Prosus, one of the largest technology investors in the world, announced today it has acquired a majority stake in GoodHabitz, a provider of online training for businesses.
EdTech is a huge focus for Prosus, which invests in companies that help to democratize access to quality education around the world. Prosus entered the EdTech market in 2016 with investments in Brainly, Codecademy and Udemy, and has continued to expand its investments in the sector since then, with the portfolio now also including BYJU’s, Eruditus, Skillsoft, SoloLearn and now Stack Overflow.
Now Prosus has bought a majority stake in GoodHabitz for approximately €212 million (R3.5 billion).
GoodHabitz was founded in 2011 and provides enterprise clients with a broad range of cost-effective soft-skills, such as leadership and management skills, digital learning content relevant to their entire employee base – currently delivering 150 courses available across eight languages.
Since its founding, GoodHabitz has developed a strong enterprise client base in all market segments.
From 2016, GoodHabitz has expanded from its original market in the Netherlands into nine further European markets and is one of the few profitable, scale players in EdTech in Europe.
“If this past year has shown us anything it is that technology can fundamentally change a sector and enable it to scale much quicker, and this is especially true in learning and education. The future of workplace learning is rapidly evolving and the companies that can engage their employees in a digital environment successfully will do well moving forward,” said Larry Illg, CEO of Prosus EdTech.
“There is a significant need across businesses of all sizes to offer their people engaging, easy-to-consume training. GoodHabitz has built a successful business delivering highly polished but fun content that meets that need perfectly and we are looking forward to helping the team expand the business further as part of Prosus.”
Personal development and soft skills e-learning specialists, GoodHabitz is 100% committed to providing a learning journey that’s fun and easy to access for everyone.
GoodHabitz will continue to be led by Founder and CEO, Maarten Franken. Franken is a seasoned executive with deep experience in the EdTech market, having previously founded and led another education-focused company. He has a successful track record at GoodHabitz and will continue the company’s drive into new markets.
“We look forward to becoming part of the EdTech powerhouse that Prosus is building,” said Franken.
“Companies around the world face big challenges effectively educating their workforces, particularly now with the explosion in home working over the last 15 months.
“We hope to accelerate our international growth working with the Prosus team, helping more customers build a workforce that is ready for the future through enabling more people to access online training.”
