Ambit represented Twigsee in negotiating Sandberg Capital's venture capital investment, which brought Twigsee and Bakaláři together in the new Educleus group.
An investment by Slovak private equity firm Sandberg Capital brought Czech company Twigsee, which provides an app for preschools, and Bakaláři Software together under the Educleus holding company. The transaction was announced on April 20, 2023, and Twigsee founder Vanda Seidelová took over leadership of the group. The parties did not disclose the transaction value.
From parent communication to preschool administration
Twigsee launched in 2019 as an app connecting parents and teachers. Starting in 2020, it expanded its features to cover administrative tasks related to preschools' legal obligations. Alongside sharing information with parents, it gradually took on tasks involved in the daily administration of preschools.
Ownership of the new holding company
According to the joint press release, Twigsee and Bakaláři were to operate alongside each other as sister companies within Educleus. The transaction therefore did not involve a legal merger of the two companies at the time of the announcement. Sandberg Capital owned 75% of the new holding company, which incorporated both businesses.
The remaining 25% was divided among Twigsee founder Vanda Seidelová and the original Bakaláři co-founders Antonín Blatný, Petr Blümel and Antonín Beneš. Seidelová thus continued as a co-owner while taking over management of the entire group.
Both Twigsee and Bakaláři retained their names at the time of the announcement. In a statement to E15 at the time, Seidelová said customers of the respective product platforms would see no immediate changes.
Working with Bakaláři and future plans
According to CzechCrunch, Seidelová was to lead an 80-person team, with Twigsee, Bakaláři and Sandberg Capital equally represented in management and the group's other governing bodies.
The transaction also included buying out Twigsee's existing investors. The departing investors included Martin Kadlčík and Jinej fond, backed by Jiří Hlavenka and Jan Sláma.
Looking ahead, the teams planned to improve their products and extend their functionality. In an interview with CzechCrunch, Seidelová described the long-term goal of having their systems support parents from preschool education until the students themselves took control of their own data.
