OMERS invests in cloud education

OMERS Ventures, the investment arm of the public pension plan, has made a substantial investment in Desire2Learn Inc., a cloud-based learning solutions provider.

New Enterprise Associates, Inc. has also made an investment, and between it and OMERS, Desire2Learn will be infused with $80 million. The education company says it will use the money to bolster its customer service and cloud infrastructure, support global growth and accelerate its development of industry-leading education technologies.

“The combination of Desire2Learn’s differentiated technology, proven management team, outstanding customer base and rapid revenue growth makes it uniquely positioned to deliver on the promise of the digital classroom,” said Howard Gwin, managing director of OMERS Ventures. “We look forward to supporting the company’s growth as a leader in education technology.”