Twin Brook Capital Partners has served as sole lead arranger and administrative agent of USD17.5 million of financing to support Sterling Partners’ leveraged buyout of Academic Programs International (API).
API will now look to expand its safe, high-quality education abroad programs and services to as many US students as possible.
Of the nearly 20 million college-aged students in America, less than 330,000 go to another country each year to study, teach, work, intern, or volunteer. With expanded resources, API can offer universities new technology, innovative programming, and additional education products to help more students have diverse academic and cultural experiences. This allows them to acquire the skills necessary to succeed in both personal and professional opportunities in today’s global economy.
“API was founded by four women with a simple mission – to provide an education abroad experience that, as mothers, we would expect for our own children. Throughout the years, that mission and our core values have never faltered,” says API President, Executive Director and Co-Founder Jennifer Attal Allen. “With the Education Opportunity Fund, we can continue to be the best in our field, grow thoughtfully, and remain a fulfilling place to work.”
API was founded by the “Four Mamas” – Jennifer Attal Allen, Sharon Foerster, PhD, Julie Leitman, and Brittany Norman, in 1997. Over the last two decades, the company has helped over 40,000 students experience some form of international study, work, intern, or volunteer program. Today, API works with over 250 university affiliates, accepting students from over 1,000 schools and supporting over 4,000 students annually in their journeys through 29 countries.
With the Education Opportunity Fund, API has a committed financial and strategic partner whose experiences and expertise will help ensure the future success and expansion of its founding mission. After a proactive search to find a partner to help grow API, the organisation chose the Education Opportunity Find because of its cultural fit, relevant industry experience, and strategic expertise.
“Our partnership with API is a true testament to their success and reputation,” says Shoshana Vernick, a Managing Director of the Education Opportunity Fund (who studied abroad in the Netherlands). “Together, we aim to bring advanced capabilities to the field of education abroad and to bring expanded programmatic offerings to students desirous of rewarding and practical global experiences.”
Formed in 2015, the Sterling Partners Education Opportunity Fund focuses on purpose-driven companies or organisations that are supporting the education system from early childhood all the way through life-long learning.
