Nearpod Acquisition, Valuation, Funding & Investors

Nearpod was acquired by Renaissance Learning for $650M in February 2021.

Nearpod acquisition price

$650M

Acquired by Renaissance Learning · Feb 2021

Cumulative funding Nearpod raised

$31M

across 3 funding rounds

Key investors in Nearpod

  • Reach Capital
  • GSV Ventures
  • Miami Angels
  • Krillion Ventures
  • Cito Ventures
  • Insight Partners
  • Marc Benioff
  • Emerson Collective

Nearpod Overview

About Nearpod

Nearpod is an interactive classroom platform for synchronized iPad and Android device use. Orlando-headquartered since 2012 and acquired by Renaissance Learning, it converts presentations into multimedia lessons with real-time polls, quizzes, and drawing tools. Nearpod serves over two million teachers in U.S. K-12 schools via http://www.nearpod.com.


Founded

2012

HQ

United StatesFort Lauderdale, FL

Status

Acquired

Customer focus

B2B

Revenue model

Subscription

Valuation

$88M (Mar 2017)

Nearpod Acquisition

Nearpod was acquired by Renaissance Learning for $650M on 19 February 2021.

Before the acquisition Nearpod had raised $31M across 3 funding rounds.

Nearpod acquisition details
AcquirerDateTypePrice
  • Renaissance Learning
19 Feb 2021Strategic M&A$650M

Nearpod Valuation

Nearpod is currently valued at $88M, based on its Series B in March 2017.

The $21M round was led by Insight Partners, with participation from Reach Capital, Miami Angels, Krillion Ventures, Cito Ventures and GSV Ventures.

Nearpod valuation by funding round

Nearpod valuation by funding round
DateStageValuation
Mar 2017Series B$88M

Nearpod Funding History

Nearpod has raised a total of $31M across 3 funding rounds.

Nearpod's first fundraising round was a $500K seed round in March 2013. The most recent completed round was a $21M Series B in March 2017.

Nearpod funding rounds

Nearpod funding rounds
DateStageInvestorsRaisedValuationDeal Summary
Mar 2017Series BInsight Partners (lead); Reach Capital; Miami Angels; Krillion Ventures; Cito Ventures; GSV Ventures$21M$88MNearpod is an education technology company that provides teachers with digital learning tools, virtual reality content, and interactive lessons delivered across mobile devices. The platform enables educators to create multimedia-rich lessons and presentations while transforming student devices from potential classroom distractions into effective learning tools. The company was founded by Guido Kovalskys, Felipe Sommer, and Emiliano Abramzon, with offices in Aventura, Florida and San Francisco, California. In March 2017, Nearpod closed a Series B funding round of $21 million led by Insight Venture Partners, with participation from existing investors including Reach Capital, GSV Acceleration, Krillion Ventures, and AGP Miami, as well as individual investors Marc Benioff and Scott Cook. This brought the company's post-money valuation to $87.77 million. The funding was earmarked for hiring senior team members and developing proprietary digital content for its lesson library, including partnerships with publishers like Common Sense Education and LearnZillion. By the time of the Series B round, Nearpod had demonstrated strong product-market fit with educators. The company reported a three-year revenue growth rate of 1,320 percent as of March 2017, though specific dollar figures were not disclosed. The platform had gained significant user traction through its "PioNear" program, which enlisted educators as evangelists to train and promote the tool to other teachers and administrators. Insight Venture Partners' investment was driven by Nearpod's high Net Promoter Score, indicating strong customer satisfaction among teachers. With the Insight-led Series B, three representatives from Insight Venture Partners joined Nearpod's board of directors: Brad Twohig, Peter Segall, and Nikitas Koutoupes. By February 2021, Nearpod was acquired by Renaissance Learning for $650 million in an all-cash transaction, representing a substantial return on the approximately $31 million in total venture capital the company had raised over its funding history.
May 2016Series AReach Capital; Emerson Collective; Arsenal Growth Equity; Reach Ventures; Miami Angels; co.lab; Krillion Ventures; Knight Enterprise Fund; Cito Ventures; GSV Ventures; Marc Benioff; Rothenberg Ventures$9M-Nearpod is an ed-tech platform that enables K-12 teachers to find, create, and distribute digital learning experiences, including virtual reality curriculum. The company raised $9.2 million in a Series A funding round announced in May 2016, led by Reach Capital with participation from Storm Ventures, Rothenberg Ventures, Marc Benioff, Arsenal Venture Partners, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Krillion Ventures, AGP Miami, Stanford’s StartX fund, and others. The funds were intended to expand the team, enhance the product pipeline, and reach more of the approximately 125,000 K-12 schools in the U.S. At the time of the round, Nearpod reported usage by more than 10,000 schools and 3.5 million students monthly, with 2,000 schools upgrading to the premium version for access to additional ready-made lessons and enhanced creation capabilities. The company had been generating revenues since 2013 and was growing 200 percent year-over-year, positioning it as a key player in the $12 billion U.S. educational software and digital content market. Nearpod emphasized real-time assessment and personalized learning while maintaining student data privacy by not storing it long-term.
Mar 2013SeedNewSchools Venture Fund (lead); Clarence So; Sina Shekou$500K--

Who has invested in Nearpod?

16 investors have backed Nearpod across its funding rounds, including Reach Capital, GSV Ventures, Miami Angels, Krillion Ventures, Cito Ventures and Insight Partners.

Lead investors include Insight Partners and NewSchools Venture Fund.


Nearpod Investors

Investors in Nearpod by funding rounds participated
InvestorHQRoundsRoleFirst check
Reach CapitalUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA2ParticipantMay 2016
Miami AngelsUnited StatesMiami, FL2ParticipantMay 2016
Krillion VenturesUnited StatesMiami, FL2ParticipantMay 2016
Cito VenturesUnited StatesMiami, FL2ParticipantMay 2016
GSV VenturesUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA2ParticipantMay 2016
Clarence SoUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA1ParticipantMar 2013
Emerson CollectiveUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA1ParticipantMay 2016
Sina ShekouUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA1ParticipantMar 2013
Arsenal Growth EquityUnited StatesOrlando, FL1ParticipantMay 2016
Reach VenturesUnited StatesCleveland, OH1ParticipantMay 2016
co.labUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA1ParticipantMay 2016
Knight Enterprise FundUnited StatesUnited States1ParticipantMay 2016
NewSchools Venture FundUnited StatesUnited States1LeadMar 2013

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Acquisitions by Nearpod

Nearpod has acquired 1 company to date.

Last acquisition by Nearpod was on April 8th 2019. Nearpod acquired Flocabulary for undisclosed valuation.


Latest Acquisitions by Nearpod

Flocabulary
Description
Flocabulary is a web-based educational platform using hip-hop videos, lyrics, and activities to teach vocabulary and literacy across K-12 subjects. Adopted in over 60,000 U.S. schools, it aligns with Common Core standards through formative assessments and lesson plans supplementing core curricula like history, science, and math. New York-based, the program boosts student engagement with customizable content for diverse classrooms.
HQ CountryUnited States
HQ City
New York City, NY
Deal Date8 Apr 2019
Valuationundisclosed
EV/Revenue
EV/EBITDA

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Nearpod Competitors

Nearpod competitors include listed companies like FLOWSPARKS and Docebo, and private ones like Classplus, Amplify Education, LEAD and PAPER.

Public and private companies comparable to Nearpod
CompanyHQStatusRevenueEBITDAValuationRevenue Multiple
ClassplusIndiaNoidaPrivate$28M-$600M21.4x
Amplify EducationUnited StatesNew York City, NYPrivate--$781M-
LEADIndiaMumbaiPrivate--$1.1B-
PAPERCanadaMontrealPrivate--$1.2B-
FLOWSPARKSBelgiumBelgiumPublicly listed$12M$3M$52M-
DoceboCanadaCanadaPublicly listed$243M$26M$578M2.4x

Nearpod Public Comps

Nearpod is no longer listed, but its public comps include Docebo, Jiangsu Chuanzhiboke, Gaotu Techedu, American Public Education, Shenzhen Fangzhi Science, D2L, Qibu, NIIT Learning Systems, MegaStudyEdu and Vitec Software.

Last FYEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
RevenueEBITDALast FYLTM2027ELast FYLTM2027E
Docebo$243M$26M2.6x2.4x24.2x12.0x
Jiangsu Chuanzhiboke$57M($7M)8.9x6.3x(67.7x)-
Gaotu Techedu$917M($38M)0.2x0.2x(4.4x)(36.0x)
American Public Education$649M$64M1.1x1.1x11.5x7.7x
Shenzhen Fangzhi Science$14M$3M29.5x-123.9x-
D2L$217M$17M1.3x1.3x17.1x8.5x
Qibu$24M($16M)15.7x-(23.6x)-
NIIT Learning Systems$204M$42M1.2x1.1x5.9x5.8x

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Common questions about Nearpod

When was Nearpod founded?Nearpod was founded in 2012.
Where is Nearpod headquartered?Nearpod is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, FL, United States.
Is Nearpod publicly listed?No, Nearpod was acquired by Renaissance Learning in February 2021.
Who acquired Nearpod?Nearpod was acquired by Renaissance Learning in February 2021.
How much was Nearpod acquired for?Nearpod was acquired for $650M in February 2021.
What is Nearpod's valuation?Nearpod was last valued at $88M in its Series B in March 2017.
How much funding has Nearpod raised?Nearpod has raised $31M across 3 funding rounds.
What was Nearpod's last funding round?Nearpod's last funding round was a $21M Series B in March 2017, led by Insight Partners.
Who are Nearpod's investors?Nearpod's investors include Reach Capital, Miami Angels, Krillion Ventures, Cito Ventures, GSV Ventures, Clarence So, Emerson Collective, Sina Shekou, Arsenal Growth Equity, Reach Ventures and 6 others.
Which companies are comparable to Nearpod?Companies comparable to Nearpod include Classplus, Amplify Education, LEAD, PAPER, FLOWSPARKS and Docebo.
How many companies has Nearpod acquired?Nearpod has acquired 1 company, including Flocabulary.

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