M&A Deal Summary

Leeds Equity Partners Acquires Big Blue Marble Academy

On January 3, 2024, private equity firm Leeds Equity Partners acquired education company Big Blue Marble Academy from Avathon Capital

Acquisition Highlights
  • This is Leeds Equity Partners’ 16th transaction in the Education sector.
  • This is Leeds Equity Partners’ 36th transaction in the United States.
  • This is Leeds Equity Partners’ 2nd transaction in Georgia.

M&A Deal Summary
Date 2024-01-03
Target Big Blue Marble Academy
Sector Education
Buyer(s) Leeds Equity Partners
Sellers(s) Avathon Capital
Deal Type Secondary Buyout
Advisor(s) Robert W. Baird & Co., Inc.
William Blair (Financial)

Target

Big Blue Marble Academy

Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Big Blue Marble Academy provides high-quality, education-based programs for children ranging from infancy through age four, as well as before and after school and summer camp programs. The company offers a unique, proprietary curriculum, a rich language immersion program, and hands-on, student-led philanthropic activities, all of which are core to the organization’s mission of promoting student readiness and success. Big Blue Marble Academy was founded in 2012 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia.

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Buyer(S) 1

Buyer

Leeds Equity Partners

New York, New York, United States

Investor Investor Investor Investor Investor

Category Private Equity Firm
Founded 1993
PE ASSETS 3.3B USD
Size Large
Type Sector Focused
DESCRIPTION

Leeds Equity Partners is a specialist private equity firm that targets investments in middle-market companies operating in knowledge industries. Specific areas of interest include education (K-12, postsecondary, at-risk/special education, instruction materials, testing), training (corporate training, professional certification/continuing education, language training), and information/business services (b2b publishing, information databases/research, tradeshows/conferences, business process outsourcing, consulting, staffing, marketing). Leeds prefers investing in established companies that are leaders in their respective markets. Leeds Equity Partners was formed in 1993 and is based in New York, New York.

DEAL STATS #
Overall 39 of 42
Sector (Education) 16 of 18
Type (Secondary Buyout) 6 of 8
State (Georgia) 2 of 2
Country (United States) 36 of 39
Year (2024) 1 of 4
PREVIOUS DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2023-02-02 TalentNeuron

Santa Clara, California, United States

TalentNeuron is a subscription-based provider of labor market data and analytics for corporate human resource and talent analytics teams. Through its proprietary data normalization and enrichment process, the company creates actionable labor market intelligence out of disparate, unstructured data, enabling talent leaders to make critical human capital decisions, deliver more efficient workforce access, and advance corporate DEI initiatives. TalentNeuron is based in Santa Clara, California.

Buy -
FOLLOWING DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2024-02-29 TouchMath

Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States

TouchMath is a publisher and distributor of supplemental math curriculum materials. TouchMath was founded in 1975 and is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Buy -

Seller(S) 1

SELLER

Avathon Capital

Investor Investor Investor Investor Investor

Category Private Equity Firm
PE ASSETS 400M USD
Size Middle-Market
Type Sector Focused
DESCRIPTION

Avathon Capital is a private investment firm focused on majority or minority investments in mid-sized US-based companies. The Firm is a generalist investor and seeks businesses with clear growth opportunities and strong product/market fit. Avathon looks to commit $10 to $50 million per transaction. Avathon Capital is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

DEAL STATS #
Overall 1 of 1
Sector (Education) 1 of 1
Type (Secondary Buyout) 1 of 1
State (Georgia) 1 of 1
Country (United States) 1 of 1
Year (2024) 1 of 1
PREVIOUS DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2021-08-05 ReUp Education

Austin, Texas, United States

ReUp Education is the expert in understanding, engaging, and re-enrolling adult learners. Through its unique blend of data, technology, and specialized coaching, ReUp has engaged more than 150,000 stop-out students across a wide range of universities and helped re-enroll over 16,000 students. ReUp Education was founded in 2015 and is based in Austin, Texas.

Buy -
FOLLOWING DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2024-01-31 Magical Beginnings

Middleton, Massachusetts, United States

Magical Beginnings provides high-quality, education-based programs for children ranging from infants through pre-K. Magical Beginnings was founded in 1990 and is based in Middleton, Massachusetts.

Buy -
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