Carmen Neghina
5 years ago

Studyportals reveals new investment by HE top executive, Bill Barke

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Studyportals HQ

Eindhoven, November 2018 – Studyportals, the global study choice platform, announced a new strategic investor: Bill Barke – former Pearson executive, advisor to disruptive startups in higher education and early literacy advocate. Bill Barke joined the Studyportals advisory board as Chairman in 2016, having been instrumental in recruiting and selecting its North American seasoned experts. He has now decided to expand his involvement beyond the advisory role to also become an investor to further support the company’s ambitious goals of bringing transparency to international study choice.

Bill has a track record of anticipating transformational market trends, such as the one Studyportals is aiming to bring to the international education industry. His focus is on driving the company’s North American partnership development strategy. Bill Barke mentioned:

‘I am honoured to join the Studyportals team as an adviser and investor. Studyportals has quickly emerged as a model of excellence in their industry, through its vision, leadership and talent. A visit to its headquarters and the passion and energy we discovered there convinced Vicki Barke and me to form a closer bond with this talented group.’

Edwin van Rest, CEO of Studyportals, comments:

‘We are humbled to have such an outstanding expert and industry leader not just leading our North American advisory board, but also financially investing in our mission. We are an ambitious team, aiming to revolutionize the quality of information and choice available to students globally. Higher education is a very complex sector, yet one where the potential for innovation and disruption is tremendous, and Studyportals is well on its path to bring transparency to study choice, globally. Bill has vast experience elevating higher education and his support for our plan is a great encouragement for our whole team. On a personal level, he is an inspiration, a mentor as well as a rock to me.’

These investments follow the largest investment round of Studyportals, led by KEEN Venture Partners and amounting to €5 million in March 2017 and another undisclosed investment this October by David Vismans, CPO of Booking.com.

About Bill Barke

Over his impressive career spanning four decades, Bill Barke has held a number of executive roles, including Executive Chairman of Pearson’s North America for Higher Education, Chairman and CEO of Addison Wesley Higher Education and President and CEO of Allyn and Bacon. Bill has a created a strong legacy in higher education by pioneering the use of technology to personalize learning. Bill and Vicki are avid supporters of several Boston based charities, including Raising a Reader and Jumpstart For Young Children.

About Studyportals

Studyportals is the international study choice platform, enabling students to find and compare their study options across borders. With over 150,000 published courses from over 3,050 participating universities and over 28 million users in 2017, Studyportals is the world’s leading information source for study seekers. Studyportals was founded from an international student organization in 2009, and initially focused on the European education market. Since 2014 the organization, headquartered in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, has expanded its services, and is now also covering universities in the Americas, Oceania, and Asia. Its 200-person team includes 35 nationalities. For universities, Studyportals is a results-based channel to grow, optimize and diversify their (international) classrooms.

Studyportals has received numerous awards for its growth and social impact, including the EdTechxGlobal award in 2016 for best Education Technology growth company, the FD Gazelle award for #1 growth company in the Netherlands in the international category, and the ‘Change the World’ award from Entrepreneurs’ Organization NL. For more information, visit www.studyportals.com.

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