary of Follett Corporation, collaborating globally to empower educators and enhance the learning experience for students.

ThinkCERCA

Series B in 2017
ThinkCERCA operates a personalized literacy platform that focuses on enhancing students' reading, writing, and critical thinking skills through the practice of argumentative writing. The platform supports educators in facilitating collaborative discussions and debates, enabling them to design and assess lessons centered on argumentation. By tracking real-time progress, ThinkCERCA allows teachers to effectively monitor student development. The platform is utilized by educators and students across all 50 states and in 130 countries. ThinkCERCA has gained recognition in the education sector, having partnered with notable organizations and received accolades for its innovative approach to literacy and critical thinking education. The company has also been acknowledged by various educational publications and received grants supporting its mission to improve literacy outcomes.

Lumen Learning

Series A in 2017
Lumen Learning, LLC is dedicated to enhancing education through the provision of open educational resources (OER) and digital course materials. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Portland, Oregon, the company aims to reduce textbook costs and improve student success for K-12 and higher education institutions. Lumen offers a range of educational solutions, including complete OER-based courses, modules, textbooks, and various teaching tools. Their offerings include interactive learning content, online homework, and personalized feedback, all designed to facilitate effective learning and engagement. By integrating learning design and analytics into their resources, Lumen simplifies the adoption of open content, making it a reliable choice for instructors and students alike. The company's courses span multiple disciplines, including biology, business, economics, and psychology, while also providing degree programs in areas such as business and general education. Through its innovative approach, Lumen Learning seeks to foster improved access and affordability in education.

Valore

Acquisition in 2016
Valore is a company dedicated to transforming the textbook industry by addressing its inefficiencies and enhancing access to affordable educational resources. Based in San Diego, Valore operates ValoreBooks.com, a marketplace where college students can buy and sell textbooks at significantly lower prices than those offered by campus bookstores. The platform features a vast selection of titles sourced from over 14,000 booksellers nationwide, often priced up to 90 percent below list price. Valore is recognized for its commitment to providing cost-effective solutions for students while maintaining a high standard of customer service, as evidenced by accolades from the Better Business Bureau. Through these efforts, Valore aims to improve the overall educational experience for students, professors, and educational institutions.

Baker & Taylor

Acquisition in 2016
Baker & Taylor Corporation is a prominent distributor of books, digital content, and entertainment products, serving publishers, libraries, schools, and retailers globally. Founded in 1828 and based in Charlotte, North Carolina, the company also maintains offices in Pittsburgh and Lewisville, along with service centers across several states and subsidiaries in Australia, the United Kingdom, and Mexico. Baker & Taylor boasts an extensive inventory of approximately 385,000 titles, with access to over 1.5 million additional titles through its Print on Demand program. The company caters to over 36,000 customers in more than 120 countries and offers a range of services, including the Axis 360 digital media library system, Blio e-reading solution, and collectionHQ performance improvement tool. As a subsidiary of Follett Corporation, Baker & Taylor is dedicated to enhancing content distribution across multiple formats and digital devices, ensuring that customers receive both physical and digital media from a single, reliable source.

Wobo

Acquisition in 2016
Wobo, Inc. specializes in eCommerce solutions tailored for the book industry, offering a range of services that include custom inventory management systems and software for online book sellers. The company operates two Software-as-a-Service platforms, BookVolume and VendorForm, which facilitate online textbook sourcing and merchandise ordering for bookstores. In addition to these offerings, Wobo provides product procurement, eCommerce optimization, and pricing intelligence services. Originally founded as Woody's Books in 2004 by Woody Hunt, the company initially focused on selling books, CDs, and DVDs through various online marketplaces. Based in Martinez, California, Wobo has expanded its operations to locations in the United States, Colombia, and Brazil. As of 2016, Wobo operates as a subsidiary of Follett Corporation.

ClassBook

Acquisition in 2016
ClassBook.com is a leading provider of customized online bookstore solutions, specializing in the educational sector. The company offers a digital platform designed to facilitate learning by creating tailored online bookstores for schools, teachers, parents, and students. This platform enables educational institutions to efficiently manage their book purchasing and distribution processes, enhancing accessibility to learning materials. Through its innovative approach, ClassBook.com addresses the unique needs of the educational community, fostering an environment that supports teaching and learning.

Advanced-Online

Acquisition in 2015
Advanced-Online is a prominent provider of online company store programs, specializing in e-commerce websites and branding services tailored for corporations, educational institutions, and the Greek market. The company offers comprehensive online store solutions that facilitate product ordering systems, enabling clients to establish online stores that effectively promote their brands. Their product range includes stationery, business cards, direct mail pieces, promotional items, and company apparel such as t-shirts, sweatshirts, bags, hats, and mugs. Through its services, Advanced-Online assists clients in enhancing their branding efforts while streamlining the ordering process.

ThinkCERCA

Series A in 2015
ThinkCERCA operates a personalized literacy platform that focuses on enhancing students' reading, writing, and critical thinking skills through the practice of argumentative writing. The platform supports educators in facilitating collaborative discussions and debates, enabling them to design and assess lessons centered on argumentation. By tracking real-time progress, ThinkCERCA allows teachers to effectively monitor student development. The platform is utilized by educators and students across all 50 states and in 130 countries. ThinkCERCA has gained recognition in the education sector, having partnered with notable organizations and received accolades for its innovative approach to literacy and critical thinking education. The company has also been acknowledged by various educational publications and received grants supporting its mission to improve literacy outcomes.

Vocabulary

Funding Round in 2015
Vocabulary.com operates as an online learning platform based in New York, focusing on enhancing vocabulary acquisition through an innovative and adaptive learning system known as The Challenge. This system is complemented by a fast and comprehensive dictionary, facilitating efficient learning of new words. The platform aims to transform vocabulary education by providing personalized and lifelong instruction tailored to individual needs, utilizing advanced data analytics to scale its offerings to students globally.

ClassOwl

Seed Round in 2014
ClassOwl Inc. is an educational technology company based in Palo Alto, California, that offers an interactive planning application designed for students, teachers, and school administrators. The ClassOwl application allows students to create personalized planners that include school deadlines, assignments, and tests, while providing time estimations for task completion. Teachers can utilize the app to organize class agendas, share assignment materials, and communicate directly with students, ensuring that everyone stays informed about deadlines and expectations. Administrators benefit by analyzing data on student engagement and assignment completion, which can be compiled into reports for various stakeholders. The ClassOwl application is accessible on both desktop and mobile platforms, enhancing organization and communication within educational environments. ClassOwl Inc. was incorporated in 2011 and later became a subsidiary of Pawprint Labs, Inc. in 2015.

ShowEvidence

Venture Round in 2014
ShowEvidence, Inc. is a company specializing in evidence-based learning and assessment systems, founded in 2011 and headquartered in Santa Clara, California. The company provides a cloud-based platform that facilitates performance assessment by allowing users to demonstrate mastery of core competencies. Its system evaluates various work products, including essays, projects, videos, and presentations, by tagging evidence against established criteria and offering feedback based on rubric standards. ShowEvidence also transforms peer reviews and self-assessments into valuable learning opportunities. The platform is designed to support K-12 and higher education sectors, creating professional development content, offering virtual coaching, and assisting in the certification of teachers and principals. By automating the scoring process and integrating all necessary applications, ShowEvidence aims to produce measurable results in student learning and professional growth.

CampusQuad

Seed Round in 2013
Campus Quad, Inc. operates a cloud-based mobile communication platform designed to enhance the college experience for students. By offering a real-time connection to campus resources, the platform facilitates student engagement through the sharing of photos, events, deals, and classifieds. It centralizes important campus information, allowing students to easily access relevant content and participate in extracurricular activities. Founded in 2012 and located in San Carlos, California, Campus Quad serves both universities and students, aiming to replace traditional campus bulletin boards with a more interactive and dynamic mobile experience. The platform supports content creation, distribution, and engagement metrics, helping institutions foster a vibrant campus community and guiding students on their paths to graduation.

BetterKnow

Acquisition in 2013
BetterKnow is a provider of cloud-based services designed for the higher education sector. The company focuses on making course materials from various sources easily accessible to instructors while ensuring affordability for students. Additionally, BetterKnow aims to generate revenue for educational institutions by integrating seamlessly into their existing workflows and infrastructure. This integration allows BetterKnow to serve as the central system of record for course materials, enhancing the overall educational experience.

VarsityBooks.com

Acquisition in 2008
Varsitybooks.Com is an E-learning company located in 1789 Napa Suwe Ln, Wauconda, Illinois, United States.

TetraData

Acquisition in 2006
TetraData Corporation, based in Greenville, South Carolina, focuses exclusively on enhancing K-12 education through technology. Established in 1997, the company has developed a suite of warehousing and analytic software solutions aimed at helping educational institutions capture, integrate, and store data from various administrative and educational systems. Its flagship products, the TetraData Analytical Warehouse and Central Data Store, facilitate data-driven decision-making for K-12 districts. With a dedicated team of over 50 employees, TetraData's solutions are utilized in more than 600 educational institutions, impacting over 1.5 million students across numerous states, including California, Florida, and Texas. The company is recognized for its commitment to advancing educational performance through innovative technology.

Interactive Constructs

Acquisition in 2006
Interactive Constructs provides custom e-learning and web publishing solutions for publishers and companies. With combined backgrounds of 20 years in the software publishing and educational technology fields, Interactive Constructs has developed a range of e-learning solutions for both the K-12 and Higher Education markets. Solutions range from web authoring/content management, and assessment to complete learning management systems. The value of an Interactive Constructs solution is cost, time to market, and quality.

netLibrary

Series C in 1999
NetLibrary is a provider of electronic books (eBooks) and internet-based content-management services, primarily serving the institutional library market. The company specializes in developing, archiving, hosting, and maintaining eBook collections for various types of libraries, including academic, corporate, public, and school libraries. Additionally, its MetaText division focuses on creating web-based digital textbooks that offer instructors and students an array of interactive learning tools. Through these services, NetLibrary facilitates access to a wide range of reference materials and educational resources.
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