SAO PAULO, BRAZIL--(Marketwire - Sep 7, 2011) - Abril Educação (BM&F Bovespa: ABRE11),
one of the largest and most respected education companies in Brazil, and
Livemocha™, the world's largest language learning community, announced a
partnership in which Abril Educação becomes the exclusive representative of
Livemocha in Brazil. This partnership combines Livemocha's powerful social
language learning methodology with Abril Educação's expert skill in serving
the existing education marketplace in Brazil. The two companies will work
together to deliver affordable and engaging language learning to the
sizeable Brazilian market.
Under the terms of the agreement, Abril Educação -- a BM&FBovespa-listed
company and controlled by Grupo Abril, one of the largest and most
influential media corporations in Latin America -- will promote Livemocha
to consumers and organizations throughout Brazil. The partnership with
Livemocha comes shortly following Abril Educação's highly anticipated
initial public offering on the Brazilian Stock Exchange that was announced
on July 6 and raised 371 million Brazilian reais ($238 million). Abril
Educação's experience will be key in enabling Livemocha to reach Brazilian
schools, homes and corporations. The partnership is focused in the near
term on helping Brazilian students and citizens prepare to welcome millions
of visitors from around the world for the upcoming World Cup and Olympic
championships. In a related transaction, Livemocha raised $5 million in
additional working capital to assist with the effort in Brazil and further
global expansion. Abril Educação was joined by existing investors August
Capital and Maveron in the financing.
Livemocha is the world's dominant online language learning company, with
over 11 million members from 190 countries helping each other learn 38
languages. Brazil, one of the world's fastest growing economies and a
culture that strongly embraces social media, has long been a significant
segment of the Livemocha community, representing over 25 percent of the
membership. Abril Educação is one of the largest education publishers in
Brazil, supplying nearly 50 million textbooks in 2010, serving
approximately 30 million students and over 125,000 schools with textbooks,
learning systems and other services. Its books have received more than 30
awards for excellence in recent years.
"Brazil is a strategic market for Livemocha with its booming economy and
strong adoption of social media technologies," said Michael Schutzler, CEO
of Livemocha. "This agreement establishes a blueprint by which we intend to
continue our global expansion, build on our success in using language
education to foster personal and professional growth, and remove barriers
in an increasingly connected world. Abril Educação is the ideal partner to
help Livemocha build upon our success in Brazil and expose our brand to
millions of people wanting to learn another language."
"The world is watching Brazil and we are preparing our nation to become a
population of global citizens," said Manoel Amorim, CEO of Abril Educação.
"The foundation for competing globally is language and we chose to invest
in this relationship because Brazil loves Livemocha. No other language
company has either the experience or community to match Livemocha, and
together with Abril Educação our companies will introduce millions more to
the benefit of social language learning."
About Livemocha
Livemocha is a company committed to helping every person on earth achieve
fluency in a new language. As the world's largest online language learning
community, Livemocha fuses traditional learning methods with online
practice, and interaction with native language speakers from around the
world. Livemocha delivers an unparalleled, learning experience that
promises conversational fluency. Since launching in 2007, the Livemocha
community has grown to nearly 11 million members from 190 countries,
underscoring the strong demand for an engaging and collaborative approach
to language learning. Livemocha continues to grow with one mission: to
create a world in which every human being is fluent in multiple languages.
For more information about Livemocha, please visit
http://www.livemocha.com.
About Abril Educação
One of the largest educational companies in Brazil, Abril Educação offers
solutions for schools, based on publishers' best available didactic
content, comprising class planning, evaluation, pedagogic consultancy,
digital complimentary materials and multidisciplinary projects. The company
owns the publishing houses Ática (www.atica.com.br) and Scipione
(www.atica.com.br), as well as Anglo and pH, two of the most respected
education groups in Brazil. Abril Educação is a leader in the textbook and
learning systems markets in Brazil. The company recently completed an IPO
in Brazil and is now listed on the BM&F Bovespa. It is controlled by Grupo
Abril, one of the largest media conglomerates in Latin America.
About Grupo Abril
The Abril Group is one of the largest and most influential media groups in
Latin America, providing information, education and entertainment for
virtually all segments of the public and working seamlessly across media.
Based on the principles of integrity, quality, leadership and innovation,
the company was founded in April 1950. It also has the largest press in
Latin America with expertise in database marketing, subscription and
distribution.