Learnosity CEO Gavin Cooney. Image: Learnosity Group
The assessment tech company said the deal will help it scale as ‘learning grows more digitally focused’.
Dublin-based Learnosity is expanding its reach in the edtech market by acquiring Questionmark.
Learnosity develops assessment infrastructure for online and digital learning, and said the deal would help scale its work in corporate, government and certification sectors.
UK-headquartered Questionmark is in a similar line of business, focusing on online assessment software. The company, which has offices in Germany and the US, has more than 600 customers worldwide.
Over the past year, the pandemic has accelerated the move to digital from in-person education and paper-based assessments.
It is hoped that the acquisition can help the two companies further tap into this changing edtech market, with combined R&D, engineering and commercial capabilities.
‘Digitally focused’ learning
Learnosity was founded in 2007 by Gavin Cooney and Mark Lynch. The company is headquartered in Dublin and also has an R&D team in Sydney and a US office in New York.
Tech-focused investment firm Battery Ventures bought a 40pc stake in the business in 2018.
Its SaaS assessment infrastructure is used by more than 120 clients around the world including learning platforms and publishers. This tech reaches around 39m learners a year in schools, higher education, vocational learning and corporate training.
Cooney, who is CEO of the company, said that acquiring Questionmark would help boost Learnosity’s resources at an important time for the edtech market.
“As learning grows more digitally focused, subject mastery, certifications, accessibility and security will require the highest standard of assessment technology. We now have the capabilities and scale to deliver all that”.
Following the acquisition, Questionmark will operate as part of the Learnosity Group, keeping its current offices, products and branding. John Kleeman, founder of Questionmark, said the newly enlarged group could deliver “greater value” to learners and organisations.
“With its deep commitment to education and technology, Learnosity is the ideal partner for Questionmark to implement its next stage of growth,” he added.
