Skillsoft is an American

educational technology Educational technology (commonly abbreviated as edutech, or edtech) is the combined use of computer hardware, software, and educational theory and practice to facilitate learning and teaching. When referred to with its abbreviation, "EdTech" ...

company that produces learning management system software and content.

History

Skillsoft was founded by Charles Moran in 1998. Moran served as chief executive officer and President from 1998 to 2015. Skillsoft had an IPO under the stock symbol SKIL in February 2000 and a SPO in July 2001. In June 2021, Skillsoft became a publicly traded company once again under the same stock symbol. Skillsoft acquired Books24x7 in 2001. In 2002, Skillsoft merged with Dublin-based IT courseware company SmartForce (formerly CBT Systems), with the combined company retaining the Skillsoft name, establishing a common headquarters in Ireland. The company acquired NETg from Thomson Corporation in 2007. In May 2010, the company was bought out for $1.2 billion by SSI Investments III Limited, a firm funded by Berkshire Partners, Advent International and Bain Capital. Skillsoft acquired Element K from NIIT in October 2011, and MindLeaders from ThirdForce Group in September 2012. Skillsoft was sold by Berkshire Partners to Charterhouse Capital Partners for $2.0 billion on April 28, 2014. Later that year, Skillsoft acquired SumTotal Systems in September 2014. In May 2015, Skillsoft acquired Vodeclic SAS. In September 2017, Skillsoft launched virtual coding practice lab CodeX, which provides coding exercises with embedded video content. On June 14, 2020, Skillsoft voluntarily filed for

Chapter 11 Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...

protection in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. On August 27, 2020, Skillsoft was able to announce that it had emerged from bankruptcy. During the court-supervised process the company was able to reduce its debt by $1.5 billion US dollars. In June 2021, Skillsoft was acquired by Churchill Capital. Churchill Capital then merged with Software Luxembourg, then acquired the Global Knowledge technical training platform. The combined company would be known as Skillsoft. Leadership coaching platform Pluma was also acquired that same year. In December 2021, Skillsoft announced that it would acquire Codecademy, an online

computer programming Computer programming or coding is the composition of sequences of instructions, called computer program, programs, that computers can follow to perform tasks. It involves designing and implementing algorithms, step-by-step specifications of proc ...

learning platform, for approximately $525 million in cash and stock. The sale was completed on April 5, 2022. In 2022, Skillsoft sold SumTotal to Cornerstone on Demand for $200 million.

References

{{reflist, 2, refs= {{cite web, title=Skillsoft, url=http://www.berkshirepartners.com/skillsoft, publisher=Berkshire Partners, accessdate=17 June 2015 {{cite web, last1=Bersin, first1=Josh, title=Skillsoft Acquisition of SumTotal: Corporate Training Market Disruption?, url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshbersin/2014/10/01/skillsoft-acquisition-of-sumtotal-corporate-training-market-disruption/, work=Forbes, accessdate=17 June 2015, date=October 1, 2014 {{cite news, last1=Brown, first1=Rodney H., title=SkillSoft to go private in $1B buyout from Bain and partners, url=http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/mass-high-tech/2010/02/skillsoft-to-go-private-in-1b-buyout-from.html, accessdate=19 June 2015, work=Boston Business Journal, date=February 15, 2010 {{cite web, title=Skillsoft Announces Acquisition of Vodeclic, url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150507005370/en/SkillSoft-UK-Regulatory-Announcement-Statement-Acquisition-Vodeclic#.VYGFi_l4rTo, website=BusinessWire, publisher=Berkshire Hathaway, accessdate=17 June 2015, date=May 7, 2015 {{cite web, title=Skillsoft Corporation Company Information, url=http://www.hoovers.com/company-information/cs/company-profile.SkillSoft_Corporation.3b3a38b54083591d.html, publisher=Hoovers, accessdate=17 June 2015 {{cite web, title=Skillsoft Corp (SKIL) IPO, url=http://www.nasdaq.com/markets/ipos/company/skillsoft-corp-67345-2886, publisher=NASDAQ, accessdate=19 June 2015 {{cite web, title=Skillsoft Corp (SKIL) SPO, url=http://www.nasdaq.com/markets/spos/company/skillsoft-corp-67345-14313, publisher=NASDAQ, accessdate=19 June 2015 {{cite web, title=About Skillsoft, url=http://www.skillsoft.com/learning-company.asp, publisher=Skillsoft, accessdate=17 June 2015 {{cite news, last1=Suria, first1=Asif, title=Merger Arbitrage Mondays: April 5, 2010, url=http://seekingalpha.com/article/197340-merger-arbitrage-mondays-april-5-2010, accessdate=19 June 2015, work=Seeking Alpha, date=April 6, 2010 Educational technology companies of the United States Software companies established in 1998 E-learning 2000 initial public offerings 2010 mergers and acquisitions 2014 mergers and acquisitions Companies based in Nashua, New Hampshire