ApplyBoard is a Canadian educational technology company founded in 2015 in
Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is one of three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo (formerly Waterloo County, Ontario, Waterloo County). Waterloo is situated about west-southwest of Toronto, but it is n ...
, Canada.
It is an educational application platform for international students applying for post-secondary studies abroad.
History
ApplyBoard was founded in 2015 by three brothers Martin Basiri, Massi Basiri and Meti Basiri, who moved from
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
to Canada.
It is an application platform that lists colleges, universities, and K-12 schools in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. In 2019, the company had 170 employees and partnerships with 1,200 secondary and post-secondary institutions in Canada and the United States; the company also moved its headquarters to its current location in
Kitchener, Ontario.
In October 2019, ApplyBoard launched a secondary technology platform called ApplyProof that supports peer-to-peer verification of Letters of Acceptance (LoA) from a university, and English language proficiency tests.
As of 2020, the company had 500 employees and expanded to the United Kingdom. In February 2020,
Jo Johnson
Joseph Edmund Johnson, Baron Johnson of Marylebone, (born 23 December 1971) is a British politician and peer who was Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation ...
, the former
of the United Kingdom, joined the company as the chairman of the Advisory Board. In October 2020, the company announced a partnership with
Times Higher Education
''Times Higher Education'' (''THE''), formerly ''The Times Higher Education Supplement'' (''The THES''), is a British magazine reporting specifically on news and issues related to higher education.
Ownership
TPG Capital acquired TSL Education ...
.
As of 2021, ApplyBoard had raised $475 million in funding, reaching valuation of $3.2 billion. By 2024, the company's valuation had decreased by 74% to under $1 billion. This decrease in value was linked to a decline in the number of students applications being accepted by Canada.
In November 2022, the company laid off 6% of its global workforce.
The company has been criticized for not adequately supervising agents under Canadian legislation, specifically when agents sell "empty promises" (incomplete or inaccurate guidance) or biased information to applicants. Co-founder Meti Basiri claimed in 2022 that the company’s standards were sufficient to meet the regulations.
References
External links
* {{Official website, https://applyboard.com/
Canadian companies established in 2015
2015 establishments in Ontario
Software companies established in 2015
Software companies of Canada
Educational technology companies of Canada