SoftBank and Invus Opportunities led a US$84.5m round in Brazilian edtech Descomplica, with participation from Península Participações, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and U2 guitarist The Edge, and follow-on from Valor Capital Group and Amadeus Capital Partners. Descomplica raised R$54m in 2018 from Invus Opportunities. Descomplica launched Faculdade Descomplica, a distance education platform financed by a US$55m investment offering certificates in Pedagogy, Administration, Accounting, and People Management, and received university accreditation in 2020.
(Press Release) – Descomplica, the first EdTech company in Brazil to enter the higher education market, closed a new round of USD 84.5M, co-led by investment funds Invus Opportunities and SoftBank, with the participation of Valor Capital Group, Península Participações, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) and Amadeus Capital Partners. The Edge, guitar player of Irish rock band U2, also joined the round.
Representing the largest investment round ever raised for an EdTech company in Latin America, the investment will be directed to Descomplica College, as well as towards potential acquisitions, portfolio growth and product development. “We want to build the largest college in Brazil, reaching one million students leveraging a 100% digital model”, said Marco Fisbhen, CEO of Descomplica. “Our digital pedagogy is fully enabled by technology. In our classes, our students react in real time to content, and then receive materials that are tailored to their individual profile and level of content mastery. Yet today we are just at the tip of the iceberg. At the intersection of technology, education and media, we are very proud of our mission: proving that a high-quality education can really be accessible to anyone regardless of socio-economic conditions.”
“Descomplica represents a huge leap forward for education in Brazil, with the potential to help millions of people enter the job market, effectively changing their lives in ways they previously believed were unavailable to them,” said David Kahane, Partner at Invus Opportunities.
“We are excited to back Descomplica as they bring quality education powered by technology to millions of Brazilians”, said Paulo Passoni, Managing Investment Partner at SoftBank.
“Descomplica has been changing the education landscape in Brazil for years now and we are very committed to its growth going forward. We believe in supporting companies through their lifecycles and have been an investor in Descomplica since the very beginning”, said Antoine Colaço, Managing Partner at Valor Capital Group.
Growth
Reaching five million students per month across all of its digital touchpoints, Descomplica operates in a 100% online model. “We have definitely pioneered a new college offering, differentiating it from current distance education, combining high profile teachers, entertainment and leading-edge technology,” said Daniel Pedrino, the President of Faculdade Descomplica. “When we launched Descomplica College last year, we were awarded the maximum grade by MEC (Brazilian Ministry of Education), while our post-graduate program also established itself strongly in the market, growing more than 10 times in one year and today having over 30 thousand students.”
Throughout 2020 Descomplica doubled its number of employees and now has a team of almost 600 staff members with over 100 additional open positions. The company operates in multiple categories, including university entrance exams, undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. With this round, Descomplica will seek to further accelerate its higher education offering, both organically as well as also exploring acquisitions of complementary technologies and other institutions.
About Descomplica
Founded in 2011, Descomplica’s mission is to democratize access to education at all stages of life. Operating through a 100% online model, the company offers preparatory courses for Enem and entrance exams, as well as undergraduate and graduate degrees. Reaching 5 million users per month across all of its platforms today. In 2020 the company was announced as one of the “Tech Pioneers” of the World Economic Forum and one of the 100 Startups to Watch 2020.
More information for the press
FSB Comunicação – Descomplica’s press office Carina Morpurgo carina.morpurgo@fsb.com.br
11 992988784
Tárcila Galdino
tarcila.galdino@fsb.com.br
11 981837181
