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 a provider of open educational resources (OER) aimed at enhancing educational experiences for K-12 and higher education institutions. Founded in 2012 and based in Portland, Oregon, the company focuses on creating affordable digital course materials designed to replace traditional textbooks and reduce costs for students. Lumen's offerings include a comprehensive range of OER-based courses, which feature readings, assessments, and various multimedia resources. The company's materials promote active learning and personalized feedback, utilizing learning analytics to improve student engagement and success. Lumen also supports educational institutions with services like virtual training sessions, content analytics, and continuous improvement solutions. Its course offerings span various subjects, including biology, business, mathematics, and psychology, facilitating both degree programs and individual learning modules.

NextTier Education

Acquisition in 2018
NextTier Education is a company focused on transforming the college application process to alleviate the complexities and frustrations typically associated with applying to college. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, NextTier Education offers mobile and web applications that simplify and enhance the college application experience. The company's mobile-based postsecondary readiness platform provides essential information about every two- and four-year college in the United States, guiding students through the application process. It helps students stay organized by notifying them of important deadlines for college entrance tests and admissions, thereby empowering them to concentrate on achieving their academic goals rather than navigating the application logistics.

Fishtree

Acquisition in 2018
Fishtree Ltd is an education technology company that specializes in providing an online platform designed to enhance personalized learning for students in K-12 and higher education. Established in 2012 and headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, Fishtree offers tools that enable teachers to easily align educational resources with various standards and tailor these resources to meet individual learner needs. The platform facilitates access to a wide range of teaching materials, including real-time media and publisher content, while also providing powerful analytics to monitor and track student progress. As a subsidiary of Follett Corporation, Fishtree is committed to empowering educators by creating a collaborative learning environment that fosters engagement and personalized education.

ThinkCERCA

Series B in 2017
ThinkCERCA is an educational technology company that offers a personalized literacy platform aimed at enhancing students' reading, writing, and critical thinking skills through argumentative writing. The platform enables educators to design, share, deliver, and assess lessons while tracking real-time progress in reading and writing. It fosters collaborative discussions and debates in classrooms, allowing students to engage with various subjects through the process of argumentation. With a presence in all 50 states and 130 countries, ThinkCERCA has partnered with notable education leaders and has received recognition for its innovative approach, including being a finalist for the SIAA CODiE Awards and being featured by The Atlantic and EdSurge. The company has also been acknowledged by Common Sense’s Graphite as one of the best tools in educational technology.

Lumen Learning

Series A in 2017
Lumen Learning, LLC is a provider of open educational resources (OER) aimed at enhancing educational experiences for K-12 and higher education institutions. Founded in 2012 and based in Portland, Oregon, the company focuses on creating affordable digital course materials designed to replace traditional textbooks and reduce costs for students. Lumen's offerings include a comprehensive range of OER-based courses, which feature readings, assessments, and various multimedia resources. The company's materials promote active learning and personalized feedback, utilizing learning analytics to improve student engagement and success. Lumen also supports educational institutions with services like virtual training sessions, content analytics, and continuous improvement solutions. Its course offerings span various subjects, including biology, business, mathematics, and psychology, facilitating both degree programs and individual learning modules.

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. Established in 1828 and headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the company operates additional offices in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Lewisville, Texas, as well as service centers across multiple states. Baker & Taylor maintains a vast inventory of approximately 385,000 titles and offers access to over 1.5 million titles through its Print on Demand program, ensuring timely availability for customers. The company also provides innovative digital solutions, including Axis 360, a digital media library system; Blio, an e-reading platform; and collectionHQ, a tool designed to enhance library collection management. With a commitment to delivering both physical and digital media, Baker & Taylor supports a diverse clientele and is dedicated to fostering long-term relationships with its partners. Currently operating as a subsidiary of Follett Corporation, Baker & Taylor continues to evolve in response to the changing landscape of media distribution.

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 buying and selling software for online book retailers. Founded in 2004 and originally known as Woody's Books, the company has evolved from an online vendor of books, CDs, and DVDs to a comprehensive provider of eCommerce consulting and development. Wobo operates Software-as-a-Service platforms such as BookVolume and VendorForm, which facilitate online textbook sourcing and merchandise ordering for bookstores. Additionally, the company provides services in product procurement, eCommerce optimization, and pricing intelligence. Headquartered in Martinez, California, Wobo has expanded its operations to locations in the United States, Colombia, and Brazil, and it functions 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 solutions for corporations, educational institutions, and the Greek market. The company offers a comprehensive range of branding services, enabling clients to establish their own online stores. These stores facilitate product ordering and promote brand identity through a diverse selection of items, including stationery, business cards, direct mail pieces, promotional merchandise, and company apparel such as t-shirts, sweatshirts, bags, hats, and mugs. Advanced-Online's services are designed to streamline the ordering process while enhancing brand visibility for its customers.

ThinkCERCA

Series A in 2015
ThinkCERCA is an educational technology company that offers a personalized literacy platform aimed at enhancing students' reading, writing, and critical thinking skills through argumentative writing. The platform enables educators to design, share, deliver, and assess lessons while tracking real-time progress in reading and writing. It fosters collaborative discussions and debates in classrooms, allowing students to engage with various subjects through the process of argumentation. With a presence in all 50 states and 130 countries, ThinkCERCA has partnered with notable education leaders and has received recognition for its innovative approach, including being a finalist for the SIAA CODiE Awards and being featured by The Atlantic and EdSurge. The company has also been acknowledged by Common Sense’s Graphite as one of the best tools in educational technology.

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 track school deadlines, assignments, and tests, helping them manage their time effectively. Teachers can organize class agendas, share assignment materials, and communicate directly with students, enhancing the learning experience outside of the classroom. The application also includes features for real-time Q&A and provides insights into students' workload. Additionally, it enables administrators to analyze data on time spent on assignments and generate comprehensive reports for various stakeholders. ClassOwl Inc. was incorporated in 2011 and became a subsidiary of Pawprint Labs, Inc. in 2015.

ShowEvidence

Venture Round in 2014
ShowEvidence, Inc. is a technology company that specializes in developing an evidence-based learning and assessment system for the education sector. Founded in 2011 and based in Santa Clara, California, the company provides a cloud-based platform that enables users to demonstrate mastery of core competencies through performance assessments. Its system evaluates work products, such as essays and projects, by tagging evidence against established criteria, facilitating feedback that enhances learning. ShowEvidence's offerings include tools for professional development, virtual coaching, and the scoring of student work, aimed at improving teaching practices. The platform is utilized in K-12 and higher education settings, supporting applications in student learning, certification, and observation.

CampusQuad

Seed Round in 2013
CampusQuad Inc., established in 2012 and headquartered in San Carlos, California, specializes in a cloud-based mobile communication platform called CampusQuad. This platform connects students in real-time to various aspects of campus life such as events, deals, classifieds, and other student-driven content. It serves universities by fostering extracurricular engagement and helping students navigate their college experience more effectively.

BetterKnow

Acquisition in 2013
BetterKnow is a provider of cloud-based services tailored for the higher education sector. The company offers a platform that simplifies the discovery of course materials from various sources, ensuring accessibility for instructors while keeping costs manageable for students. This service not only enhances the educational experience but also generates revenue for educational institutions. By seamlessly integrating with existing workflows and infrastructure, BetterKnow positions itself as a System of Record for course materials, facilitating efficient management and utilization within the academic environment.

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, established in 1997 and based in Greenville, South Carolina, is a privately-held company dedicated to enhancing K-12 education through technology. With over 50 employees, including experts in both education and software engineering, TetraData develops solutions that help schools achieve and maintain high performance. The company's products, such as the TetraData Analytical Warehouse and Central Data Store, are designed to capture, integrate, and store data from various administrative and educational systems. These platforms support data-driven decision-making in K-12 districts. TetraData's solutions are currently used in over 600 educational institutions across multiple states, serving more than 1.5 million students.

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 targeting 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, through its MetaText division, NetLibrary creates web-based digital textbooks that offer a comprehensive suite of interactive learning tools for instructors and students. This approach not only enhances access to a wide range of reference materials but also supports educational needs by integrating technology into the learning experience.
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