Education Funding News in Brief

Blackboard Inc. Purchases Education Software Developer

By Kathleen Kennedy Manzo — May 18, 2009 1 min read
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Blackboard Inc., a dominant company in the United States for e-learning tools, announced last week that it had acquired the education software developer ANGEL Learning Inc.

The Indianapolis-based ANGEL’s products include learning-management software and an electronic-portfolio system that tracks students’ progress.

The $95 million deal will expand Blackboard’s client base to nearly 6,000 schools, colleges, government agencies, and corporations, according to a statement by the Washington-based company. Blackboard, which reported significant losses in revenue last year but improved revenues recently, said it anticipates savings by combining some of the companies’ infrastructure, sales, and administrative operations. Blackboard also hopes that ANGEL’s support services will help the combined company maintain and expand its client base, the statement said.

A version of this article appeared in the May 20, 2009 edition of Education Week

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