LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - January 26, 2011) - Vicente Capital Partners (VCP), a leading growth equity investment firm, announced today that its Growth Equity Fund led a Series C investment round into Campus Explorer, the premier college search engine that matches students to specific schools based on their profile and interests. Campus Explorer's existing investors, OCA Venture Partners and Origin Ventures, also participated pro-rata in the investment round. Campus Explorer will use the new capital to fund its rapid growth, invest in technology infrastructure, consumer utility and expand its partnerships with schools.
"We've known Jerry and the team at Campus Explorer since their days at Rent.com, which we backed in a prior fund," said Klaus Koch, Managing Partner at Vicente Capital Partners. "Since then, we've continued to work with them and track the company's progress. Jerry and his team have achieved a tremendous amount of growth over the past 18 months with very small amount of investment capital, and it's clear that their technology and their differentiated approach to the market represent the future in post-secondary education online recruitment services."
Providing information to tens of thousands of students each day, Campus Explorer has the most comprehensive database of colleges that exists on the web. Photos, videos and information on college admissions, expenses, academics, and more make Campus Explorer the premier online college research destination. Easy to use tools help students discover and compare schools, calculate admissions chances and showcase themselves to colleges, making the college search process easier and more enjoyable than ever before.
Unlike the competition, Campus Explorer does not funnel traffic into a narrow segment of for-profit education customers. With over 8,500 colleges, from Ivy League to trade schools, and numerous search criteria, students can easily find all of the schools that match their interests.
"Our proprietary technology and ability to innovate beyond the status quo in our space has led to a significant increase in the volume of students served by our site and has enabled us to more than quadruple our new member sign ups consistently year after year," said Jerry Slavonia, CEO of Campus Explorer.
"Klaus and the team at Vicente have been supporters of Campus Explorer and our vision for this space from the beginning. Although we were too early for their investment strategy when we first started the company, they have been a great sounding board along the way. By adding Klaus and his team, we have added yet another proven entity to our organization and are in the truest sense, putting a broader team back together again to accelerate the execution of our growth strategy."
"Campus Explorer is a great example of our philosophy of engaging early and working with companies as they develop to the point where a growth equity investment is a good fit -- both for us and for the team we're backing," said Klaus Koch. "We continue to be engaged in a number of interesting opportunities where we have domain expertise, and are actively investing in growth stage companies."
Klaus Koch, Managing Partner of Vicente Capital Partners, will join Campus Explorer's board of directors.
About Campus Explorer
The philosophy at Campus Explorer is pretty simple: We believe everyone deserves a fulfilling education, no matter the name or place. We think that given the proper tools, anyone shopping for college or continuing education can find the perfect fit. CampusExplorer.com is the place to begin that great adventure. We have compiled everything you need for a college search, right here in one site. Whether it's a two- or four-year school, a career college or an online program, we have figured out everything from tuition to average temperature. We also have a personalized search function that allows you to set your wish list and explore from there. We even have direct partnerships with schools to put you in touch with admissions officers. Our database today contains information on more than 8,500 schools, and counting. It's accurate. It's easy to use. It's the most comprehensive directory devoted to higher education you'll find anywhere on the web. And it's free!
For more information about Campus Explorer, please visit www.campusexplorer.com.
About Vicente Capital Partners
Vicente Capital Partners is a private equity firm specializing in both non-control and control investments in growth businesses that have annual revenues between $5 million and $25 million. The firm's investment professionals have a long and successful track record of partnering with management teams to create and realize value across a number of different industries including: Business Services (outsourced services, Internet services, telecom services); Consumer Services (healthcare services, residential delivery, education); and Specialty Manufacturing (aerospace & defense, environmental products, networking/telecom equipment). Prior investments include Overture, Rent.com, Cogent Communications, Sensor Systems, Transoft Networks, LivHome, O2 Science, and NewBridge College, among others.
For more information about Vicente Capital Partners, please visit www.vicentecapital.com
Contact Information:
Vicente Capital Partners
(310) 826-2255
www.vicentecapital.com