Jun 10, 2020

Montagu announces that it has agreed to participate in the buyout of Galileo Global Education (“Galileo”) within a consortium of financial investors.

Galileo is a leading, international provider of higher education to over 110,000 enrolled students.  Its network of 42 schools on 80 campuses offer a number of subjects including applied arts, fashion, design and digital/Internet, business and medicine.  It operates in 13 countries around the world, with a particular presence in France, Italy, Germany, Cyprus and Mexico.

Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Paris, Galileo is Europe’s largest higher education group, in terms of both geographical spread and breadth of course offering.  Its network includes highly respected institutions including the Paris School of Business (PSB), Cours Florent and Atelier de Sèvres in France, Instituto de Estudios Universitarios in Mexico, Macromedia University in Germany and Istituto Marangoni in Italy.

Montagu is delighted to work with Marc-François and his very capable team who are committed to making Galileo the leading global provider of higher education.  Galileo’s market-leading position and its great reputation in higher education makes it an excellent fit for our investment strategy.

Marc-François Mignot Mahon, CEO of Galileo Global Education, said “Galileo is proud to welcome Montagu, which join forces with other major institutional investors to support us in becoming the world leader in higher education and continue our mission at the service of society: to educate and train.”

This is our second transaction in the education sector in recent years.  Montagu had previously invested in the University of Law – the leading provider of professional legal education and training in England and Wales – which was sold to Global University Systems in 2015.

EQT Credit, through its Direct Lending investment strategy, is pleased to announce that it has provided incremental committed credit facilities to support the continued growth of Dukes Education Group (“Dukes” or the “Company”).

Founded in 2015 by Aatif Hassan, Dukes is a leading UK-based provider of private premium nurseries, K-12 schools, colleges and summer schools, as well as university consultancy services.

Andrew Cleland-Bogle, Partner at EQT Partners and Investment Advisor to EQT Credit, commented: “Dukes comprises a portfolio of schools with outstanding quality and strong academic results. We have been impressed by the high calibre of Aatif and his management team, as well as the track record of growth achieved during our continued partnership. This transaction marks one of several made by the Credit platform in the education sector and is another example of the platform’s ongoing ability to provide long-term support to founder-led companies as they expand.”

Aatif Hassan, Founder and Chairman of Dukes, commented: “EQT Credit’s support has been unwavering. We are pleased to have them as a committed long-term partner as we continue to grow our family of best in class schools and educators.”

Contact
Andrew Cleland-Bogle, Partner at EQT Partners, +44 20 7430 5510
EQT Press Office, +46 8 506 55 334, press@eqtpartners.com

About EQT
EQT is a differentiated global investment organization with more than EUR 62 billion in raised capital and around EUR 41 billion in assets under management across 19 active funds. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia and the US with total sales of more than EUR 21 billion and approximately 127,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership.

More info: www.eqtgroup.com

About EQT Credit
EQT Credit invests through three complementary strategies: Senior Debt, Direct Lending, and Special Situations. Since inception, EQT Credit has raised over EUR 7 billion of capital and invested in over 160 companies. EQT Credit’s Direct Lending strategy seeks to provide flexible, long-term debt solutions to support European businesses, across a wide range of sectors. These businesses include privately-owned companies seeking growth capital as well as those that are the subject of private equity-led acquisitions or refinancings.

More info: www.eqtgroup.com/business-segments/credit/strategies/

Investment to support continued growth of a leader in early childhood education

Scottsdale, AZ and New York, NY, February 12, 2020: Funds advised by Apax Partners (the “Apax Funds”) today announced they have reached an agreement to acquire Cadence Education, a leading provider of early childhood education in North America, from investment funds managed by Morgan Stanley Capital Partners (“MSCP”). The transaction is expected to complete in March 2020. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Cadence Education serves families and students in more than 225 private preschools through a network of over 40 brands, including the company’s flagship Cadence Academy brand. The company’s schools serve children aged six weeks to 12 years. With more than 27 years in business, Cadence Education schools offer a proprietary curriculum developed by experts to give students the skills and confidence necessary to excel in their next phase of education.

The investment from the Apax Funds will support Cadence Education to continue its impressive growth trajectory, including strategic acquisitions and the expansion of core operational capabilities.

Dave Goldberg, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cadence Education, said: “We are very excited about our new partnership with Apax, which will help drive our continued growth and bring our mission of providing an exceptional education in a fun and nurturing environment to even more children. MSCP has been a great partner to the business, and we thank them for their support.”

Nick Hartman, Partner at Apax Partners, said: “We look forward to working with Dave and the Cadence Education team to continue to execute the strategy that has established the company as a leader in the early childhood education space. Cadence Education’s focus on children and parents delivers industry-leading customer satisfaction which, in combination with a highly-skilled team, positions the company for continued growth.”

David Thompson, Executive Director of MSCP, said: “We are proud to have partnered with Cadence Education to strengthen its educational offering and deepen its position as a leading provider of early childhood education in the US. Cadence Education is deeply committed to its mission of providing high quality education and care to families, and we have appreciated the opportunity to work with Dave Goldberg and the entire Cadence team during this exciting growth period.”

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP served as legal advisor, and William Blair and Lazard Middle Market served as financial advisors to MSCP. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP served as legal advisor to Apax Partners.

About Cadence Education

Cadence Education is one of the premier early childhood educators in the United States, operating more than 225 private preschools across the country. With more than 27 years in business, Cadence has developed an unparalleled expertise in preparing students to thrive in the next step of their childhood. Cadence Education provides parents with peace of mind by giving children an exceptional education every fun-filled day in a place as nurturing as home. For additional information about Cadence, please visit www.cadence-education.com.

About Apax Partners

Apax Partners is a leading global private equity advisory firm. Over its more than 40-year history, Apax Partners has raised and advised funds with aggregate commitments of c.$50 billion. The Apax Funds invest in companies across four global sectors of Tech & Telco, Services, Healthcare, and Consumer. These funds provide long-term equity financing to build and strengthen world-class companies. For more information see: www.apax.com.

About Morgan Stanley Capital Partners

Morgan Stanley Capital Partners, part of Morgan Stanley Investment Management, is a leading middle-market private equity platform that has invested capital in a broad spectrum of industries for over three decades. Morgan Stanley Capital Partners focuses on privately negotiated equity and equity-related investments primarily in North America and seeks to create value in portfolio companies primarily in a series of subsectors in the business services, consumer, healthcare, industrials, and education markets with an emphasis on driving significant organic and acquisition growth through an operationally focused approach. For further information about Morgan Stanley Capital Partners, please visit: www.morganstanley.com/im/capitalpartners.

Media Contacts

For Apax Partners

Global Media: Andrew Kenny, Apax | +44 20 7 872 6371 | andrew.kenny@apax.com

USA Media: Todd Fogarty, Kekst CNC | +1 212-521-4854 | apax@kekstcnc.com

UK Media: Matthew Goodman / James Madsen, Greenbrook | +44 20 7952 2000 | apax@greenbrookpr.com

Notes to Editors 

London-headquartered Apax Partners (www.apax.com) and Paris-headquartered Apax Partners (www.apax.fr) had a shared history but are separate, independent private equity firms.

Calgary, Alberta, Canada(December 20, 2019) –Absorb Software, provider of the Absorb Learning Management System (LMS) and the newly introduced Absorb Infuse, today announced the acquisition of ePath Learning, a leading cloud-based learning technology company in Connecticut. This marks the third acquisition of the year for Absorb, as the company continues its aggressive growth strategy into 2020. “Our mission has been clear since the beginning –to establish Absorb as the global leader in LMS and deliver significant value to our customers. Acquiring ePath Learning provides a tremendous opportunity to accelerate this vision, and represents yet another exciting opportunity to expand our footprint in the fast-growing LMS industry,” said Absorb CEO Mike Owens. “This is a great strategic fit for ePath Learning.After two decades of success, the Absorb dealenables us to continue delivering on our promise to provideworld-class learning management technology to customers,” said Dudley Molina, President and CEO of ePath Learning.The ePath Learning acquisition follows the August 2019 purchase of eLogic Learning. Absorb also purchased Utah-based SaaS LMS provider Torch LMSlast May. The company now serves more than 1,100 active customers with 255 employees across eight international offices.Business momentum has been validated by a series of recent industry accolades and award wins. Absorb was listed on Training Industry’s 2019 Top 20 Learning Portal/LMS Companies. In addition, the company received the highest overall rating in Gartner Peer Insights’“Voice of the Customer”: Corporate Learning Reportthis fall. Most recently, Absorb won a highly-coveted Brandon Hall Group Silver Award for Best Advance in Learning Management Technology, and was recognized with a prestigious Editors’ Choice Award byPCMag. Absorb is a portfolio company of Silversmith Capital Partners. Choate Hall & Stewart served as legal counsel to Absorb Software.

About Absorb Software

Absorb Software is a learning technology company based in Calgary, Alberta Canada, with global offices in London, Dublin, Shanghai, Sydney, Boston, Tampa and Salt Lake City. Absorb offers both Absorb Infuse, the first Learning Experience Platform (LXP) to offer a true in-the-flow learning experience, and its flagship product, Absorb LMS, an industry-leading and award-winning Learning Management System for businesses, higher education, government and non-profit agencies around the world.

Learn more at www.absorblms.com, or follow the company on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter.About Silversmith Capital PartnersFounded in 2015, Silversmith Capital Partners is a Boston-based growth equity firm with $1.1 billion of capital under management. Silversmith’s mission is to partner with and support the best entrepreneurs in growing, profitable technology and healthcare companies. The firm seeks to invest $15 million to $75 million per company. Representative investments include ActiveCampaign, Centauri Health Solutions,

Digital Map Products, Impact, LifeStance Health, MediQuant, Nordic Consulting Partners, and Validity. The partners have over six decadesof collective investing experience and have served on the boards of numerous successful growth companies including Ability Network, Dealer.com, Liazon, Liberty Dialysis, MedHOK, Net Health, Passport Health, SurveyMonkey, Wrike and Yapstone. For more information, visit www.silversmithcapital.com.

Instructure Stockholders to Receive $47.60 Per Share in Cash; Partnership will Accelerate Innovation and Investment in Long-Term Strategy

SALT LAKE CITY – Dec. 4, 2019 – Instructure (NYSE: INST) today announced that it has agreed to be acquired by Thoma Bravo, LLC, a leading private equity investment firm, in an all-cash transaction that values Instructure at an aggregate equity value of approximately $2 billion. As part of the terms of the agreement, Instructure stockholders will receive $47.60 in cash per share. The price per share represents an 18% premium to the Company’s 3-month volume-weighted average price as of October 27, 2019, the day prior to the Company’s third quarter earnings call at which it announced a strategic review for its Bridge business.

“After a thorough review of strategic alternatives, the Instructure Board of Directors is pleased to reach this agreement,” said Josh Coates, Executive Chairman of the Board at Instructure.

The Instructure management team, led by CEO Dan Goldsmith, will continue to lead the Company in their current roles. Thoma Bravo will support Instructure as it increases investment in education technology innovation and expands internationally.

“Instructure believes the opportunity to become a private Company will provide additional flexibility and position us to invest more strategically to drive innovation for our customers,” said Goldsmith. “We look forward to working closely with all parties to complete this transaction and enter into our next chapter of growth and industry leadership.”

“Instructure’s Canvas product is the gold standard for learning management systems in the global education market,” said Holden Spaht, a Managing Partner at Thoma Bravo. “We are excited to partner with Dan and the senior management team to support continued investment and innovation in the Company’s market leading products and world class customer support.”

Brian Jaffee, a Principal at Thoma Bravo added, “We’ve followed the impressive Instructure growth story for many years and believe Canvas is a highly unique vertical market SaaS leader with exciting scale and future growth potential. We look forward to building on the strong momentum in the business and accelerating growth and product investment both organically and through M&A.”

The members of Instructure’s Board of Directors have unanimously approved the transaction and recommended that its stockholders approve the merger. A special meeting of Instructure’s stockholders will be held as soon as practicable following the filing of a definitive proxy statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and subsequent mailing to its stockholders. Instructure’s headquarters will remain in Salt Lake City, Utah, with regional offices across the United States and abroad. Closing of the transaction is subject to approval by Instructure stockholders and certain regulatory and antitrust authorities and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2020 and is not subject to a financing condition. Upon completion of the acquisition, Instructure will become wholly-owned by Thoma Bravo.

The agreement includes a 35-day “go-shop” period expiring on January 8, 2020, which permits Instructure’s Board of directors and advisors to solicit alternative acquisition proposals from third parties. Instructure will have the right to terminate the merger agreement to enter into a superior proposal subject to the terms and conditions of the merger agreement. There can be no assurance that this “go-shop” will result in a superior proposal, and Instructure does not intend to disclose developments with respect to the solicitation process unless and until it determines such disclosure is appropriate or is otherwise required.

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC is serving as the exclusive financial advisor to Instructure and Cooley LLP is serving as its legal advisor. Kirkland & Ellis is serving as legal advisor to Thoma Bravo.

Additional Information and Where to Find It
The Company intends to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and furnish to its stockholders a proxy statement on Schedule 14A, as well as other relevant documents concerning the proposed transaction.  The proxy statement will contain important information about the proposed Merger and related matters.  Investors and security holders of the Company are urged to carefully read the entire proxy statement when it becomes available because it will contain important information about the proposed transactions. A definitive proxy statement will be sent to the stockholders of the Company seeking any required stockholder approvals.

Investors and security holders of the Company will be able to obtain a free copy of the proxy statement, as well as other relevant filings containing information about the Company and the proposed transaction, including materials that will be incorporated by reference into the proxy statement, without charge, at the SEC’s website (http://www.sec.gov) or from the Company by contacting the Company’s Investor Relations at (866) 574-3127, by email at Investors@instructure.com, or by going to the Company’s Investor Relations page on its website at https://ir.instructure.com/overview/default.aspx and clicking on the link titled “SEC Filings.”

Participants in the Solicitation
The Company and certain of its directors, executive officers and employees may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in respect of the proposed Merger.  Information regarding the interests of the Company’s directors and executive officers and their ownership of Company common stock is set forth in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 20, 2019 and the Company’s proxy statement on Schedule 14A filed with the SEC on April 8, 2019. Other information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests in the proposed Merger, by security holdings or otherwise, will be contained in the proxy statement and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC in connection with the proposed Merger.  Free copies of these documents may be obtained, without charge, from the SEC or the Company as described in the preceding paragraph.

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This communication contains forward-looking information related to the Company and the acquisition of the Company.  Forward-looking statements in this release include, among other things, statements about the potential benefits of the proposed transaction, the Company’s plans, objectives, expectations and intentions, the financial condition, results of operations and business of the Company, and the anticipated timing of closing of the proposed transaction.  Risks and uncertainties include, among other things, risks related to the ability of the Company to consummate the proposed transaction on a timely basis or at all, including due to complexities resulting from the adoption of new accounting pronouncements and associated system implementations; the satisfaction of the conditions precedent to consummation of the proposed transaction; the Company’s ability to secure regulatory approvals on the terms expected in a timely manner or at all; disruption from the transaction making it more difficult to maintain business and operational relationships; the negative side effects of the announcement or the consummation of the proposed transaction on the market price of the Company’s common stock or on the Company’s operating results; significant transaction costs; unknown liabilities; the risk of litigation and/or regulatory actions related to the proposed transaction; competitive factors, including competitive responses to the transaction and changes in the competitive environment, pricing changes, sales cycle time and increased competition; customer demand for the Company’s products; new application introductions and the Company’s ability to develop and deliver innovative applications and features; the Company’s ability to provide high-quality service and support offerings; the Company’s ability to build and expand its sales efforts; regulatory requirements or developments; changes in capital resource requirements; and other business effects, including the effects of industry, market, economic, political or regulatory conditions; future exchange and interest rates; changes in tax and other laws, regulations, rates and policies; and future business combinations or disposals.

Further information on these and other risk and uncertainties relating to the Company can be found in its reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K and in other filings the Company makes with the SEC from time to time and available at www.sec.gov.  These documents are available under the SEC filings heading of the Investors section of the Company’s website at https://ir.instructure.com/overview/default.aspx.

The forward-looking statements included in this communication are made only as of the date hereof.  The Company assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

ABOUT INSTRUCTURE
Instructure helps people grow from the first day of school to the last day of work. More than 30 million people use the Canvas Learning Management Platform for schools and the Bridge Employee Development Platform for businesses. More information at www.instructure.com.

ABOUT THOMA BRAVO, LLC
Thoma Bravo is a leading private equity firm focused on the software and technology-enabled services sectors. With a series of funds representing more than $35 billion in capital commitments, Thoma Bravo partners with a Company’s management team to implement operating best practices, invest in growth initiatives and make accretive acquisitions intended to accelerate revenue and earnings, with the goal of increasing the value of the business. Representative past and present portfolio companies include industry leaders such as ABC Financial, Blue Coat Systems, Deltek, Digital Insight, Frontline Education, Global Healthcare Exchange, Hyland Software, Imprivata, iPipeline, PowerPlan, Qlik, Riverbed, SailPoint, SolarWinds, SonicWall, Sparta Systems, TravelClick and Veracode. The firm has offices in San Francisco and Chicago.

Mumbai, October 30, 2019: Blackstone (NYSE:BX) announced that private equity funds managed by Blackstone (“Blackstone”) have partnered with Aakash Educational Services Limited (“AESL”), to build India’s largest digitally enabled, omni-channel education company.

AESL is India’s largest medical test preparation provider with a network of more than 200 centers across 130 cities, teaching more than 250,000 students, along with a fast growing digital business. AESL was founded as Aakash Institute around three decades back by Mr. J.C. Chaudhry. AESL has demonstrated a consistent track record of results in both medical and engineering entrance examinations over the last three decades. In 2019, nine of the top ten NEET rank-holders were AESL students.

Mr. Aakash Chaudhry, Director and CEO of AESL, said:
“AESL has grown tremendously, emerging as one of the largest and most trusted brands in the education sector. The entire management team is excited to partner with Blackstone, a leading alternative asset manager. We believe Blackstone is a like-minded partner that shares our values and culture. As we embark on the next trajectory of growth at AESL, Blackstone will complement our team with its deep expertise and network in the education sector globally and a team of highly accomplished professionals with a proven track record of creating value. Blackstone’s value creation has been visible already, as they have helped bring Deborah Quazzo, a leading education technology investor, onto the board of the company. Given Blackstone’s unique partnership philosophy, we engaged exclusively with the Blackstone team for this transaction. This investment is a testament to the dedication of our outstanding employees who have built this company by keeping with our founder’s motto of ‘Student First’.”

Mr. JC Chaudhry, Chairman and Managing Director of AESL said:
“It is heartening to commence our partnership with the Blackstone Group, which is one of the world’s largest private equity firms. AESL has seen significant growth in the last decade, becoming one of the largest education companies in the country. By leveraging Blackstone’s global reach and expertise, this partnership will aid our push into newer areas and cutting-edge education technology, enabling us to deliver long-term value to our students, employees, investors and other stakeholders.”

Mr. Amit Dixit, Head of India Private Equity at Blackstone, said:
“We are investing in AESL since it is the most scaled up test preparation business in India with a professional management team and best-in-class corporate governance. Live tutoring, whether in physical or online classrooms, has proven to be an effective model globally for delivering consistent results in standardized tests.

AESL has been a leader in this model in India, delivering exceptional results in NEET and JEE examinations year after year. Our thesis is to accelerate AESL’s push in online live tutoring, both organically and through acquisitions. We are excited to partner with Aakash and his management team to deliver on this vision.”

Mr. Amit Jain, Managing Director at Blackstone, said:
“Unlike most other players, AESL’s mission and business model have been to take high quality test preparation education closer to the student’s home rather than the student needing to migrate for it. AESL’s 200 pan-India centers, powered with institutional academic pedagogy, enable this distributed delivery currently. We plan to supplement this strong physical network by growing AESL’s digital segment to create India’s largest omni-channel test preparation company.”

Kotak Investment Banking acted as the exclusive financial advisor to the sellers. S&R acted as legal advisor to sellers. E&Y, KPMG, Trilegal and Clifford Chance acted as advisors to Blackstone.

About AESL
AESL is one of the largest test preparation companies in India, preparing students from grades 8 to 12 to prepare for medical, engineering and other competitive examinations like Olympiads and NTSE.  Established in 1988 as Aakash Institute, AESL has a long history. Today, the company has more than 200 centers across 130 cities, employing over 2,200 teachers to help teach more than 250,000 students.

Further information is available at www.aakash.ac.in

About Blackstone
Blackstone is one of the world’s leading investment firms. We seek to create positive economic impact and long-term value for our investors, the companies we invest in, and the communities in which we work. We do this by using extraordinary people and flexible capital to help companies solve problems. Our asset management businesses, with approximately $554 billion in assets under management, include investment vehicles focused on private equity, real estate, public debt and equity, non-investment grade credit, real assets and secondary funds, all on global basis.

Blackstone has been active in India since 2006 and has committed over $13 billion of investments in India through private equity, real estate and tactical opportunities.

Further information is available at www.blackstone.com. Follow Blackstone on Twitter @Blackstone.

Contact

Ellen Bogard
+852 9731 9726
Ellen.Bogard@Blackstone.com

Deepa Jayaraman
+91 900 877 8681
Deepa.Jay@outlook.com

Varun Soni
+91 742 879 0060
varunsoni@aesl.in

Investment in a leading Indian education services provider to support high-quality, holistic learning programs for future generations

MUMBAI, India–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Sep. 5, 2019– Global investment firm KKR and leading Indian education services provider EuroKids International Pvt. Ltd. (“EuroKids” or the “Company”) today announced that KKR has completed the acquisition of a majority stake in EuroKids franchise from the existing investor consortium led by Gaja Capital.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190905005477/en/

EuroKids will continue to be managed by its team of experienced educators, administrators and management team led by Co-Founder & Group CEO Prajodh Rajan, who will also remain a shareholder in the Company.

KKR will work closely with EuroKids and its portfolio of brands to identify both organic and inorganic growth opportunities and ways to enhance offerings and practices. Areas of focus include tech-enabled/digital learning and tailored pedagogy to provide more students with access to a world-class, holistic education. Having acquired Kangaroo Kids and Billabong High franchise in 2017, EuroKids has a successful track record of mergers & acquisitions in the education services space, and looks to continue adding high-quality education brands to its portfolio.

EuroKids is one of India’s largest education services providers in the Pre-School and K-12 segments. Its portfolio of award-winning brands, which includes EuroKids, EuroKids DayCare, Kangaroo Kids, EuroSchool and Billabong International, serves more than 120,000 students from 1,115 Pre-Schools and 35 K-12 schools across five countries. Since the launch of its first Pre-School in 2001, EuroKids has built one of India’s most trusted and well-regarded education brands with a child-first ideology focused on safety and learning experiences backed by new-age curriculum that meets international standards and promotes holistic development in children. Earlier this year, EuroKids launched their EUNOIA Pre-School curriculum focused on Mindful practices like Attention, Resilience and Kindness.

Mr. Rajan said, “We are excited to build on our momentum and position our business for its next phase of growth alongside a firm of KKR’s caliber. Our mission is to provide Pre-School and K-12 students with a holistic educational foundation that will instill in them a love for learning that will continue throughout their academic career and give them the tools to succeed long-term. We are thrilled to receive investment and support from KKR which shares our vision, ambition and passion for education.”

Ajay Candade, Director at KKR, said, “The desire for high-quality educational services is at an all-time high in India. The country has over 125 million children in the two-to-six age range, as well as the largest K-12 population in the world at 320 million people. We are excited to support families looking to provide their children with a world-class, new-age learning environment. EuroKids is recognized as a true industry leader that provides innovative education solutions, and we are excited to work with Prajodh and the EuroKids team to accelerate the Company’s growth and advance its mission to bring the highest-quality education to students across India.”

Gopal Jain, Managing Partner of Gaja Capital, said, “We are extremely proud to have partnered with co-founders Prajodh Rajan and Vikas Phadnis, along with the entire management team since our investment in 2013 to support a period of tremendous growth and development for EuroKids. This is a world-class organization – and one of India’s most well-regarded education brands – which is poised to expand rapidly in the coming years.”

KKR has a strong track record and expertise in the education space, including through its former investments in Cognita Schools, a UK-based global private schools group, Weld North Education, a platform operator of digital and SaaS educational solutions, and Kindercare, a US-based operator of early-education and child care education facilities.

KKR makes its investment from its Asian Fund III. Further terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

EY-Parthenon, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, Barclays and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett served as advisors to KKR. Avendus Capital was the exclusive financial advisor to the Company and the Sellers, and Nishith Desai & Associates being the legal advisor to the Company, and Pioneer Legal being the legal advisor to Gaja Capital.

About EuroKids International

EuroKids International is India’s leading education services company in the Early Childhood and K-12 education space, focused at delivering the ‘Joy of Learning’ by enhancing its pedagogy and consistently building a holistic, nurturing and secure learning environment for children. Over the last 18 years, EuroKids International has played an active role in the evolution of the education landscape with its portfolio of brands committed to deliver a robust foundation for future generations. EuroKids International’s portfolio of brands includes EuroKids, EuroKids DayCare, Kangaroo Kids, EuroSchool & Billabong International spread across 350+ cities and five countries. The group is also committed to creating long-term sustainable entrepreneurial opportunities especially for women entrepreneurs and has enabled employment of over 10,000 individuals across the country. Having bagged multiple prestigious awards in the education segment including Best Education Brands, 2018, EuroKids is constantly REINVENTING EDUCATION in the country. For more information on EuroKids International, please visit www.eurokidsgroup.com.

About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate and credit, with strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns for its fund investors by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and driving growth and value creation with KKR portfolio companies. KKR invests its own capital alongside the capital it manages for fund investors and provides financing solutions and investment opportunities through its capital markets business. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.

About Gaja Capital

Gaja Capital is one of India’s leading independent private equity firms providing growth capital to mid-market companies. Founded in 2004, Gaja Capital’s team of sector and functional specialists combine investing, entrepreneurial and operating experience to deliver tangible value beyond capital. For more information on Gaja Capital, please visit http://www.gajacapital.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190905005477/en/

Source: KKR

Media:
For EuroKids International
Amit Yadav
amit.yadav@eurokidsindia.com

For KKR
KKR Asia Pacific
Anita Davis
+852 3602-7335
Anita.Davis@KKR.com

KKR Americas
Kristi Huller / Cara Major
+1 212-750-8300
Media@KKR.com

Sard Verbinnen & Co (for KKR Asia Pacific)
Miles Radcliffe-Trenner
+852 3842-2200
KKR-SVC@sardverb.com

Edelman (for KKR India)
Siddharth Panicker
+91-9820-857-522
siddharth.panicker@edelman.com

For Gaja Capital
Gopal Jain
+91-22-2421 2280
gopal.jain@gajacapital.com