LONDON, UK: Oakley Capital announced that Oakley Capital Fund IV2 has invested in Affinitas Education, a company established by education entrepreneur Victor Lundsten with the intention of building a new, global K12 (kindergarten to 12th grade) schools group.

Affinitas Education has completed its first three acquisitions in Spain and Mexico together comprising nine premium, private schools with more than 8,500 students combined. Affinitas maintains a large and growing pipeline of active K12 opportunities focusing on Europe and the Americas.

K12 education is an attractive c.$3.5 trillion international market with strong, long-term growth drivers. Global private-pay schooling represents c.11% of this spend, and is expected to grow 7% p.a. through to 2030 as families prioritise education spending. At the same time, globalisation is driving demand for English speaking education as a path to international universities and high-paying professions. Many K12 schools are owned and operated on a single site basis, providing opportunities for consolidation.

The investment in Affinitas is Oakley’s seventh platform deal in the education sector. Leveraging the Firm’s experience in M&A, internationalisation and technology, Oakley has helped grow offline and online platforms across pre-K, K12, Higher Education, after-school tutoring, corporate training and edtech markets.