Business Case Studies & Business Publications

Ascend Ventures into Education

Fairchild, Gregory...

Case

Ascend Ventures into Education

Fairchild, Gregory B.; Guthrie, Elizabeth; Yemen, Cory; Andrews, Carla

ENT-0058 | Published November 30, 2004 | 35 pages Case

Collection: Darden School of Business

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This case describes the decision by Ascend Ventures to invest in a firm that falls outside their investment strategy. Ascend Ventures is a relatively young private equity firm that has targeted technology companies that are managed by women or minorities. The company under their consideration, Platform Learning, operates in the for-profit education market, providing supplemental education services to children in failing public schools. Because Platform Learning is not a technology company, Ascend's investment managers are worried about their ability to add value in this market and concerned about how their limited partners might react to this investment.