ParentSquare, a leading provider of modern family and community engagement solutions for K12 schools, has announced the acquisition of Remind, a well-known communications platform that connects educators with students and families. The joint venture will offer a comprehensive suite of communication tools to help schools and districts engage with their communities more effectively.
ParentSquare, founded in 2011, is used by millions of educators and families in 49 states. The unified, multipurpose platform supports visual dashboards, mass notifications, classroom communications, school websites, and other communication-based services. Headquartered in Santa Barbara, CA, its technology platform features comprehensive integrations with school administrative systems, translation to more than 100 languages, and app, email, text, voice, and web portal access for equitable communication.
Speaking on the deal, Co-founder & CEO of ParentSquare, Sohit Wadhwa, said:
Since partnering with Serent, their strategic guidance has helped accelerate our growth. They’ve played a pivotal role in identifying new avenues for expansion through organic growth initiatives and their support in identifying and executing two highly strategic acquisitions.
Serent, a growth-focused private equity firm investing in capital-efficient, B2B SaaS and technology companies, invested in ParentSquare in 2021, marking their 10th platform investment in the education market. Following the acquisition from Serent, ParentSquare acquired Gabbart. The company has previously invested in ArbiterSports, C2 Education, DiamondMind, DigArc, Education Advanced, KEV Group, LinkIt!, Modern Campus, Progress Learning, and Zollege.
Lance Fenton, Partner, Serent Capital, commented:
This is a transformational next step for ParentSquare that reinforces the shared mission of both companies to foster student success. Incorporating Remind’s Chat and Hub products enhances ParentSquare’s position as a market-leading unified communications platform and allows us to improve the learning experience for millions of students across America. It’s an honour to partner with these remarkable teams, and we are excited about this next growth stage, where our focus remains on elevating student success.
The Remind platform is used in over 80% of public schools and by 60% of teachers in the United States. Remind Chat, Remind’s two-way text messaging for the classroom, will continue to be available free of charge. The app allows teachers to easily connect with students and families in their preferred language, all while keeping their personal phone numbers private. In addition, Remind Hub, Remind’s paid communications platform for schools and districts, will remain available to existing customers.
Chief Executive Officer of Remind, Quenton Cook, added:
Strong relationships are at the heart of student success — and communication is an essential part of that. Focusing on communication and our combined strengths will make us even more effective champions for teachers, parents and the broader school community.
The transaction was completed in November. Remind received legal advice from Gunderson Dettmer LLP and financial advice from Macquarie Capital, while ParentSquare received legal advice from Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. The acquisition’s financial details were not disclosed.
