Educational publisher secures minority investment from growth capital firm
Online educational publishing house, Twinkl, has secured investment from global growth capital firm Vitruvian Partners to further its mission to “help those who teach”.
The “sizeable” minority investment in the Sheffield-headquartered business from Vitruvian Partners comes as Twinkl looks to deepen its global presence.
It currently supports educators in over 200 countries and has a library of one million educational resources.
Jonathan and Susie Seaton founded Twinkl in 2020 from the back bedroom of their Sheffield home.
Today, it offers an extensive range of educational content including a DfE-validated Phonics programme and accompanying Rhino Readers reading scheme.
Susie Seaton said: “Everything we do at Twinkl is to help those who teach and this is as true today as it was on day one.
“From humble beginnings, we’re now a global leader in educational resources. I couldn’t be prouder of our team, their work and our shared commitment to serving our customers every single day.
“This investment, and our partnership with Vitruvian, will help us to find new ways to continue to help the teaching community worldwide as we move into this next phase of our journey.”
Jon Seaton, founder and CEO, added: “We are really excited about the future of Twinkl and felt that Vitruvian Partners were the best fit for our company to support us in our mission to help those who teach.
“Vitruvian brings with them a wealth of experience and expertise in helping fast-growing companies like Twinkl to achieve future success.
“We’re really excited about the support an external partner like this can bring as we focus on how we continue to help those who teach around the world.”
Thomas Studd, partner at Vitruvian Partners, said: “Twinkl has created a product that educator customers absolutely love.
“While most businesses that sell to individuals use paid marketing to reach them, Twinkl has grown almost exclusively by word of mouth – a testament to just how helpful educators find it.
“We are thrilled to be backing a UK success story with customers all around the world, and with so much international potential still to come.
“Jon, Susie and the whole team at Twinkl should be exceptionally proud of what they’ve accomplished so far.”
Twinkl and the Seatons were advised by Houlihan Lokey (Corporate Finance), EY-Parthenon (Commercial), KPMG (Financial), Squire Patton Boggs (Legal) and Endava (Technical).
Vitruvian Partners was advised by Bain (Commercial), FTI Consulting (Financial), Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe (Legal), Crosslake (Technical) and PwC (Structuring).
Following Vitruvian’s investment, Jonathan and Susie Seaton will remain majority shareholders in the business and will continue to lead Twinkl in its next phase of growth.
