Press Release

Law firm Shoosmiths is advising Five Arrows, the alternative investment arm of Rothschild & Co and Texthelp, the global leader in literacy and assistive technology, on the merger of Texthelp with n2y, a trailblazer in special education curriculum resources. 

Five Arrows, the alternative assets arm of Rothschild & Co, has backed both n2y and Texthelp and will remain the majority shareholder of the combined business. Providence Equity Partners and Verdane will continue as minority investors alongside Five Arrows. The combined business will globally serve learners with diverse needs as well as employees in the workplace across the entire neurodiverse spectrum.

A multi-disciplinary team of experts from Shoosmiths’ private equity team is advising on the deal, which is led by corporate partners Amit Nayyar, Claire Checketts and Holly Hirst. Further corporate support will be provided by corporate partner Elizabeth Ward, principal associate Emma Livesey and associates Alice Richmond, George Peyton and Luke Bernard, trainee Kamil Piekarski and paralegal Maddie Fretwell. Various specialists across other departments are providing advice including banking partners Ali Triptree and Rebecca Mauleverer, banking principal associate Suzanne Love, tax partner Dan Sharman and senior associate Emma Garthwaite and tax legal director Sarah Buxton.

Private equity (PE) is one of Shoosmiths’ key markets and the firm is increasingly winning larger mandates for its investment work with broader and deeper client relationships. This latest transaction demonstrates Shoosmiths’ deep-rooted knowledge in and ability to advise on international PE transactions and complex shareholding structures. 

Amit Nayyar, corporate partner and head of private equity at Shoosmiths, commented: “Having advised Five Arrows on its initial investments into both Texthelp and n2y, to see the companies now combine to create a global leader in education for diverse learners is a particular thrill.” 

Martin McKay, CEO of Texthelp, said: “We both recognise, understand and celebrate what makes students and adults unique. For us, addressing diverse needs in schools and in the workplace is not simply a legal requirement, it’s a cultural imperative.” .  “Uniting our teams means that our mission to advance the literacy and understanding of 1 billion people not only becomes more possible, but we can also make a deeper, richer impact on people’s lives.  We couldn’t be more excited to make that mark on society, together as one.” 

Ed Holmes, CEO of n2y added: “n2y and Texthelp have learned from the best educators and employers that it is futile to try to find a label for a set of complex learner needs based on which educational standards they follow, what primary disability they have or accommodation they require. Instead, we honour each learner as an individual.

“Together, we will offer robust solutions for schools, universities and employers to be more inclusive and support their people to build the confidence, knowledge and skills to be independent and successful.”

The merger will create a category leader in education technology that will change the way the needs of diverse learners are met. This new organization is also committed to bridging the gap between education and the workplace, combining resources to provide support to individuals wherever they are - classroom, office, conference room or boardroom. 

Both companies were established more than 25 years ago and share a long legacy of purpose led innovation aimed at improving the lives of others. n2y’s expertise lies in creating an integrated digital ecosystem of academic curriculum, behaviour, communication and IEP management solutions for education. Texthelp specializes in cloud-based assistive technology and learning analytics for the education and corporate sectors.

Texthelp and n2y are centred around a core belief that everyone deserves the right to understand and be understood.  As a consequence of the focus on helping a wide group of people reach their full potential, both businesses are poised to deliver significant societal impact.  By 2030, Texthelp and n2y aim to impact the literacy, numeracy and understanding of 1 billion people.