Avante Capital Partners, a women-owned private credit and structured equity firm, announced the completion of a unitranche debt and equity investment in Genius SIS, LLC (“Genius”) to support a growth investment by Leeds Equity Partners (“Leeds Equity”). Leeds Equity is a private equity firm dedicated exclusively to investing in the education, training, and information services industries (the "Knowledge Industries"). Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Plantation, FL, Genius provides virtual learning software solutions to education, corporate, and government training markets.

“We are excited to have Avante’s support for the Genius platform,” said David Neverson, Principal at Leeds Equity. “This is our first deal with Avante. We were very impressed with their structuring flexibility, execution speed, and collaborative approach to partnership. We look forward to working in concert with Avante to build upon Genius’ success and drive further innovation and improved educational outcomes.”

“Genius has played a critical role in supporting schools, students, and educators during the COVID-19 transition to online and hybrid models. Genius has built leadership in a target niche, and we look forward to supporting the business in its next chapter,” said Amanda Kim, Vice President at Avante Capital Partners.

“And we’re thrilled to support Leeds in their investment,” said Paul Hayama, Partner at Avante Capital Partners. “We’re confident that their deep knowledge and experience in EdTech combined with Genius’ dynamic management team will lead to the platform’s continued success.”