A Selective Restart for 2025 M&A
After a hesitant recovery in 2024, the Mergers & Acquisitions market in education and training resumed in 2025 in a selective manner, driven by strategic platforms and consolidation in professional training, EdTech, and private higher education. Pressure on financing costs, regulatory adjustments (CPF, apprenticeships, quality standards), and post-Covid normalization led investors to favor transactions with strong visibility on cash flows and educational value.
Deals were concentrated on mature targets, differentiated by their sector expertise, local presence, recognized brand, and certified content — capable of industrializing their model through technology and data. Transactions led by AURIS Finance, such as SI Groupe – Valto, illustrate this logic of consolidation around national specialized platforms.
Key M&A Trends in 2025
Consolidation of Professional Training Platforms
Professional training remained at the core of 2025 M&A activity, particularly in regulated segments (safety, occupational health, risk management, certifications) and organizations holding RNCP/RS certifications, which secure course funding and learner employability. Regional and national groups strengthened their positions by acquiring niche specialists with strong local reputations, offering technical catalogs, networks of expert trainers, and loyal B2B client bases.
Dominant strategies included:
- Range expansion: adding new regulatory skill blocks to become a “one-stop shop” for compliance.
- Territorial densification: creating a network of agencies and centers across the country.
- Pedagogical upgrading: certified content, digitalized courses, blended learning, LMS platforms.
EdTech: Increased Selectivity and AI Integration
In 2024, several emblematic transactions — such as the merger of Datalumni and YMAG orchestrated by AURIS Finance, alongside acquisitions of digital learning providers, LMS platforms, and content specialists — confirmed investor appetite for EdTech, while highlighting increasing selectivity between profitable models and pure-growth players.
In 2025, this selectivity intensified further: acquirers focused on solutions capable of demonstrating measurable impact on engagement, skills development, and operational performance, leveraging data and AI (course recommendations, adaptive learning, analytics).
Three key trends emerged:
- Integration of EdTech solutions into existing training platforms to enhance the learner experience and optimize monitoring (LMS, LXP, assessment tools, proctoring).
- Mergers between content providers and training operators to control both pedagogy and technology.
- Growing interest from consulting groups and companies in internalizing continuous learning capabilities via B2B EdTech acquisitions.
Private Higher Education: Specialization and Internationalization
In private higher education, the consolidation trend initiated in previous years continues, but with greater selectivity: generalist school platforms are more cautious, while specialized targets (health, digital, ESG/CSR, high-demand professions) remain attractive. Investors continue to favor groups that can demonstrate selective admissions, recognized pedagogical quality, and the ability to internationalize programs (dual degrees, overseas campuses, university partnerships).
Key 2025 transactions in this segment mainly focused on:
- Consolidation of niche schools in high-demand professional fields (cybersecurity, data, health, technical professions).
- Expansion of regional campus networks to strengthen proximity to employment hubs.
- Vertical integration of complementary services (career guidance, alumni networks, corporate services).
Notable 2025 Deals in Education & Training
| Date | Cible | Acquéreur(s) | Type d’opération | CA (M€) | Description de l’activité |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| fév. 2025 | M2I FORMATION | SKOLAE (59%), CHARTERHOUSE, GROUPE LFPI | Bourse | OPA | 56 | Formation informatique et multimédia |
| fév. 2025 | EXCELLENS FORMATION | TAKOMA (100%), MANAGER(S) | Build-up | Build-up | 5 | Organisme de formation au service des personnels des fonctions publiques |
| fév. 2025 | ICN BUSINESS SCHOOL NANCY | GEDU GLOBAL EDUCATION | M&A corporate / majoritaire | 32 | Ecole d’enseignement supérieur |
| mars 2025 | BOULAY FORMATION | EFCO | M&A Corporate | 0-5 | Formation professionnelle spécialisée dans les métiers du transport et de la logistique |
| mars 2025 | ARTFX | ALTUR INVESTISSEMENT|MULTICROISSANCE|SUD CROISSANCE|MANAGER(S)|FONDATEUR(S) | LBO | 10 | Enseignement supérieur dans les métiers du cinéma, des effets spéciaux, de l’animation et du jeu vidéo |
| mai 2025 | NOVETUDE SANTE | CHARTERHOUSE|PEUGEOT INVEST|HAYFIN|INVESTISSEUR(S) PRIVÉ(S)|MANAGER(S) | LBO | 150-200 | Groupe d’enseignement privé de formation aux métiers de la santé |
| mai 2025 | EDUSERVICES | AMUNDI PRIVATE EQUITY FUNDS|ARKEA CAPITAL|IDIA CAPITAL INVESTISSEMENT|CRÉDIT AGRICOLE RÉGIONS INVESTISSEMENT (CARVEST)|SOCADIF|CACF DEVELOPPEMENT|BNP PARIBAS PRINCIPAL INVESTMENTS | LBO | 300-400 | Groupe d’écoles d’enseignement supérieur privé |
| juin 2025 | KNOWUNITY | XANGE|EDUCAPITAL|PORTFOLION|ISOMER CAPITAL|PROJECT A VENTURES|REDALPINE|BUSINESS ANGEL(S) | Capital Innovation | N.C | Plateforme d’edtech conçue pour améliorer l’apprentissage des élèves via une combinaison de contenus créés par les pairs et d’outils intelligents |
| juil. 2025 | INSTITUT NEMO | GO ! FORMATIONS | Build-up | 2-5 | Centre de formation en alternance |
| juil. 2025 | AURLOM EDUCATION | CAPZA|FONDATEUR(S) | LBO | 20-50 | Enseignement supérieur privé, spécialisé dans les formations BTS et la préparation aux concours des Grandes Ecoles |
| mai 2025 | Babylon.fr | First Finance | M&A Corporate | 0,5-3 | Formation Digital learning réglementaire (finance/banque/assurance/immobilier) |
| mai 2025 | Finance Training | First Finance | M&A Corporate | 0,5-3 | Préparation à la certification CFA® (formation finance) |
| avr. 2025 | Sup’Écolidaire | PEM Education | M&A Corporate | 1-1,5 | Formations développement durable / écologie / solidarité / citoyenneté |
| juil. 2025 | Groupe CEPIM | Valto | M&A Corporate | 1-2 | Formation réglementaire |
| sept. 2025 | SI Groupe | Valto | M&A Corporate | 4 | Formation sécurité & prévention (risque incendie, sécurité au travail) |
| sept. 2025 | École de Commerce et Management (ECM) | IGENSIA Education | M&A Corporate | 15-25 | Enseignement supérieur (commerce/management) |
| fév. 2025 | Iconoclass | Groupe Actual | M&A Corporate | 0,5-5 | Bootcamps / école de vente (sales) |
| déc. 2025 | Vaelia | H3 Education | M&A Corporate | 3 | Formation professionnelle + CFA (informatique, etc.) |
| oct. 2025 | APC RH & FORMATIONS | Repreneurs | M&A Corporate | 2 | Formations de formateurs, bilans de compétences |
Transactions by AURIS Finance
SI Groupe x Valto: Building a Leading Safety Training Platform
SI Groupe, a recognized specialist in safety training, fire risk prevention, and first aid, operates 4 agencies, a strong partner network, and a catalog of over 70 courses — some certified (RNCP and RS) and focused on employability. The organization trains over 5,000 participants annually and supports companies and public entities in regulatory compliance and team skills development.
Valto is a national group specialized in regulatory training (working at heights, electrical and mechanical authorizations, first aid, fire safety, CACES), comprising 7 training organizations with revenue exceeding €20 million. By maintaining operational autonomy of entities while pooling support functions and development, Valto deploys a platform model capable of leveraging each center’s expertise to offer a comprehensive nationwide training offer.
The SI Groupe – Valto merger enables:
- Valto to expand its safety and risk prevention catalog, a high-growth segment with strong regulatory stakes.
- SI Groupe to accelerate growth by joining a structured group while retaining operational independence and specialist DNA.
- Both entities to consolidate a leading regulatory training platform, capable of offering certified, employability-focused courses across France.
As exclusive advisor to SI Groupe, AURIS Finance supported the entire process: identifying the strategic partner, valuing complementarities, structuring the deal, and securing transaction terms.
SUP ECOLID’AIRE x PEM
The SUP ECOLID’AIRE – PEM transaction illustrates the continued consolidation in private higher education around strong thematic platforms capable of meeting student and corporate expectations regarding professionalization and pedagogical quality.
In such operations:
- The target brings an established brand, a portfolio of differentiating programs (ecological transition, CSR, high-demand professions), and corporate connections (apprenticeships, internships, career integration).
- The acquirer brings investment capacity, shared support functions (marketing, admissions, international), and a network of campuses or academic partners.
AURIS Finance typically supports:
- Structuring the seller’s strategic approach (clarifying objectives, growth scenarios, selecting the right partner).
- Organizing a competitive process to maximize brand, content quality, and employability performance.
- Ensuring alignment between the school’s pedagogical project and the acquirer’s strategy.
Cross-Analysis of 2025 Deals
Several trends emerge from 2025 M&A:
- Rise of sector-specific platforms: broad catalogs + territorial coverage.
- Pedagogical industrialization: standardized courses, performance monitoring via LMS, data, AI.
- Quality and compliance: certified organizations favored.
- Selective financing: focus on resilient and diversified assets.
AURIS Finance transactions demonstrate that value lies as much in pedagogical quality as in economic performance.
The deals executed by AURIS Finance in 2025 reflect this new reality: projects where value depends as much on educational quality and learner experience as on pure financial performance.
Expert Insight: Philippe Bontemps’ View for 2026
Philippe Bontemps, Education & Training sector expert at AURIS Finance, offers a clear yet optimistic perspective on the sector’s trajectory.
“In 2025, the education and training sector confirmed its resilience while undergoing profound transformation. The M&A moves we observe are no longer purely size-driven; they are industrial and pedagogical projects: creating true platforms capable of training more, better, and faster, in an increasingly demanding regulatory and economic environment.
The successful players are those who combine three pillars: strong pedagogical standards, solid governance, and intelligent use of technology, particularly AI, serving the learner rather than the other way around. For 2026, we anticipate continued consolidation, even greater selectivity, and attractive opportunities for leaders who align with the right partner to reach a new growth stage.”
