谷歌积极布局教育科技市场

    近年来，谷歌（Google）全力进军教育领域，在幼儿园以及中小学（美国K-12学校）推广Chromebook，同时还推广Google Play应用商店教育版，帮助用户轻松访问学习应用程序和内容。

    如今，谷歌资本（Google Capital）——谷歌公司旗下此前一直秘密行动的成长型基金——正加速着方面的努力。日前，谷歌资本投资4000万美元于教育公司Renaissance Learning，后者推出的学生评价工具目前在40,000所学校使用。这笔交易对Renaissance Learning的估值为10亿美元。

    这仅仅是谷歌资本进行的第三笔投资。谷歌旗下这只基金的掌门人是谷歌并购部门前负责人大卫•拉韦，他在投资Renaissance之际首次公开谈到了谷歌资本基金。2013年，谷歌资本曾参与在线调查供应商SurveyMonkey规模庞大的债务及股本融资活动，对后者进行投资。同年，它还投资了P2P借贷平台Lending Club。

    Renaissance成立于上世纪80年代，它开发的Accelerated Reader阅读软件在教育界享有盛名。它曾经是一家上市公司，2011年被私募资本Permira以4.4亿美元收购。这几年，Renaissance一直在研究一项叫做Common Core（通用核心）的青少年教育学习标准。奥巴马政府对这套自成体系的标准十分推崇，准备用它取代美国当下颇为混乱的国家标准。Renaissance首席执行官杰克•林奇表示，虽然他的公司并不需要现金融资，但谷歌的投资仍然极具诱惑力。而借此机会，谷歌也一举成为Renaissance的小股东之一。

    林奇接受采访时说：“与谷歌合作能给公司的发展带来发展的良机。”林奇还表示，Renaissance可以为Google Play应用商店开发教育软件。“除此之外，Google Apps系列软件对幼儿园和中小学都是免费的，意味着有整整一代人在学习使用Google Docs而不是Word。我们和Google Apps有很大的合作空间。”林奇最后还提醒道，谷歌的这笔投资是最近一年来教育行业所收获的最大一笔投资之一。

    除了拉韦，谷歌资本的大佬还包括2011年从Steelpoint投资伙伴基金跳槽而来的斯科特•蒂尔尼，以及近期从德太投资（TPG Capital）加盟的吉恩•弗朗茨。

    弗朗茨在新闻稿中称：“对许多教育工作者而言，问题不在于是否接受新技术，而在于如何在通过采用新技术减轻教师负担的同时提升学生的成绩。Renaissance Learning处在这一教育运动的前沿，他们用数据来支持有效教学、推动学生成长的能力无与伦比。”

    谷歌旗下还有专注于初期投资的谷歌创投（Google Ventures）。谷歌资本和谷歌创投一样，主要任务都是根据财务回报潜力来评估投资。但熟悉谷歌创投的人士表示，这家也愿意对Renaissance这样的项目进行投资，因为这类投资能确保自己的战略利益。(财富中文网)

    译者：项航

    In recent years, Google (GOOG) has made a concerted push into education,marketing Chromebooks in K-12 schools and promoting its Google Play for Education initiative to offer easy access to learning apps and content.

    Now Google Capital, the company's previously stealth growth fund, is accelerating those efforts with a $40 million investment in Renaissance Learning, an educational company whose student evaluation tools are used in 40,000 schools. The deal values the company at $1 billion.

    The investment is only the third by Google Capital, which is run by David Lawee, the former head of M&A at Google. With the Renaissance investment, Lawee is speaking publicly about the fund for the first time. Previously, Google Capital invested in SurveyMonkey as part of a large debt and equity round by the online surveys provider, and in Lending Club, the peer-to-peer lending platform. Both investments were made in 2013.

    Renaissance was founded in the 1980s and is best known for its Accelerated Reader products. Previously a publicly traded company, Renaissance was bought by private equity investor Permira Funds for $440 million in 2011. In recent years, the company has developed products to help further the Common Core standards, a set of rigorous learning goals promoted by the Obama administration as a replacement for the assortment of state standards. Jack Lynch, chief executive of Renaissance, said the investment from Google, which will become a minority shareholder, was attractive even though the company did not need the cash.

    "There are incredible opportunities to collaborate with Google," Lynch said in an interview. Lynch said Renaissance could help with instructional materials for Google Play for education. "In addition to that, Google Apps are free in K-12, so there is an entire generation of kids who are learning to use Google Docs instead of Word," Lynch said. "There are a number of touch points between Google Apps and what we do." Lynch said the investment by Google is one of the largest investments in an educational company in the last year.

    In addition to Lawee, Google Capital includes Scott Tierney, who joined from Steelpoint Capital Partners in 2011, and Gene Frantz, who joined recently from TPG Capital.

    "For many educators, the question is not whether to embrace new technology, but how to embrace technology in a way that makes teachers' lives easier and meaningfully boosts student achievement," Frantz said in a press release. "Renaissance Learning is at the forefront of this educational movement, and their ability to use data to support effective teaching and drive student growth is unparalleled."

    Like its corporate cousin, Google Ventures, which focuses on early stage investments, Google Capital's principal mandate is to evaluate investments based on their potential for financial returns. But people familiar with the company say investments like the one in Renaissance, which can also promote a strategic interest of the company, are welcome as well.