Swedish group Albert acquires Holy Owly (Founders Program)

Great start of the year for Holy Owly! The kids’ language learning app, part of STATION F’s Founders Program, just announced its acquisition for over €3,6M by the Swedish group Albert. Specialized in learning solutions for children and those who teach them, Albert reinforces its intentions to become the European Edtech leader.

Created in 2017 by Stéphanie Bourgeois and Julie Boucon, Holy Owly is an edutainment app that allows children aged 3 to 12 to learn and speak new languages. In 5 minutes per day, 6 days a week, children discover 3 words or 3 sentences per day on a theme from everyday life, allowing them to fully immerse themselves in everyday English vocabulary.

This backing will enable Holy Owly to achieve its ambitions and accelerate its development in Europe in order to quickly become the leader in language learning for children. With over 100% YoY growth in sales each year, Holy Owly’s founders tried to raise funds in 2022, as markets saw the strong decline in total value of VC deals. While they had not considered the option of being bought, 3 takeover offers popped up over the summer, and they seized this opportunity to develop and secure the future of their company. The obvious traction of the app had led the co-founders to believe an acquisition was premature, but Albert Group’s founders' vision finally convinced them.

The sale will enable Holy Owly’s growth to quickly become a European leader. The company will remain French and its employees will benefit from Albert’s specialized teams.

Want to grow your startup? Apply to one of STATION F’s startup programs here.