LearnSprout had raised $4.7 million from investors that include Andreessen Horowitz, Formation 8 and Samsung Ventures.
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Whether Apple will continue supporting LearnSprout’s current install base of PC users though is another matter and it’s not even clear at this stage whether LearnSprout will continue as a independent entity, not good news for the 2,500 school districts now using the software. Speculatively, if Apple has its way with the education sector, we might see the whole system change once there is a developed ecosystem for education-related activities to operate.
San Francisco, California-based LearnSprout helps K-12 educators with big data analytics about students.
Apple confirmed the acquisition to Bloomberg Business, which broke the story Thursday, but declined to comment on plans for the company. On its website, it says, “Transform your student data into actionable insights”. LearnSprout aims to allow schools to analyze collected data, discovering trends on attendance, college readiness, student health, and more.
Apple is working on programs for the iPad to make lessons interactive for student, according to the Bloomberg report.
In December, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that Google’s Chromebook laptops are mere “test machines”. “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our objective or plans”, Apple spokesperson Colin Johnson told the publication. The company has heralded its strong iPad sales to educators.
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Meanwhile, the deal between Apple and LearnSprout was supposedly closed last summer.
