EDUCARE acquired by SWISS LIFE ASSET MANAGERS

This transaction represents a secondary leveraged buyout wherein ECI Partners acquires a controlling majority stake in Paragin Group. The operation successfully orchestrates a full realization and complete exit for the historical financial sponsor, Main Capital Partners, which had robustly scaled the enterprise during its tenure. Crucially, the incumbent executive management team of Paragin Group is significantly reinvesting to retain a substantial minority stake, ensuring total strategic alignment and operational continuity. The newly formed partnership is explicitly designed to heavily finance the target's next major phase of international growth and fuel ongoing consolidation efforts within the global educational technology sector.

Lumi Gruppen acquired 100% of the shares in Edrupt Holding AS to accelerate its transition into an AI-based education technology provider. The transaction is structured with an upfront cash payment of NOK 71.7 million, with the remaining consideration based on earn-out and outperformance targets for the 2025/2026 and 2026/2027 academic years. The acquisition was financed through existing bank facilities. The strategic rationale centers on integrating the target's scalable AI tools across the buyer's existing portfolio, diversifying revenue streams, and capturing growth in the digital exam preparation market. This deal represents a step change for the buyer, shifting its business model toward more technology-led, high-margin educational services.

CVC Strategic Opportunities has agreed to acquire a significant minority stake in International Schools Partnership (ISP), a leading global K-12 school platform. This transaction introduces CVC as a new strategic partner to support the company's next phase of growth. Following the investment, Partners Group, which founded ISP in 2013, will remain the majority shareholder. OMERS, which acquired its own minority stake in 2021, and the senior management team will also continue as shareholders. The rationale for the transaction is to leverage the combined expertise and capital of the new shareholder group to accelerate ISP's successful expansion strategy. Key value creation initiatives outlined include continuing the platform's disciplined M&A strategy by adding new schools, investing in the development and implementation of proprietary educational technology solutions, and further expanding the physical infrastructure of existing schools. This will serve to enhance the student experience and create additional capacity for future enrollment growth. For CVC, the investment aligns with its Strategic Opportunities fund's mandate to support value creation in long-term partnership investments within attractive sectors. The deal represents a significant vote of confidence in ISP's business model and its leadership position in the global private education market.

Dukes Education, a leading independent education provider, has acquired Thames British School, marking a significant expansion of its European footprint into Poland. This strategic move aligns with Dukes' mission to grow its family of schools across the continent, which already includes institutions in the UK, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, and several other countries. The transaction is presented as a partnership that will unlock substantial benefits for the Thames British School community. For the target school, joining the Dukes Education group provides access to a global network of resources, including a large pool of high-caliber educators, opportunities for international student and teacher exchange programs, and a collaborative platform for sharing educational best practices. This integration is expected to elevate the quality of education and create unprecedented learning and development opportunities for both students and staff. Aatif Hassan, the founder of Dukes Education, emphasized the strong alignment in mission and values between the two institutions, citing a shared commitment to educational excellence, student wellbeing, and the ethos of a high-quality British education. The leadership of Thames British School views the partnership as a pivotal moment in its history, enabling it to further enhance its educational offerings.

Peugeot Invest and Hayfim acquires a majority stake in Novetude Sante from Latour Capital. This secondary LBO values the education group at nearly EUR750 million. Under Charterhouse's ownership, the group significantly expanded through buy-and-build strategies. With this operation Novetude aims to accelerate its European expansion (targeting countries like Spain and Italy) and diversify its training offerings in the booming healthcare education market.

Eduservices completed its fifth LBO, bringing in a new pool of minority financial investors led by Amundi PEF, alongside Arkea Capital and BNP Paribas Developpement. The founder and his family retain a strong majority stake (~75%), while the new investors acquire approximately 20%. The group aims to consolidate the market despite regulatory changes in apprenticeship funding.

IEF2I Education has completed a new buy-out led by its founder in partnership with Andera Acto. The transaction was structured as a sponsorless deal, allowing the founder to significantly strengthen her majority control. This strategic shift follows a period of political uncertainty in France regarding apprenticeship subsidies, leading the group to favor a flexible equity solution over a full trade sale. Historical minority shareholders MBO+ and Naxicap Partners have partially exited but reinvested to maintain a minority stake. The financing package, totaling approximately 20 million euros, is predominantly composed of non-dilutive mezzanine instruments with a smaller equity component. The deal is further supported by a senior bank debt arranged by Caisse d’Épargne, with a leverage ratio maintained below three times EBITDA. The new capital will be used to fuel the group’s buy-and-build strategy to expand its range of educational programs and geographic footprint.

Wendel completed the acquisition of approximately 50% of Globeducate from Providence Equity Partners with an investment of EUR625 million in equity. The transaction marks a shift from a majority ownership by Providence to a 50/50 partnership between the two investment firms. The strategic rationale is to support the group's continued double-digit annual revenue growth through organic expansion, new school developments, and a robust pipeline of international acquisitions. This partnership combines Wendel's long-term capital with Providence's deep sector expertise to further professionalize and scale the group globally.

A consortium led by Neuberger Berman Private Markets, alongside existing shareholders EQT and CPP Investments, signed a definitive agreement to acquire Nord Anglia Education. The transaction values the company at an enterprise value of $14.5 billion, making it one of the largest deals in the history of the private education sector. The strategic rationale is to strengthen the company's mission of delivering world-class education while accelerating research into new teaching practices and curricula innovation. The new ownership structure provides long-term stability and capital for further international school acquisitions and digital learning platform enhancements.

Cinven has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a controlling interest in Domia Group. The transaction was financed through a 165 million euro unitranche facility arranged by Tikehau Capital. The strategic rationale for the deal focuses on accelerating the growth of the Shiva brand and its home-care subsidiary, "Nos Aimés," to capitalize on the increasing demand for elderly and household services in France. The acquisition allows the group to exit its previous ownership cycle with the support of a major international sponsor capable of funding large-scale organic and inorganic expansion. Acadomia will continue to leverage its market-leading position in the tutoring sector to further develop its hybrid and online educational tools. The management team is expected to remain in place to execute the group’s vision of becoming a comprehensive provider of personal services for French households.