Sale of Oktogone Group to AD Education, backed by Ardian
Paris (France), June 21st, 2022 – AD Education, backed by Ardian, acquired Oktogone group, a leader in online education and training
Created in 2002 by Régis Micheli, Oktogone developed a large offer in online training in verticals such as Digital, Communications & Marketing or Management, through two platforms: ISCOD, a fully online higher education school offering 100% apprenticeship degrees, and Visiplus, an online professional training platform for professional.
In 2021, the group realised growth over 165%, which will accelerate in 2022 and in the coming years with the launch of new degrees.
Capitalizing on a high-growth market and well recognized brands, AD Education aims at pursuing Oktogone’s growth momentum and accelerate the launch of new degrees, particularly by relying on AD Education group’s large portfolio of face-to-face training.
Régis Micheli, Founder of Oktogone group: “We are thrilled to join AD Education group and open a new chapter in the development of Oktogone group. The mix of distance and face-to-face learning, as well as the strong complementarity with AD Education’s brands and training portfolio open exciting perspectives to accelerate our growth in the years to come. This association is a unique opportunity to create a leader in face-to-face and distance learning for creative professions, in France and in other countries where AD Education is present.”
Kévin Guenegan, Chairman of AD Education group: “We have very happy to welcome Oktogone to AD Education. We share common values as well as an entrepreneurial group DNA. The complementarity of our offers and expertise anchors the group in a lasting leading position on the booming market of higher education. We cannot wait to work with Oktogone teams and accelerate the group’s digitalization in France and abroad, by relying on high quality teams and platform.”
Financière de Courcelles team is thrilled to have advised Régis Micheli, Founder and Chairman of Oktogone in this key step for the group’s development. This sale of one of the leading Digital Learning platforms highlights and confirms our in-depth knowledge of the sector.
About Oktogone group
Oktogone group is a reference actor of training and employment in the digital era. The group combines a set of expertise to support workers, students, and jobseekers in the management of their career. Oktogone also supports businesses in helping their employees gain new skills in a professional training, internal mobility, or recruitment context.
About AD Education
Founded in 2009, AD Education is a leading European higher education platform dedicated to the fields of Creative Arts and training over 22,000 students in 15 schools, on 66 campuses in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Greece. AD Education covers 4 main training segments: Design & Graphic Arts, Media & Digital, Audio-visual and Culture & Luxury. Following the acquisition, AD Education will widen its presence in online training and will achieve revenue of over 220 million euros.
About Ardian
Ardian is a global leader in private equity with 130 billion dollars managed and/or advised in Europe, America, and Asia. Ardian benefits of an international network of over 880 employees in 15 offices in Europe (Frankfurt, Jersey, London, Luxemburg, Madrid, Milan, Paris, and Zurich), in North America (New York, San Francisco), in South America (Santiago) and in Asia (Beijing, Singapore, Tokyo and Seoul). The company manages funds for 1,200 clients through its 5 investment pillars: Fund of Funds, Direct Funds, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Private Debt.
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