Together, Nearpod and Renaissance will become the instructional operating system of the classroom, combining live instruction and in-the-moment insights with personalized practice and assessment
Renaissance, a global leader in student-centered, pre-K–12 personalized practice and assessment, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Nearpod, a leader in teacher-facilitated instructional delivery, to unlock an unparalleled level of student insights.
“In the past year, seismic shifts have changed education as we know it,” said Chris Bauleke, chief executive officer at Renaissance. “With the rise of COVID-19, this shift crossed a crucial threshold and created a demand for the edtech industry to provide solutions that don’t supplement or replace the teacher, but instead, pave the way for a new way to teach and learn. The combination of Renaissance and Nearpod will empower teachers to drive the full learner experience with a deep set of real-time data, content, and tools to accelerate learning and growth for all students.”
Nearpod offers an interactive instructional platform that merges real-time formative assessment and dynamic media for live and self-paced learning experiences, both inside and outside of the classroom, giving educators the ability to adjust in real-time, while easily seeing how their students are progressing. Teachers can choose from more than 15,000 interactive lessons, videos, and activities created in partnership with leading organizations like Common Sense Education and Smithsonian to quickly enhance their existing content.
Nearly a decade ago, Nearpod’s founders, Guido Kovalskys, Felipe Sommer, and Emiliano Abramzon, observed an influx of 1:1 devices entering the classroom. They recognized a need for a platform that could help teachers and students better connect with one another. Five years later, Nearpod raised financing from third party investors and hired a team of industry experts, former educators, and engineers to create the platform that is now used by teachers in approximately 75% of US school districts. In 2019, Nearpod acquired Flocabulary, a learning platform that engages students in academically rigorous K–12 concepts while promoting literacy through hip-hop videos. In 2020, teachers launched approximately 19.5 million Nearpod lessons, collecting approximately 1.5 billion real-time insights into student learning.
“We’re thrilled to join Renaissance and to support the mission of accelerating learning for all,” said Pep Carrera, chief executive officer at Nearpod. “Connecting Renaissance’s deep insights of over 20 million students to the 1.2 million Nearpod teachers delivers on the full promise of personalizing learning across remote, hybrid, and in-person classrooms.”
Nearpod customers will continue to receive the support, service, and innovation they have come to expect and love from the company. Existing Renaissance customers can look forward to learning more about Nearpod in the months ahead.
UBS Investment Bank served as financial advisor to Nearpod in this transaction.
The American Consortium for Equity in Education, publisher of the "Equity & Access" journal, celebrates and connects the educators, associations, community partners and industry leaders who are working to solve problems and create a more equitable environment for historically underserved pre K-12 students throughout the United States.
