Washington, D.C., edtech darling Always Prepped was just scooped up by Alma to bring data analytics to the K-12 space. This is the first acquisition for Portland, Or.-based startup Alma, which provides schools with an LMS and student information system all on one easy-to-access platform.
Always Prepped is well-known in the District for its focus on classroom data management, specifically K-12 data integration. The company provides teachers with real-time information on student class performance, attendance and behavior metrics on a single dashboard. If you think about it, Always Prepped is keeping teachers accountable by giving them the tools they need to monitor student success and struggle.
The acquisition of Always Prepped "brings an understanding of data analytics and how schools and districts want to see data" to Alma, according to Alma CEO and Co-founder Andrew Herman. “Our acquisition of Always Prepped is an exciting step in our mission to bring advanced workflow automation and data analytics to the K-12 space."
Founded by Fahad Hassan in Jan. 2012, Always Prepped has rapidly grown to become a dependable resource for K-12 schools. The tool has even been referred to as a "Mint.com for education data." Hassan will join Alma's leadership team in the company's D.C. office.
“After spending the last several years integrating the Always Prepped Data Management solution with established legacy LMS, curriculum, and content providers, we reached the conclusion that the challenge of integration with multiple platforms was exponentially more difficult without a tight SIS to latch on to.,” Hassan said in a statement. “Instead, a fully integrated SIS platform approach is necessary in order to provide the analytics that will move the needle on outcomes related to data integrity and consistency. After exploring several options to work with some incredible new platforms I believe Alma provides the best education management software in the space.”
Always Prepped raised a seed round of $650K in Nov. 2012, with investors including True Ventures, Hooman Radfar, Todd Gibby and Red Sea Ventures. Terms of the acquisition deal have not been disclosed, but if you try to access Always Prepped's website you'll end up at Alma's instead.
