São Paulo, March 5, 2021 – UOL EdTech, Brazil’s largest education technology company, has received an unprecedented investment from the SoftBank Latin America Fund, part of the SoftBank Group Corp., one of the world’s largest technology investors. This funding will fuel the company’s growth and accelerate the digital transformation of the education sector in Brazil and Latin America through technology and innovation.
Founded in 2017 with the mission of transforming lives through solutions that provide access to high-quality education, tailored for the digital era, UOL EdTech develops platforms and learning solutions that enable companies across various sectors and leading educational institutions to expand their reach with offerings suited to the digital world.
Alex Augusto, CEO of UOL EdTech, highlights the importance of the venture capital fund’s endorsement:
“The partnership with SoftBank is a significant validation that we are on the right path. The exchange of market insights will further accelerate our growth and help us achieve our goal of becoming the largest and most consistent education technology player in Latin America.”
The investment comes amid significant transformations in the education market. During the pandemic, with classes delivered via digital platforms and entire teams working remotely, education technology allowed traditionally physical, locally-based businesses with limited opportunities to migrate entirely to network-based operations, removing geographic barriers and enabling a much more democratic system.
In this context, UOL EdTech has taken the lead by offering solutions that deliver an exceptional digital learning experience, going beyond traditional “distance learning” and enabling students to set their own pace, learning anytime and anywhere.
With this investment, UOL EdTech will drive the development of new technologies to make high-quality education accessible to more people. The funding will also enable the company, which maintains consistent and sustainable growth, to overcome geographic barriers, offering educational opportunities previously unavailable through in-person models. This further solidifies its position at the forefront of digital transformation in Brazil.
The EdTech segment holds tremendous promise globally, with significant growth potential.
“We deeply believe in UOL EdTech’s ability to deliver disruptive and efficient technology solutions in such a vital market. The company holds strategic importance in the sector, and this is just the beginning,” says Paulo Passoni, Managing Partner of the SoftBank Latin America Fund.
“Its platform enables top educational institutions to expand their reach, providing students and company employees across various industries with an indisputable level of quality education. It’s an immense privilege to form this partnership with UOL EdTech and its incredible team,” Passoni adds.
UOL EdTech leads Brazil’s most prominent case in Online Program Management (OPM). Through partnerships with some of the country’s most traditional higher education institutions, the company develops integrated digital platforms powered by entirely Brazilian technology, benefiting thousands of students nationwide with 100% online postgraduate and MBA courses designed to meet the demands of an increasingly digital world.
Recently, the company forged an unprecedented partnership to integrate course content from some of its partner institutions into a virtual assistant, allowing students to progress in their studies through simple voice commands.
*The investment amount has not been disclosed by the parties.
