How M&A Strategy Evolves in Education Technology

Tom Horton, Senior Vice President of Corporate Development & Strategy at Kaplan, Inc.

Online education is not new. Back in 2010, Kaplan University already had 75,000 students in its online higher education program. It grew rapidly and was highly profitable since online schools have lower costs than face-to-face campus delivery-based education. 

But because of the pandemic, the entire educational sector was forced to shift in this direction, increasing competition. There has been a 40% increase in acquisitions since the pandemic, and interest in the education sector has exploded. 

In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Tom Horton, Senior Vice President of Corporate Development & Strategy at Kaplan, Inc., talks about how M&A strategy has evolved in education technology.

Things you will learn in this episode:

- The evolution of online education

- How Kaplan allocates resources for growth

- Five M&A criteria Kaplan requires for potential acquisitions

- Team alignment and how it has evolved over the years 

- Biggest lessons learned from Tom’s M&A experience

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