Private equity investment firm Golden Gate Capital (Golden Gate) has acquired The Learning Experience, an academy of early education for children six weeks to six years old.
The Learning Experience, headquartered in Deerfield Beach, Florida, is led by Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer Richard Weissman. Financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.
Richard Weissman co-founded The Learning Experience in 2001, building on the Weissman family’s decades of experience developing and implementing child care and early education programs in a safe and positive environment. The Learning Experience offers state-of-the-art facilities and a proprietary curriculum for children to develop core academic skills, fitness and healthy lifestyle skills, and life and comfort skills, all under the care of nurturing teachers and staff. For nearly 20 years, The Learning Experience has provided the foundation necessary for children to succeed in preschool, kindergarten, and beyond.
Over the past two decades, Weissman successfully pioneered a franchise model to expand The Learning Experience to more than 300 company-owned and franchise centres operating or under development across 22 states, with plans to open its first international location in late 2019 in the United Kingdom. The Learning Experience has generated double-digit annual growth for the past 15 years, making it a clear leader in the early childhood education sector.
“Thanks to our dedicated staff and franchisees, The Learning Experience has become an industry leader in the United States with strong, consistent performance,” says Weissman. “Golden Gate Capital is fully committed to our curriculum and vision, with an excellent track record of accelerating the growth of multi-unit consumer companies. This is a transformational moment for The Learning Experience and the children and families we support, and we are thrilled to partner with Golden Gate as we work together to build on our momentum and provide a foundation for even more children to learn, play, and grow.”
Josh Cohen, Managing Director at Golden Gate Capital, says: “The Learning Experience has created a proprietary educational platform that enables its franchisees to provide the highest calibre of academic, physical, and social education to children at their most critical stages of development. We are excited to partner with Richard, his leadership team, and the company’s franchisees to accelerate their growth plans domestically and internationally in the growing early childhood education market.”
Ropes & Gray LLP and Nob Hill Law Group PC served as legal advisors to Golden Gate Capital. Harris Williams & Co. served The Learning Experience as financial advisor and Goodwin Procter LLP and Greenberg Traurig LLP served as legal advisors to the Company. Varagon Capital Partners will serve as administrative agent on a senior secured credit facility.
