Studyportals Receives €5m Investment to Expand Its Global Study Choice Platform

The fast-growing international study choice platform, Studyportals, helps millions of students find and compare study options across borders, and optimises the student population at universities worldwide.

Eindhoven, NL – March 27, 2017 – The leading international study choice platform, Studyportals, today announced that it has received an investment of €5 million. KEEN Venture Partners led the round and General Partner Alexander Ribbink, former COO of TomTom, has joined the Studyportals Board of Directors.

The investment supports Studyportals’ innovation roadmap designed to optimally match international students with universities based on academic, personal, career, and financial considerations. Furthermore, the investment enables Studyportals to expand its operations to serve higher education institutions worldwide.

In 2016, over 19 million prospective international students used Studyportals’ platforms to make more informed decisions about their education. Studyportals is a key channel for international student recruitment, helping universities and colleges worldwide enrol students and, in the process, diversify their campuses and invest their marketing budgets on the basis of results. Studyportals currently serves 2,450 universities in 110 countries, listing 114,000 study programmes.

Studyportals was founded in 2009 by three international students who were frustrated by the lack of accessible information needed to consider international study options. Over the past years, Studyportals has achieved a wide reach among European universities, listing all Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees taught in English. The company now has set a goal to replicate its success in North America and Asia-Pacific, establishing a global marketplace for international higher education.

Studyportals’ CEO, Edwin van Rest: “We are very excited to accelerate towards our mission of making education transparent, globally. There are still many students misinformed about their study options, or even unaware of the opportunities they have across borders. With the help of KEEN we will be able to soon realise our original dream of having all degree programmes globally in one place, but also enable students to choose the programme that fits them best. We chose KEEN because they share our ambition of truly revolutionising education choice and putting students first. We look forward to benefiting from KEEN’s network of partners and vast experience in scaling global tech companies, particularly on the internet.”

“We believe that Studyportals’ innovative platform can play an important role in improving the quality of students’ choices of where to study abroad, whilst helping universities to reach out to and enrol the right student for them,” said Ribbink. “With a great international team, an exciting roadmap, and an ambitious plan, we believe Studyportals is well positioned to become the platform of choice for students and universities alike.”

International higher education significantly contributes to the global economy. Furthermore, it creates personal development opportunities for students and fosters equality and tolerance in our society. The number of international students is expected to grow from 4.5 million in 2016 to 7.5 million by 2025. This trend is driven by population and income growth in developing countries, as well as the increasing need for an internationally savvy workforce. Students choose predominantly English-taught education degrees. Studyportals aims to become the main marketplace for these students and the universities attracting them.

Contact

Carmen Neghina | Studyportals | +31 655 875 270 | carmen@studyportals.com

About Studyportals

Studyportals is the international study choice platform, enabling students to find and compare their study options across borders. With over 114,000 published courses from over 2,450 participating universities and over 19 million users in 2016, Studyportals is a leading information source for study seekers. Studyportals was founded from an international student organisation in 2009, and initially focused on the European education market. Since 2014 the organisation, headquartered in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, has expanded its services, and is now also covering universities in the Americas, Oceania, and Asia. Its 165-person team includes 35 nationalities. For universities, Studyportals is a results-based channel for international student recruitment.

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

About KEEN Venture Partners LLP

Keen Venture Partners LLP is a new venture capital firm investing in high potential technology scale-ups. The firm invests in technology domains with transformative potential. When working with entrepreneurs, Keen’s team is highly committed to helping talented entrepreneurs with the best support possible by leveraging its network, expertise and capital. The firm operates from London and Amsterdam and focuses on European and select North American investment opportunities. Keen Venture Partners LLP is a Small AIFM authorised in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority and registered as a manager of a ‘EuVECA’ (a ‘European Venture Capital Fund’). The investment in Studyportals benefits from the support of the European Union under the Equity Facility for Growth established by the Council establishing a Programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and small and medium enterprises (COSME).

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