Zollege Partners with Serent Capital for Growth Investment

Zollege Partners with Serent Capital for Growth Investment

Accelerating expansion of affordable, career-focused education

May 24, 2021

Zollege, a skills-based online vocational training provider primarily focused on Dental and Medical Assisting fields, received a significant investment from Serent Capital, a growth-focused firm that invests in technology and tech-enabled services companies. This investment will support the company’s efforts to expand access to affordable, career-focused education to students across the country.

Zollege provides affordable skills-based content and training in the healthcare sector, allowing students to find employment without undertaking traditional costly and time-intensive post-secondary education options. The company’s hybrid training programs offer students the flexibility to complete their training online via its e-learning modules, while also enabling students to receive the critical in-person clinical training required to be successful.

“We’re a mission-driven team that is passionate about our students,” stated Chris Lofton, CEO of Zollege. He continued, “We knew that Serent would be the right partner because they share our values and our passion for transforming education through affordable, high-quality training programs with a clear path to employment.”

Zollege’s hybrid online and offline programs are offered in 17 states across more than 130 locations, serving thousands of students a year. The Zollege platform is powered by its proprietary learning management and content offerings that prepare students for hands-on clinical training and ultimately success in their future roles.  The company was also recently recognized as one of Austin’s fastest-growing companies by the Austin Business Journal.

Zollege will also be adding two industry veterans, Rob Klapper and Peter Waller, to its Board of Directors. Rob, who will be joining Zollege as Executive Chairman, is the current CEO of Empowered Education, and a board director of DeVry University and USATestprep. Rob brings to Zollege over 25 years of experience in leading and growing companies in the education space. Peter is the current CEO of C2 Education, a provider of tutoring and college readiness services to K12 students. He brings to Zollege over a decade of experience leading high-growth education services and workforce training providers, preceded by 30 years of experience with leading consumer-focused companies.

“We’re excited to be partnering with Chris and the Zollege team,” said Lance Fenton, Partner at Serent Capital. He continued, “Since our founding in 2008, education has been a core focus for Serent. When we met Chris and the Zollege team, we were energized by both the company’s mission to provide affordable and accessible career training to students and the opportunity to help fill the skill and labor shortage in critical and growing segments of the economy.”

Zollege represents Serent’s 8th platform investment in the education market and 10th in healthcare.

Serent Capital invests in growing businesses that have developed compelling solutions that address their customers' needs. As those businesses grow and evolve, the opportunities and challenges that they face change with them. Principals at Serent Capital have firsthand experience at capturing those opportunities and navigating these difficulties through their experiences as CEOs, strategic advisors, and board members to successful growing businesses. By bringing its expertise and capital to bear, Serent seeks to help growing businesses thrive. Learn more about our portfolio companies.

Disclaimer:

This publication is for informational purposes only, and nothing contained herein constitutes an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any interest in any investment vehicle managed by Serent Capital or any company in which Serent Capital or its affiliates have invested. An offer or solicitation will be made only through a final private placement memorandum, subscription agreement and other related documents with respect to a particular investment opportunity and will be subject to the terms and conditions contained in such documents, including the qualifications necessary to become an investor. Serent Capital does not utilize its website to provide investment or other advice, and nothing contained herein constitutes a comprehensive or complete statement of the matters discussed or the law relating thereto. Information provided reflects Serent Capital’s views as of a particular time and are subject to change without notice. You should obtain relevant and specific professional advice before making any investment decision.
Executive endorsements of Serent Capital are for illustrative purposes, designed to attract business development contacts, and should not be construed as a client or investor testimonial of Serent Capital's investment advisory services. All such endorsements are from current or former portfolio company leadership about Serent Capital’s ability to provide services to their companies. Certain executives are also investors in Serent Capital’s investment vehicle(s), and as such, there is an inherent conflict in that those executives have an incentive to provide favorable reviews of Serent Capital’s business practices for the benefit of the investment vehicles that they hold a personal ownership interest in. Serent Capital has not, directly or indirectly, paid any compensation to such individuals for their endorsements.
Certain information on this Website may contain forward-looking statements, which are subject to risks and uncertainties and speak only as of the date on which they are made. The words “believe”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “optimistic”, “intend”, “aim”, “will” or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Serent Capital undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. Past performance is not indicative of future results; no representation is being made that any investment or transaction will or is likely to achieve profits or losses similar to those achieved in the past, or that significant losses will be avoided.