Inspired Funding, Investors & Competitors

Inspired has raised $1.1B across 3 funding rounds, most recently a $1.1B undisclosed-stage round in May 2022.

Last Inspired funding round

$1.1B

Undisclosed stage · May 2022

Cumulative funding Inspired raised

$1.1B

across 3 funding rounds

Key investors in Inspired

  • Warburg Pincus
  • TA Associates
  • Stonepeak

Inspired Overview

About Inspired

Inspired is a global network of co-educational independent schools spanning ages 1 to 18, with campuses in the UK, Europe, US, and Asia. Headquartered in London, the group operates over 80 schools emphasizing progressive academics, arts, and sports. Facilities include modern labs, theaters, and boarding options, serving diverse student bodies with bilingual programs in select locations.


Founded

2013

HQ

South AfricaJohannesburg

Status

Privately held

Customer focus

B2C

Revenue model

Product sales

Inspired Funding History

Inspired has raised a total of $1.1B across 3 funding rounds, plus 1 secondary share sale.

Inspired's first fundraising round was a undisclosed-stage round in July 2017. The most recent completed round was a $1.1B undisclosed-stage round in May 2022.

Inspired funding rounds

Inspired funding rounds
DateStageInvestorsRaisedDeal Summary
May 2022Undisclosed stageStonepeak (lead)$1.1BInspired Education Group is a leading global group of premium co-educational schools founded in 2013 by Nadim M Nsouli, operating over 70 schools across 20 countries on 5 continents, educating more than 55,000 students from kindergarten to year 13. On May 3, 2022, Stonepeak announced a €1.0 billion minority equity investment (approximately $1.05B USD) to support Inspired's growth, including new school campuses, digital offerings, and selective acquisitions, while the company remains led and controlled by its founder. The investment positions Inspired to expand as the most impactful education group worldwide, backed by Stonepeak's infrastructure expertise in social infrastructure.
May 2020SecondaryWarburg Pincus-Oakley Capital exited its remaining position in Inspired Education Group, selling both OCI's direct holding and the indirect holding held through Oakley Capital Private Equity II to Warburg Pincus. The realisation was struck at a 25% premium to the carried fair value and returned GBP 97 million to OCI on a look-through basis. It ended Oakley's involvement in the premium schools group it had helped seed through the Educas partnerships from 2013.
May 2019Undisclosed stageWarburg Pincus (lead)-Inspired Education Group announced a strategic growth investment from Warburg Pincus, alongside existing investor TA Associates, in a transaction combining primary capital and a secondary sell-down. Oakley Capital Private Equity II partially sold down its stake at an 80% premium to the December 2018 carrying value, returning approximately EUR 40 million to OCI on a look-through basis. The capital supported Inspired's continued acquisition of premium schools and new campus development worldwide.
Jul 2017Undisclosed stageTA Associates (lead)-TA Associates made a significant growth investment in Inspired Education Group, the global premium K-12 schools operator. Oakley Capital Private Equity II, an early backer of the group through the Educas partnerships, elected to sell part of its interest, returning EUR 22.1 million to the fund. The capital supported Inspired's continued expansion through new campus openings and school acquisitions across Europe, Latin America and Africa.

Who has invested in Inspired?

3 investors have backed Inspired across its funding rounds, including Warburg Pincus, TA Associates and Stonepeak.

Lead investors include Stonepeak, Warburg Pincus and TA Associates.


Inspired Investors

Investors in Inspired by funding rounds participated
InvestorHQRoundsRoleFirst check
Warburg PincusUnited StatesNew York City, NY2LeadMay 2019

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Acquisitions by Inspired

Inspired has acquired 4 companies to date.

Last acquisition by Inspired was on April 1st 2021. Inspired acquired Ostaz for undisclosed valuation.


Latest Acquisitions by Inspired

Ostaz
ACG Schools
International School of Europe (ISE)
Umhlanga College
Description
Ostaz is an online tutoring platform connecting students worldwide with private instructors in subjects like math, science, languages, and exam preparation. The service has facilitated over 90,000 tutoring hours for more than 60,000 students through thousands of vetted teachers. Ostaz operates across Middle Eastern and international markets with personalized lesson matching.
ACG Schools is a group of independent private schools founded in Auckland in 1994 as part of Academic Colleges Group. It operates six co-educational day schools in New Zealand, Indonesia and Vietnam teaching the Cambridge International curriculum from early childhood through to Year 13. The schools serve local families and expatriate communities. Revenue comes from tuition fees paid by parents.
International School of Europe (ISE) is a network of 12 bilingual schools across Italy, from Milan to Rome, delivering IB and Cambridge curricula for 5,000 students aged 3 to 18. Founded in 1972, ISE campuses in Verona and Florence emphasize STEM labs and language immersion in English and Italian. The group partners with British Council for teacher training, achieving 95% university placement rates at institutions like Oxford and Bocconi.
-
HQ CountryUnited Arab EmiratesNew ZealandItalySouth Africa
HQ City
Dubai
Auckland
Milan
-
Deal Date1 Apr 202131 May 201930 Aug 20168 Jun 2016
Valuationundisclosedundisclosedundisclosedundisclosed
EV/Revenue
EV/EBITDA

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Investments by Inspired

Inspired has invested in 1 company to date.

Latest investment by Inspired was on November 30th 2023. Inspired invested in GridDuck in their $600K Series A round.


Latest Investments by Inspired

GridDuck
Description
GridDuck is a smart grid solution that integrates homes and businesses into energy networks using Zigbee wireless gateways, plugs, relays, and switches. These devices monitor real-time consumption and grid conditions, executing user-defined rules via Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or cellular connections to the cloud. The platform optimizes energy usage dynamically.
HQ CountryUnited Kingdom
HQ City
London
Deal Date30 Nov 2023
RoundSeries A
Raised$600K
InvestorsVeridian Ventures; Turquoise International; Low Carbon Innovation Fund; Evenlode Foundation
Valuationundisclosed
EV/Revenue
EV/EBITDA

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Inspired Competitors

Inspired competitors include listed companies like Pearson, New Oriental Education, Duolingo and TAL Education, and private ones like Yuanfudao and Guild.

Public and private companies comparable to Inspired
CompanyHQStatusRevenueEBITDAValuationRevenue Multiple
YuanfudaoChinaBeijingPrivate$1.4B-$17B11.7x
PearsonUnited KingdomUnited KingdomPublicly listed$4.8B$1.4B$9.6B2.3x
New Oriental EducationChinaChinaPublicly listed$4.9B$563M$8.9B0.8x
DuolingoUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$1B$152M$6.9B4.9x
TAL EducationChinaChinaPublicly listed$3B$700M$6.5B1.2x
GuildUnited StatesDenver, COPrivate--$4.4B-

Inspired Public Comps

Inspired is still privately-owned, but its public comps include Pearson, New Oriental Education, Duolingo, TAL Education, Laureate Education, Graham Holdings, Covista, Grand Canyon Education, Fibra Educa and Stride.

Last FYEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
RevenueEBITDALast FYLTM2027ELast FYLTM2027E
Pearson$4.8B$1.4B2.4x2.3x8.1x10.4x
New Oriental Education$4.9B$563M1.0x0.8x8.8x5.6x
Duolingo$1B$152M5.4x4.9x37.3x17.9x
TAL Education$3B$700M1.3x1.2x5.7x6.9x
Laureate Education$1.7B$515M3.2x3.0x10.7x9.6x
Graham Holdings$4.9B$682M1.0x1.0x7.3x-
Covista$2B$462M2.5x2.4x10.4x9.1x
Grand Canyon Education$1.1B$306M3.4x3.3x12.4x10.0x

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Common questions about Inspired

When was Inspired founded?Inspired was founded in 2013.
Where is Inspired headquartered?Inspired is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Is Inspired publicly listed?No, Inspired is a private, VC-backed company.
How much funding has Inspired raised?Inspired has raised $1.1B across 3 funding rounds.
What was Inspired's last funding round?Inspired's last funding round was a $1.1B undisclosed-stage round in May 2022, led by Stonepeak.
Who are Inspired's investors?Inspired's investors include Warburg Pincus, TA Associates and Stonepeak.
Which companies are comparable to Inspired?Companies comparable to Inspired include Yuanfudao, Pearson, New Oriental Education, Duolingo, TAL Education and Guild.
How many companies has Inspired acquired?Inspired has acquired 4 companies, including Ostaz, ACG Schools, International School of Europe (ISE) and Umhlanga College.
How many companies has Inspired invested in?Inspired has invested in 1 company, including GridDuck.
What was Inspired's last investment?In November 2023, Inspired invested in GridDuck's $600K Series A alongside Veridian Ventures, Turquoise International, Low Carbon Innovation Fund and 1 other investor.

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