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- Descomplica
Descomplica Funding, Investors & Competitors
Descomplica has raised $112M across 5 funding rounds, most recently a $83M Series E in February 2021.
Last Descomplica funding round
$83M
Series E · Feb 2021
Cumulative funding Descomplica raised
$112M
across 5 funding rounds
Key investors in Descomplica
Valor Capital Group
Social Capital
Valar Ventures
Amadeus Capital Partners
500 Global
Bossa Invest
Invus Opportunities
SoftBank Group
About Descomplica
Descomplica is a Brazilian online education company created in March 2011 by Marco Fisbhen. It began by selling online video classes that prepare high school students for university entrance exams such as ENEM, and it later added undergraduate and postgraduate degrees through its own digital college. In 2021 it bought UniAmerica, a university center in Foz do Iguacu, to widen its accredited course offer. The company reported reaching five million students a month across its digital platforms and had a team of almost 600 people in early 2021. Its investors have included Social+Capital, Valar Ventures, Valor Capital Group, Amadeus Capital Partners, Invus Opportunities, SoftBank and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and its 2021 round of US$84.5 million was the largest for an edtech company in Latin America at the time.
Founded
2011
HQ
Website
Status
Privately held
Customer focus
B2C
Revenue model
Subscription
Descomplica Funding History
Descomplica has raised a total of $112M across 5 funding rounds.
Descomplica's first fundraising round was a seed round in December 2012. The most recent completed round was a $83M Series E in February 2021.
Descomplica funding rounds
| Date | Stage | Investors | Raised | Deal Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2021 | Series E | Invus Opportunities (lead); SoftBank Group (lead); David Evans; Intercorp Peru; Chan Zuckerberg Initiative; Peninsula Participacoes; Amadeus Capital Partners; Valor Capital Group; Bossa Invest | $83M | Descomplica closed a round of US$84.5 million, about R$450 million, announced on 18 February 2021, co-led by Invus Opportunities and SoftBank and described as the largest round for an edtech company in Latin America. Valor Capital Group, Peninsula Participacoes, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and Amadeus Capital Partners took part, as did David Howell Evans, the guitarist known as The Edge. Invus had led the previous round, in 2018. The company said the money would fund Descomplica College, its digital higher-education arm, both through organic growth and through acquisitions of complementary technologies and institutions, with a goal of reaching one million students. Descomplica was reaching five million students a month across its digital platforms and had a team of almost 600 people. It had reached breakeven in 2020 but still burned cash. Its first acquisition after the round was UniAmerica in June 2021, part of a plan to invest R$1 billion over three years. |
| Feb 2018 | Series D | Invus Opportunities (lead); Social Capital; Endeavor Catalyst; Amadeus Capital Partners; Valor Capital Group; Bossa Invest | $17M | Invus Opportunities led an investment of R$54 million, roughly US$16 million, in Descomplica announced on 28 February 2018, described by the company as its fourth round of investment. Existing investors Amadeus Capital Partners, Valor Capital Group and Social Capital renewed their commitment. In 2021 the Brazilian press described the same round as US$20 million from Invus. Descomplica was founded in 2011 and sells online video classes and study plans to Brazilian students preparing for university entrance exams, and it was later to move into undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. The 2018 round came three years after a US$7 million Series C led by Amadeus and set up the larger Series E of 2021, in which Invus was again a co-lead. |
| Jun 2015 | Series C | Digital Prosperity Fund (lead); Daniel Curran; Edelweiss.vc; Social Capital; Amadeus Capital Partners; ZenStone Venture Capital; Valor Capital Group; Valar Ventures | $7M | Amadeus Capital Partners' Digital Prosperity Fund led a Series C of US$7 million in Descomplica, announced on 12 June 2015. The release described Descomplica as Brazil's largest online classroom, founded in 2011 and then headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, with revenue that nearly tripled in 2014 and that the company expected to triple again in 2015. The funding was meant to develop more content, widen the product range and add delivery channels. The round followed a US$5 million Series B in 2014 led by Social+Capital, which had brought total funding to just over US$7 million, and a 2012 seed round from Valar Ventures, Valor Capital Group, Social+Capital and 500 Startups. Descomplica sells online video classes to high school students preparing for Brazil's university entrance exams, using a low-priced subscription model. Amadeus is a London-based technology investor that has backed more than 200 companies since 1997. |
| Feb 2014 | Series B | Social Capital (lead); Lex Liao; Kevin Breay; Valor Capital Group; 500 Global; Valar Ventures | $5M | Descomplica, a Brazil-based edtech company, raised $5 million in a Series B funding round in 2014 led by Social+Capital Partnership, with participation from Valar Ventures, Valor Capital Group, 500 Startups, and angel investors including those via an AngelList syndicate. This round brought the company's total funding to just over $7 million at the time. Social+Capital Partner Brigette Lau joined the board as part of the investment. |
| Dec 2012 | Seed | Social Capital; Valor Capital Group; 500 Global; Valar Ventures | - | Descomplica, a Brazilian online test-preparation company, announced a seed round on 19 December 2012 from Valar Ventures, the firm of Peter Thiel, Valor Capital Group, Social+Capital Partnership and 500 Startups, among other investors. The company did not disclose the amount. The round followed a year of growth in which more than one million students used the platform, including 100,000 students in a single day during a live-lesson marathon the day before the national ENEM entrance exam. Founder and chief executive Marco Fisbhen aimed to help high school students prepare for entrance exams through online video classes, sold at a price point of US$60 a year, payable in instalments of US$5 a month. The investment was one of a growing number of backings for startups in Latin America's online education market, and it set up the 2014 Series B led by Social+Capital. |
Who has invested in Descomplica?
19 investors have backed Descomplica across its funding rounds, including Valor Capital Group, Social Capital, Valar Ventures, Amadeus Capital Partners, 500 Global and Bossa Invest.
Lead investors include Invus Opportunities, SoftBank Group, Digital Prosperity Fund and Social Capital.
Descomplica Investors
| Investor | HQ | Rounds | Role | First check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Participant | Dec 2012 | ||
| 4 | Lead | Dec 2012 | ||
| 3 | Participant | Jun 2015 | ||
| 3 | Participant | Dec 2012 | ||
| 2 | Lead | Feb 2018 | ||
| 2 | Participant | Feb 2018 | ||
| 2 | Participant | Dec 2012 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Feb 2021 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Jun 2015 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Feb 2014 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Feb 2021 | ||
| 1 | Lead | Feb 2021 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Jun 2015 | ||
This data is available for Pro users. Sign up to see all 19 Descomplica investors. Start Free Trial | ||||
Benchmark 350K+ Funding Rounds and Disclosed VC Valuation Multiples
Sign up to see data on 350K+ funding rounds and disclosed revenue and EBITDA valuation multiples, from seed, through growth stage, to pre-IPO.
Start Free TrialAcquisitions by Descomplica
Descomplica has acquired 1 company to date.
Last acquisition by Descomplica was on June 22nd 2021. Descomplica acquired UniAmérica for undisclosed valuation.
Latest Acquisitions by Descomplica
| Description | UniAmérica is a university center in Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, in Brazil. It offers in-person and online undergraduate courses and postgraduate programs. It is now part of Descomplica and operates as Descomplica UniAmérica. |
| HQ Country | |
| HQ City | Foz do Iguacu |
| Deal Date | 22 Jun 2021 |
| Valuation | undisclosed |
| EV/Revenue | |
| EV/EBITDA | |
This data is available for Pro users. Sign up to see all Descomplica acquisitions and their M&A valuation multiples. Start Free Trial | |
Descomplica Competitors
Descomplica competitors include listed companies like East Buy, Stride and Youdao, and private ones like GoStudent, Age of Learning and Outschool.
| Company | HQ | Status | Revenue | EBITDA | Valuation | Revenue Multiple |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publicly listed | $855M | $99M | $4.1B | 3.4x | ||
| Private | $107M | - | $3.4B | - | ||
| Publicly listed | $2.5B | $580M | $3.2B | 1.2x | ||
| Private | $100M | - | $3B | - | ||
| Private | $100M | - | $3B | 30.0x | ||
| Publicly listed | $887M | $30M | $2.4B | 2.6x |
Descomplica Public Comps
Descomplica is still privately-owned, but its public comps include Pearson, New Oriental Education, Duolingo, TAL Education, Graham Holdings, Laureate Education, East Buy, Covista, Fibra Educa and Stride.
| Last FY | EV/Revenue | EV/EBITDA | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | EBITDA | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | |
| $4.8B | $1.4B | 2.6x | 2.5x | 8.7x | 11.1x | |||
| $5.7B | $832M | 0.8x | 0.7x | 5.4x | 4.9x | |||
| $1B | $152M | 6.1x | 5.3x | 41.4x | 19.6x | |||
| $3B | $700M | 1.1x | 1.0x | 4.7x | 5.0x | |||
| $4.9B | $682M | 1.1x | 1.0x | 7.6x | - | |||
| $1.7B | $515M | 3.0x | 2.7x | 10.0x | 8.8x | |||
| $855M | $99M | 3.9x | 3.4x | 33.7x | 27.7x | |||
| $2B | $462M | 2.1x | 2.1x | 9.1x | 7.8x | |||
This data is available for Pro users. Sign up to see all Descomplica competitors and their valuation data. Start Free Trial | ||||||||
Common questions about Descomplica
| When was Descomplica founded? | Descomplica was founded in 2011. |
| Where is Descomplica headquartered? | Descomplica is headquartered in Sao Paulo, Brazil. |
| Is Descomplica publicly listed? | No, Descomplica is a private, VC-backed company. |
| How much funding has Descomplica raised? | Descomplica has raised $112M across 5 funding rounds. |
| What was Descomplica's last funding round? | Descomplica's last funding round was a $83M Series E in February 2021, led by Invus Opportunities and SoftBank Group. |
| Who are Descomplica's investors? | Descomplica's investors include Valor Capital Group, Social Capital, Amadeus Capital Partners, Valar Ventures, Invus Opportunities, Bossa Invest, 500 Global, David Evans, Daniel Curran, Lex Liao and 9 others. |
| Which companies are comparable to Descomplica? | Companies comparable to Descomplica include East Buy, GoStudent, Stride, Age of Learning, Outschool and Youdao. |
| How many companies has Descomplica acquired? | Descomplica has acquired 1 company, including UniAmérica. |
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