Somos Educacao

The story of Somos Educação begins not with a startup, but with a legacy. Founded in 1960 by Victor Civita as part of Grupo Abril, one of Latin America's major communication groups, the entity was originally known as Abril Educação. For decades, it grew by establishing and acquiring brands that would become household names in Brazilian education, including publishers like Ática and Scipione. A pivotal moment arrived in February 2015 when the investment firm Tarpon Investimentos acquired Abril Educação from the Civita family. This transaction marked a strategic shift, rebranding the company to Somos Educação and focusing purely on the education sector. Under Tarpon's control, Somos continued to expand its footprint in K-12 education, operating schools, language courses like Red Balloon, and pre-university prep courses. The final chapter of its independent journey was written in April 2018. Kroton Educacional, a giant in Brazil's for-profit higher education market, announced its acquisition of a controlling stake in Somos for approximately R$4.6 billion. This move was a significant diversification for Kroton, dramatically increasing its presence in the basic education segment from 3% to 28% of its revenue. The deal consolidated numerous powerful educational brands under one roof, creating a comprehensive educational platform from kindergarten to post-graduation and marking one of the largest transactions in the history of the Brazilian education industry.