Today, ApplyBoard is thrilled to announce the acquisition of Panda Portal, an international education industry training ecosystem, software platform, and proprietary technology. As part of the acquisition, Panda Portal has now been rebranded by ApplyBoard as TrainHub, and it will remain a stand alone platform powered by ApplyBoard.
This is ApplyBoard’s first acquisition in its seven-year history and follows several years of accelerated growth as one of North America’s fastest-growing technology companies.
Positively Impacting the Lives of Millions of Students
TrainHub will continue to positively impact the lives of millions of students to receive reliable and accurate information to help them achieve their study abroad dreams. TrainHub is exceptionally aligned with ApplyBoard’s mission to both improve global access to education and Educate the World. As international students are critical to powering and supporting global innovation, the race for talent has become more competitive than ever before. The acquisition of TrainHub is part of ApplyBoard’s overall global strategy to enable recruitment partners worldwide to ensure international students consistently receive best-in-class support and accurate information to position them for success, helping to bridge gaps in the study abroad journey and support global economies.
“Ever since my brothers and I came to Canada as international students, we have strived to empower and strengthen the entire international student sector and with the acquisition of TrainHub we are doing just that,” says Meti Basiri, Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer at ApplyBoard. “This is part of a series of initiatives we have taken to help provide the best level of quality and training of our recruitment partners and ultimately help students receive stellar advice and service through their application journey.”
ApplyBoard Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer Meti Basiri and Jimmy Battaglia, Founder and Head of TrainHub
An Innovative Training Ecosystem
Founded in 2020, TrainHub is an innovative training ecosystem that connects educational institutions with their recruitment partners to support their shared ongoing education and training needs using in-depth, up-to-date, and approved materials, from more than 150 global partner educational institutions.
“It is exciting to now be part of one of the most dynamic technology companies in the world,” says Jimmy Battaglia, Founder and Head of TrainHub. “Remaining a stand alone platform, with the backing and support of ApplyBoard, will allow TrainHub to continue to expand and bring our product and services to more schools, and more recruitment partners, who play a vital role in helping students navigate their study abroad journey.”
In June 2021, ApplyBoard raised US$300M in a Series D funding round at a post-money valuation of US$3.2 billion. ApplyBoard plans to use these funds to further break down the barriers to international education by developing and introducing innovative product offerings to propel the industry forward. ApplyBoard has invested more than US$1 million over the past year in training and professional development of recruitment partners through its ApplyBoard Counsellor Course (ABCC), all free of charge. This is part of an overall two-year commitment from ApplyBoard to invest a minimum of US$10 million in training and enablement of the sector.
Learn more about TrainHub, the one-stop international education industry training ecosystem!
