Creating a European champion for hybrid learning.

Founded in 2016 in Vienna, GoStudent is one of the world’s leading online tutoring providers. With a valuation of €3bn, it is the most highly valued EdTech company in Europe. GoStudent currently serves customers globally, offering fee-based, one-on-one video lessons in more than 30 subjects for all school levels and subjects. The company works with over 23,000 independent tutors, and over 1.5m tutoring sessions are booked through the platform each month.

Founded in 1974 and headquartered in Bochum, Germany, Studienkreis is a private education company. Roughly one third of its approximately 1,000 locations are operated as a franchise. In 2017, the company was acquired by IK Partners. Under the ownership of IK, Studienkreis expanded to Austria through the acquisition of LernQuadrat in 2018, and thereby strengthened its market-leading position in the DACH region. By combining offline tutoring with online services and own-developed digital tools, Studienkreis’ vision is to develop a blended learning experience.

As part of its ongoing mission to become the leading global school and education provider, GoStudent has announced the acquisition of Studienkreis. The acquisition is in line with GoStudent’s strategy to combine both online and offline tutoring, to give people access to quality education through technology.

Lorenz Haase, CEO of Studienkreis, commented: “Since our first meeting, it was clear that the two companies shared a passion and belief that the future of learning is hybrid, and we believe technology is key to enabling that. GoStudent’s position in the online world, together with our strong brand and physical position in Germany, will create a blueprint for building individual, dynamic learning paths so each student can not only improve their grades but unlock their full potential. We are very excited to be part of this next phase of growth.”

Felix Ohswald, Co-Founder and CEO of GoStudent, commented: “Combining online and offline offerings creates an omnichannel model that maximises value for families and creates a barrier for competitors. GoStudent now offers a full range of learning solutions for every type of student and budget, a winning combination that will drive our future growth while increasing profitability.”

Ivo Polten, Partner at GP Bullhound, commented: “We are delighted to have advised GoStudent once again on an exciting transaction. Felix and Gregor, together with their team, have not only written an incredible growth story over the past years, but have also continuously developed the business model of GoStudent through a number of targeted strategic add-ons. It is now uniquely positioned to accomplish its mission to become the number 1 global school.”

This transaction highlights GP Bullhound’s expertise in EdTech, having advised Busuu on its acquisition by Chegg, and Lingoda on its growth investment by Summit, in addition to the GP Bullhound Fund V investment into Lingokids, among many others.

Enquiries
For enquiries, please contact:
Ivo Polten, Partner, at ivo.polten@gpbullhound.com

About GP Bullhound
GP Bullhound is a leading technology advisory and investment firm, providing transaction advice and capital to the world’s best entrepreneurs and founders. Founded in 1999 in London and Menlo Park, the firm today has 12 offices spanning Europe, the US and Asia. For more information, please visit www.gpbullhound.com.