Edtech startup Quipper acquired by Japan’s Recruit for $39M

Recruit, the Japanese conglomerate best known for its eponymous job placement service, has acquired London-based edtech startup Quipper for JPY 4.8 billion (US$39 million). The deal was reportedly struck in April but wasn’t made public until recently.

Quipper was founded in 2010 by Masayuki Watanabe, a serial entrepreneur who also co-founded Japanese mobile social gaming giant DeNA. It initially offered mobile quiz apps to make learning languages and mathematics more fun, but pivoted last year when it launched Quipper School in the Philippines.

Quipper School allows teachers to manage classes, create and distribute assignments, and analyze each student’s performance digitally. Students can join different classes, find study materials, and take online quizzes. The elearning platform – designed for students between the ages of eight and 12 – is now available in nine countries, with offices in London, Tokyo, and Manila.

Half a million active students

Quipper marketing director Takuya Homma tells Tech in Asia that the platform has attracted 150,000 teachers and 1.5 million students since debuting in January 2014. He says it’s hard to nail down an exact figure for monthly active users due to differing national holidays, but that it’s as high as 500,000 when schools are in session. Indonesia, the Philippines, and Mexico are the top three markets by user base.

Despite its name, Recruit is involved in a variety of sectors outside of human resources – from booking vacations to selling used cars. The Quipper acquisition will, unsurprisingly, be used to supplement its educational offerings. Recruit’s existing services cater primarily to high school students hoping to pass Japan’s rigorous university entrance exams.

Quipper raised US$5.8 million from Atomico, Benesse Holdings, and Globis Capital Partners last March to help extend its reach in Southeast Asia. In total, the startup had raised just over US$10 million before the acquisition.

Just a month before purchasing Quipper, Recruit also acquired German restaurant booking site Quandoo for US$219 million. Between acquisitions and investments, Recruit is bolstering a truly global – but seemingly unrelated – portfolio of startups. The firm went public on the Tokyo Stock Exchange last year with a US$1.9 billion market cap.