M&A advisors support Learna’s acquisition by Reducate
UK-based postgraduate e-learning provider Learna has been acquired by Reducate, a Netherlands-based counterpart. The deal was advised on by CFI, Hugh James and FRP Advisory.
Reducate is an education technology company, specialising in online continuing professional development (e-CPD). By developing and delivering mission-critical courses, Reducate aims to enable professionals to maintain their accreditations – with the Netherlands-headquartered firm overseeing a portfolio of 15 brands operating across six sectors.
In recent times, Reductate has been rapidly expanding across Europe, providing e-CPD solutions to more than 200,000 professionals across 50 professions. It has supported this through the successful acquisitions of GCP Central (Netherlands), Oxford Medical (United Kingdom) and GOING PUBLIC! (Germany).
With the purchase of Learna Holdings, Reducate maintains this growth. The acquisition of Learna marks a key step in Reducate’s strategy to expand its certified medical education portfolio – particularly in the healthcare sector.
Founded in 2010 in Cardiff, Learna is a fully online provider of postgraduate medical qualifications for working healthcare professionals. Its programmes are university-accredited, tutor-led, and can be delivered anywhere, at any time. With over 12,000 customers and 1,500 active learners, the firm’s portfolio of more than 100 university-accredited programmes, makes for a strong reputation for supporting healthcare professionals in achieving career advancement through certified education.
Professor Steve Davies, founder of Learna, stated, “Reducate’s complementary offering and scale made it the perfect partner for our next stage of growth.”
Dealmakers
Reducate was supported on the deal by CFI, which provided M&A advisory, and Hugh James, with legal advisory.
Commenting on the deal, Gerallt Jones, Hugh James’ head of corporate and commercial, said, “We are proud to have again supported Reducate on this next important step in its continued expansion into the UK education sector as part of its buy and build strategy. Learna is an established and respected provider of high-quality, flexible professional learning, and this transaction represents an exciting opportunity to combine shared values and ambition for growth in the digital education space.”
On the sell-side, FRP Advisory’s corporate finance team was appointed by Learna’s shareholders. The professionals prepared Learna for market, helped to assess the value of trade and private equity avenues, and ran a targeted, international search, before leading on the negotiations and due diligence through to completion.
Geraint McGrath, director at FRP Corporate Finance, said, “Learna is a real local success story, offering a high-quality service to an international customer base from its headquarters in Cardiff. This transaction puts Learna in a strong position for the next stage of its development, with access to additional resources and a broad network as part of the wider Reducate group. We wish it the very best for its next stage.”
