EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY
Auth0 Identity Platform | October 29, 2021
The Auth0 Identity Platform, a product unit within Okta, today announced it has been selected as the identity and authentication provider for Wharton Interactive, an interactive learning platform that draws on games, simulations, and research to make Ivy League business education more accessible to all. To enable a seamless, end-to-end experience for learners and educators, Auth0’s platform will provide a Single Sign-on (SSO) solution for learners and educators throughout their journey.
Wharton Interactive — founded by Sarah Toms, executive director, and Professor Ethan Mollick at the Wharton School, The University of Pennsylvania — has developed different modes of delivering education on its Alternate Reality Courseware (ARC) platform. ARCs knit together leading subject matter expertise and an immersive games-based experience where users gain mastery through practice and receive personal feedback about their performance every step of the way. By increasing inclusive access to business education, this unique higher ed initiative strives to better the socio-economic status of individuals and lift economies through job creation.
To aid in Wharton Interactive’s marketplace launch, the team wanted to create one, seamless user experience across the entire platform, from the user’s account creation and management to the interactive simulations and classes, and selected Auth0 to help. By implementing SSO, students and educators can enter their login credentials once and automatically gain access to multiple applications. Through the implementation of Auth0’s SSO solution, Wharton Interactive’s platform benefits from increased security and privacy while improving the end-to-end experience for users.
“Auth0 plays an integral role in making Wharton Interactive’s mission to transform education a reality by eliminating the hurdles associated with having to login to multiple systems along the customer journey,” said Sarah Toms, co-founder and Executive Director for Wharton Interactive. “We were searching for a top-notch identity provider with proven expertise in SSO, and are so pleased that we have partnered with Auth0. From vendor selection to launch, it took only a few months to build and deliver a comprehensive solution that was ready for market.”
“Wharton Interactive is democratizing higher education and transforming the eLearning space with its cutting-edge approaches, and identity is a key enabler in supporting this mission — strong user experience, security, and privacy practices all start at login. We’re honored to support Wharton Interactive’s identity needs and help them seamlessly scale as they make education more attainable and secure for educators and learners around the world.”
Ghazi Masood, General Manager and SVP of Americas at Auth0
About Auth0
The Auth0 Identity Platform, a product unit within Okta, takes a modern approach to identity and enables organizations to provide secure access to any application, for any user. Auth0 is a highly customizable platform that is as simple as development teams want, and as flexible as they need. Safeguarding billions of login transactions each month, Auth0 delivers convenience, privacy, and security so customers can focus on innovation.
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CONTINUING EDUCATION
Taylor’s Education Group | November 26, 2021
Global investment firm KKR and premium Southeast Asian private educator, Taylor’s Education Group (“TEG”), today announced the signing of agreements under which KKR will acquire a minority stake in Taylor’s Schools. Taylor’s Schools owns and operates six award-winning international schools – Garden International School, Nexus International School Singapore, Nexus International School Malaysia, Australian International School Malaysia, Taylor’s International School Kuala Lumpur, and Taylor’s International School Puchong. KKR’s investment positions Taylor’s Schools to accelerate growth and regional expansion.
Focused on the K-12 education system, Taylor’s Schools seeks to empower its learners to become productive leaders in the global community through innovative and creative teaching and learning methods, preparing them for future opportunities. Taylor’s Schools is a member of TEG, a leading private education institution in Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam. Other education-focused verticals under the TEG umbrella include Taylor’s University, Taylor’s College, The British University Vietnam and Taylor’s Hostel Management, among others. These education institutions continue to be wholly owned by TEG.
“Over the years, Taylor’s Schools has grown in significance as a provider of top-class international school education in Malaysia and Singapore. With the intention to expand our portfolio of international schools in the ASEAN region, we are honoured that KKR has decided to collaborate with us in the next phase of our growth. We view their choice as a firm endorsement of the strategy of our K-12 schools platform. We believe that their commitment to building and sustaining long-term strategic partnerships suits us. They will complement our strength in education operations with their regional network, expertise in mergers & acquisitions as well as their access to capital. TEG will remain as the controlling shareholder of Taylor’s Schools and we are pleased that the current management team will continue managing our schools. We will ensure that the world class K-12 international education that we are known for and our community of parents and students have come to expect is sustained.”
Dato’ Loy Teik Ngan, Executive Chairman of Taylor’s Schools
SJ Lim, Managing Director at KKR, added, “We are excited by this opportunity to share our knowledge and provide a capital solution for Taylor’s Schools in its ambition to further expand into the region and provide quality educational experiences to more students. Under the leadership of Taylor’s Schools’ management team, all four brands have consistently achieved strong academic outcomes and we are confident that it is primed for more success. KKR also looks to leverage our operational experience, global network, and education expertise to further enhance Taylor’s Schools’ offerings.”
Among its other areas of focus in Southeast Asia, KKR looks to support leading family businesses who contribute meaningfully to the region’s economic prosperity, in their efforts to build sustainable businesses into the next generation. KKR’s diversified and multi-asset investment platform provides KKR with the flexibility to support ambitious companies with a suite of comprehensive, bespoke financing solutions, further enhanced by its global experience and operational capabilities. In the education space, KKR has built up a strong track record in Asia and globally, including through investments in Lighthouse Learning (formerly EuroKids International), a leading Indian education services provider, Cognita Schools, a UK-based global private schools group, EQuest Education, a leading educational services provider in Vietnam, and Education Perfect, a leading education technology firm in Australia and New Zealand. KKR invests in Taylor’s Schools from its managed funds.
Rothschild & Co. is the sole financial advisor to Taylor’s Schools and its shareholders on the transaction.
About Taylor’s Education Group
Taylor's Education Group is one of the largest private education groups in Malaysia with 20,000 students. It has established itself as a provider of highly regarded quality education and in the last decade has grown its operations to Singapore and Vietnam. With an unsurpassed track record built up over seven decades, Taylor’s has earned the reputation as the leading private educational provider in Malaysia, and offers a breadth of education institutions from pre-school to postgraduate courses. Among its tertiary institutions, Taylor's University is currently ranked the #1 private university in Malaysia & South East Asia by QS World University Rankings 2022 and, together with Taylor's College, has consistently been the winner of the People's Choice awards over the last decade, as well as received recognition from multiple professional bodies around the world.
About KKR
KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management and capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR’s insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life, and reinsurance products under the management of The Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries.
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ONLINE EDUCATION
TutorMe | November 15, 2021
TutorMe, the online tutor of the future, today announced a partnership with Saint Paul Public School District to provide more than 33,000 K-12 students with free access to TutorMe's online, 24/7 tutoring service for the 2021-2022 school year.
With more than 15,000 tutors available anytime to help with more than 300 subjects, TutorMe provides immediate expertise whenever and wherever students need it. Whether it's homework help or a study session, students pair up with their private tutor for a personalized 1-on-1 lesson in the advanced lesson space.
"Providing access to TutorMe supports our district-wide effort to close academic gaps exacerbated by COVID-19 and accelerate learning recovery through the 2021-2022 school year," said Darren Ginther, the district's director of the office of college and career readiness. "The personalized support empowers students and their families to get the help they need at any time, anywhere, whether it be during remote learning, late-night studying after extracurriculars, or when they hit a roadblock with their homework."
TutorMe's virtual classroom provides interactive features including a text editor, code editor, two-way audio/video chat, screen sharing, and a virtual whiteboard for engaging and enriching education. Each session is archived so students can conveniently access past lessons to help them with coursework and studying.
"TutorMe has been on the frontline of online education assistance well before the pandemic arrived, providing top-notch tutors and on-demand academic support to ensure students never feel lost. The community of students, staff, and families at Saint Paul Public Schools can rely on TutorMe to provide 1-on-1 learning during critical times of need and beyond."
TutorMe's co-founder and CEO Myles Hunter
About TutorMe
TutorMe is the online tutor of the future. As a leading provider of online tutoring, the platform connects students with highly qualified tutors in 30 seconds or less. A subsidiary of Zovio, TutorMe has provided access to personalized academic support for more than 1.5 million students wherever and wherever they need it the most. Partnering with hundreds of schools, districts, and corporations, TutorMe helps address educational equity by providing students and staff at participating institutions with free access to premier tutoring services. TutorMe is a recipient of HowtoLearn.com's 2020 Parent and Teacher Choice™ Award, the Timmy for Best Tech for Good in LA, a National Parenting Product Award, a Mom's Choice Award, and 2021 Silver and Bronze Edison Awards.
About Zovio
Zovio is an education technology services company that partners with higher education institutions and employers to deliver innovative, personalized solutions to help learners and leaders achieve their aspirations. The Zovio network, including Fullstack Academy and TutorMe, leverages its core strengths to solve priority market needs through education technology services. Using proprietary, advanced data analytics, Zovio identifies the most meaningful ways to enhance the learner experience and deliver strong outcomes for higher education institutions, employers, and learners. Zovio's purpose is to help everyone be in a class of their own.
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