Technology Acquired to Help Students
ApplyBoard acquires Panda Portal (rebranded as TrainHub) to drive student mobility and strengthen international student pathways
ApplyBoard’s first acquisition is a leading international education sector training ecosystem, software platform and proprietary technology to support ApplyBoard’s goal of providing exemplary service to students
Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, March 22, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, ApplyBoard (the platform revolutionizing the international student journey) announced the acquisition of Panda Portal, an international education industry training ecosystem, software platform and proprietary technology. As part of the acquisition, Panda Portal has now been rebranded by ApplyBoard as TrainHub and it will remain a stand alone platform powered by ApplyBoard.
This is ApplyBoard’s first acquisition in its seven year history and follows several years of accelerated growth as one of North America’s fastest growing technology companies.
TrainHub will continue to positively impact the lives of millions of students to receive reliable and accurate information in order to reach their study abroad dreams. TrainHub is exceptionally aligned with ApplyBoard’s mission to both improve global access to education and #educatetheworld. As international students are critical to powering and supporting global innovation, the race for talent has become more competitive than ever before. The acquisition of TrainHub is part of ApplyBoard’s overall global strategy to enable recruitment partners worldwide to ensure international students consistently receive best-in-class support and accurate information to position them for success, helping to bridge gaps in the study abroad journey and support global economies.
“Ever since my brothers and I came to Canada as international students, we have strived to empower and strengthen the entire international student sector and with the acquisition of TrainHub we are doing just that,” says Meti Basiri, Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer at ApplyBoard. “This is part of a series of initiatives we have taken to help provide the best level of quality and training of our recruitment partners and ultimately help students receive stellar advice and service through their application journey.”
Founded in 2020, TrainHub is an innovative training ecosystem that connects educational institutions with their recruitment partners to support their shared ongoing education and training needs using in-depth, up-to-date and approved materials, from more than 150 global partner educational institutions.
“It is exciting to now be part of one of the most dynamic technology companies in the world,” says Jimmy Battaglia, Founder and Head of TrainHub. “Remaining a stand alone platform, with the backing and support of ApplyBoard, will allow TrainHub to continue to expand and bring our product and services to more schools, and more recruitment partners, who play a vital role in helping students navigate their study abroad journey”.
In June 2021, ApplyBoard raised US$300M in a Series D funding round at a post-money valuation of US$3.2B. The unicorn plans to use these funds to further break down the barriers to international education by developing and introducing innovative product offerings to propel the industry forward. ApplyBoard has invested more than US$1 million over the past year in training and professional development of recruitment partners through its ApplyBoard Counsellor Course (ABCC), all free of charge. This is part of an overall two-year commitment from ApplyBoard to invest a minimum of US$10 million in training and enablement of the sector.
About ApplyBoard
ApplyBoard empowers students around the world to access the best education by simplifying the study abroad search, application and acceptance process to more than 1,500 institutions across Canada, Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. ApplyBoard, headquartered in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, has helped over 300,000 students from more than 125 countries along their educational journeys since 2015. To learn more, visit: www.applyboard.com
About TrainHub
TrainHub enables thousands of agents and recruitment partners worldwide by enabling the ecosystem to access the training and resources of their partner schools all in one place and on-demand. TrainHub, previously called Panda Portal, is on a journey to unify the industry, making it more efficient, transparent and professional. Our goal is to enable every professional member in the international education industry with the right training and education so they can positively impact the lives of millions of students that study abroad every year. Visit: www.trainhub.com