São Paulo, April 12, 2022 – UOL EdTech, the largest education technology company in Brazil, has announced the acquisition* of Qulture.Rocks, a leading provider of performance management, employee experience, and goal-setting solutions in the Brazilian market. With this acquisition, UOL EdTech expands its ecosystem of digital training and development solutions for businesses, helping identify areas for improvement and uncovering talent within organizations.
“Qulture.Rocks strengthens UOL EdTech’s mission of incorporating companies that add value to our platform and to our clients, in alignment with our strategy,” says Alex Augusto, CEO of UOL EdTech. “Simultaneously, our training and content solutions will enhance Qulture.Rocks’ platform even further. Clients now have a unified solution to address the main challenges of Talent Management and Workforce Training, including 1:1 evaluations, feedback, goal management, individual development plans (IDPs), succession planning, and people analytics, among other features,” he adds.
The acquisition comes as many companies transition back to partial in-office work after extended periods of remote work. This shift presents challenges in strengthening employee engagement with corporate culture, alongside the continued digital transformation of businesses and the growing demand for B2B edtech solutions. These factors highlight UOL EdTech’s offerings, tailored to the sector’s evolving needs.
Francisco Homem de Mello, founder of Qulture.Rocks, will remain at the helm of the company and emphasizes, “Joining UOL EdTech’s ecosystem accelerates our growth and ensures the company’s longevity, offering incredible benefits to our clients and employees. Additionally, the complementarity of our products makes this partnership a unique and perfect opportunity for both companies.”
The acquisition of Qulture.Rocks solidifies UOL EdTech’s growth strategy. Over the past 15 months, the company has completed three acquisitions and secured a significant investment from the SoftBank Latin America Fund. Other acquisitions include Passei Direto, Brazil’s largest study network, which has doubled in size since being acquired and will expand into Mexico in the second half of the year, and Skore, which introduced the LXP concept to UOL EdTech’s online training platform. “The companies we’ve acquired are thriving within our strategy. We combine their strengths, preserve their identities, and leverage our ability to invest and scale their businesses,” highlights Alex Augusto.
These recent developments bolster UOL EdTech’s digital education portfolio, making it the only company to cover the entire lifelong learning journey: from schools and universities to businesses. The company connects students from primary school to higher education via the largest online study network in the country. It also offers 100% digital specialization courses, including postgraduate and MBA programs from Brazil’s top universities, and supports professional development and training journeys. UOL EdTech serves businesses of all sizes, helping clients address employee engagement and development challenges.
With a mission to provide access to education through technology and create opportunities for people, UOL EdTech has achieved average annual growth of over 50% in the past three years, with an EBITDA margin exceeding 40%. “As the company grows in revenue, our results improve, demonstrating the scalability of our business. This progress supports our expansion plans into the international market (LATAM) and sets the stage for a potential IPO,” concludes Alex Augusto.
UOL EdTech was advised by Madrona Advogados, while Qulture.Rocks was supported by RGS Partners and PGA Advogados.
* The transaction value was not disclosed by the companies.
