Discovery Education, a global education technology company backed by an investment firm, Clearlake Capital Group, L.P, has recently announced the acquisition of Pivot Interactives, a Minneapolis-headquartered developer of cloud-based activities and labs for the science education of K-12 students.
The value of the transaction was not disclosed.
The acquisition of Pivot Interactives supports Discovery Education’s mission to prepare learners for tomorrow by creating innovative classrooms connected to today’s world. The company will complement Discovery Education’s other successful digital services supporting science education, which include Discovery Education’s K-12 platform, Mystery Science, the Science Techbook series, and STEM Connect.
Founded by Peter Bohacek and Matt Vonk, Pivot Interactives creates and develops dynamic tools to actively engage students in the exploration of scientific phenomena while developing their skills in science practices. The co-founders began working in 2012 with their own students to develop direct measurement videos that allow teachers and students to break out of the classroom constraints. Now, teachers worldwide are using the platform to engage over 1 million students with phenomena and science practices.
Commenting on the acquisition, Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer of Pivot Interactives, Peter Bohacek, said:
“We’re thrilled to be joining the Discovery Education family. Back in 2012, I began to experiment with integrating interactive video into my classroom practice. The results were so promising, I was compelled to continue to explore how to expand the capability of interactive video and that led to the founding of Pivot Interactives. I am excited about this next chapter and the opportunity to scale the impact of these resources.”
Pivot Interactives interactive videos have been thoroughly tested during peer-reviewed, controlled studies. Results consistently show they result in substantial learning gains when compared to traditional hands-on learning.
Adding further about the deal, Co-founder & Chief Science Officer of Pivot Interactives, Matt Vonk, said:
“The Pivot Interactives team shares Discovery Education’s mission to prepare all learners for future success, and I believe that as part of Discovery Education we will be in an even better position to improve science education across the country and around the world. Echoing Peter’s sentiments, we’re excited to join Discovery Education.”
North Carolina-based Discovery Education offers hybrid work schedules and flexible hours so that one can work when and where they are most productive. Through its award-winning multimedia content, instructional support, and innovative classroom tools, the platform helps educators deliver equitable learning experiences engaging all students and supporting higher academic achievement on a global scale.
Speaking on the partnership, Chief Executive Officer of Discovery Education, Scott Kinney, said:
“Discovery Education empowers teachers and inspires students worldwide through digital content delivered on our platform. Unlike other digital interactives on the market, Pivot Interactives explores concepts using real-life experiments, not animations, allowing teachers to include phenomena-based learning at any stage of the learning cycle. Through our acquisition of Pivot Interactives, Discovery Education is now better positioned to broaden our impact by providing our partner school systems access to phenomena-based, active learning tools.”
Discovery Education serves approximately 4.5 million educators and 45 million students worldwide, and its resources are accessed in over 100 countries and territories. The startup partners with districts, states, and trusted organizations to empower teachers with leading EdTech solutions that support the success of all learners.
This is the second acquisition of Discovery Education in August this year. The company acquired DoodleLearning, an online maths tool for students aged 5 to 13 in the same month. Discovery Education has made a couple of acquisitions in the past, including Mystery Science, Spiral, and Inspyro.
