A Tampa startup that's become a rising star in the local education technology sector has been acquired by a North Carolina company for an undisclosed amount.
Script was founded in 2016 and helps school districts convert paper-based documents digitally. It builds out a digital automation process to better navigate the reams of paperwork typically seen in the education sector.
The company had seen an explosion of growth when the coronavirus pandemic forced virtually every district official to work remotely. As of 2020, Script doubled its presence from the prior year and was in 23 states.
"We were ready to provide the tools to districts. For anyone in the education sector, the biggest barrier to entry is the fear to change. With Covid, there wasn't a fear of change — they had to change."
That need caught the attention of EMS LINQ Inc., a K-12 technology company in Wilmington, North Carolina. The company announced Wednesday it acquired Script and will use the merger to strengthen its product portfolio.
Company officials also announced they would be acquiring Chicago-based Specialized Data Systems, a company that provides administrative software since 1976.
“In today's rapidly changing K-12 market, districts are using cloud-based (enterprise resource planning) solutions for planning, controlling and delivering data effectively," Adam Hooks, president of EMS LINQ, said in a statement. "And the future success of districts relies on innovative technologies that drive greater efficiency."
It is unknown exactly what will change, if anything, for Script. The company is headquartered in Tampa and employed 13 people as of late last year.
"Script’s mission has always been to continually improve K-12 education through technology," Dan Greco, Script's COO, said in a statement. “The overall future success of the educational technology industry is going to continue to rely on competitiveness, innovation, skills and productivity and truly excited for the next step in Script’s evolution as part of LINQ.”
Script has garnered a large amount of attention in the last two years. It is a Tampa Bay Business Journal Best Place to Work in 2021; its founder, Aaron White, was chosen as a TBBJ "40 Under 40" nominee in 2019; and the company was chosen for Tampa Bay Inno's 21 Startups to Watch in 2021 lineup. It was also the first two-time Blazer winner for Tampa Bay Inno's Inno on Fire awards, chosen by a panel of local judges.
It also recently closed on a $500,000 additional raise to its $1.5 million it previously began raising in 2019.
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