SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Picsart, the world’s leading digital creation platform and a top 20 most downloaded app worldwide, today announced that it has acquired the learning platform Code Republic for an undisclosed sum to join its educational division Picsart Academy.
Operating since 2016, Picsart Academy provides world-class learning opportunities for the most qualified students in IT, including web development, AI, machine learning, data science, product management and more. Picsart has seen thousands of students go through its programs, and receives hundreds of applications each year, with many being hired by the company at the end of their courses. The acquisition of Code Republic will allow Picsart Academy to support additional programs and expand into more locations.
“Picsart was founded as the result of collaboration between a teacher and his students, so education and learning have always been at the heart of our DNA,” said Artavazd Mehrabyan, Co-founder and CTO at Picsart. “This acquisition allows us to scale Picsart Academy and take education to the next level with the help of the talented and passionate Code Republic team.”
As part of the acquisition, all 20+ Code Republic employees will join the Picsart Academy team. In fact, Code Republic’s Founder Vardan Grigoryan is a boomerang Picsart employee, having previously worked at the company as a Senior Engineer for more than two years. He’s also been teaching coding bootcamps regularly since 2012, where he developed expertise in spotting and developing talent. Grigoryan is rejoining Picsart as Director of Picsart Academy, leading the company’s educational efforts to attract new talent.
“My passion lies in teaching and educating students, which is why I founded Code Republic,” Grigoryan said. “This acquisition means advancing my mission with access to additional resources and opportunities to educate the next generation of engineering talent. Joining a company so deeply rooted in education is the perfect fit, and I can’t wait to bring in our first class of students.”
Picsart Academy courses are currently offered in the Armenian language only, and will be hosting in-person classes in Yerevan this month. The team plans to launch English language courses online later this year and expand in-person courses to additional cities. For more information on Picsart Academy, visit Picsart.Academy.
This is Picsart’s third acquisition, after the acquisition of Computer Vision and AI company DeepCraft late last year and advanced video effects company “D’efekt” in 2020. This news comes on the heels of Picsart announcing its first major brand marketing campaign last month. Picsart raised a Series C funding round of $130 million last year and is using part of the funds to acquire companies that mirror its values and growth strategy.
About Picsart
Picsart is the world’s largest digital creation platform and a top 20 most downloaded app. Every month, the Picsart community creates, remixes, and shares billions of visual stories using the company’s powerful and easy-to-use editing tools. Picsart has amassed one of the largest open-source content collections in the world, including free-to-edit photos, stickers, backgrounds, templates, and more. Picsart is available in 30 languages for free and as a subscription on iOS, Android, and Windows devices. Headquartered in San Francisco, with offices around the world, Picsart is backed by SoftBank, Sequoia Capital, DCM Ventures, Insight Partners, and others. Download the app or visit picsart.com for more information.
