K-12 Dealmaking: Teaching Strategies Acquires Noni Educational Solutions; BEGiN Picks Up Hands-On Kits Provider
BEGiN, a company offering in-classroom solutions across digital and physical locations has acquired hands-on activity subscription company Little Passports.
“The acquisition of Little Passports expands our existing digital, classes, and tutoring offerings with the addition of creative, hands-on play,” said BEGiN co-founder and CEO Neal Shenoy in a statement.
According to Little Passports, their company, which provides activity kits that include geography and science kits, games, and stories, has delivered more than 10 million kits worldwide.
The merger will allow BEGiN to expand its vision of creating foundational skills for students based on their interests. The company has previously acquired KidPass, HOMER, and codeSpark Academy.
Early childhood education startup acquires Noni Educational Solutions. Teaching Strategies, a developer of early childhood curriculum, professional learning, and other materials, has acquired trauma-focused startup Noni Educational Solutions.
“Now more than ever, teachers need and deserve our support for trauma-informed instruction and coaching,” said Teaching Strategies CEO John Olsen in a statement. The startup that his organization is acquiring “fills a gap not met by any other solution in the market and gives educators the tools and support they need to care for children impacted by trauma and help them regulate behavior so they can learn.”
Noni for Teachers, the app made by Noni Educational Solutions, seeks to provide trauma and mental wellness resources for affected students to feel supported and for teachers and families to support these students and regulate their behavior so they can learn.
Teaching Strategies will use the acquisition to support social-emotional learning in early childhood education. Their family of solutions also includes The Creative Curriculum, Al’s Pals, GOLD, ReadyRosie, and professional development courses.
California-based startup closes a funding round. Learnfully, a personalized learning platform emphasizing neurodiversity, announced it has raised $1.25 million in initial funding.
Participants in the round included Figure Eight Investments as well as Divergent Investments, Farmers Business Network, Goodwater Capital, Incite.org, Amol Deshpande, and other investors.
“For too long our system has overlooked those who learn differently and left them to fend for themselves, instead of emphasizing their strengths and catering to their unique challenges,” said CEO and co-founder Letha McLaren in a statement. “We’re proud to launch Learnfully to bring personalized learning solutions to scale for all learners and empower them to reach their potential.”
The startup curates learning plans and provides access to tutoring services and educational and behavioral therapists, among other specialized professionals. Learner profiles and plans are updated using human insights to assess and measure student progress.
Learnfully plans on using the funds to expand operations and its business reach.
Guatemalan-Colombian startup closes Series B. Platzi, a platform providing Latin American professionals with skills training, raised $62 million. The round was led by Prosus and also had participation from Foundation Capital, Y Combinator, 500 Startups, FJ Labs, and FundersClub.
The startup is planning to invest in more content for its English, Spanish, and Portuguese offerings and build out its enterprise products. Platzi recently partnered with Meta Immersive Learning to award $1,000 scholarships to people interested in learning about Spark AR content creation.
Among the platform’s course themes are web development, advertising, marketing, and soft skills. According to founder Freddy Vega in a statement, the platform has reached 3 million users this year.
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