Digital learning giant Byju’s announced on Monday that it has acquired Singapore-headquartered Great Learning, a leading global player in the professional and higher education segment in a $600 million cash and stock deal.

Byju’s has also earmarked another $400 million for this segment towards accelerating Great Learning’s expansion plans.

The acquisition marks Byju’s strong push into the professional upskilling and life-long learning space globally with a total commitment of $1 billion. The firm is expanding its offerings beyond the K12 and test prep segments, and further accelerating the company’s growth plans.

Bengaluru-based Byju’s has bought out as many as six companies across India and the US in its acquisition spree this year for which it has shelled out over $2 billion so far.

Also read:  Byju’s buys out US digital reading platform Epic for $500 million

“Empowering learners with the right futuristic skills forms a fundamental part of our vision. Great Learning is a globally recognised and reputed professional education company and this partnership expands our reach into this new segment,” said Byju Raveendran, founder, and CEO, Byju’s.

Great Learning will continue to operate as an independent unit under the Byju’s group under the leadership of its founder and CEO, Mohan Lakhamraju and co-founders, Hari Nair and Arjun Nair.

Great Learning, which was founded in 2013, collaborates with Indian and foreign universities including some big names like Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The company claims to have delivered over 60 million hours of learning to 1.5 million learners from over 170 countries

Last week, Byju's had acquired Epic, which is a digital reading platform for children, for $500 million (Rs 3,700 crore). 

Byju’s was valued at $16.5 billion in June, surpassing fintech company Paytm’s $16 billion valuation. According to the CB Insights data Byju's is the 12th most valuable start-up in the world. The platform has more than 100 million students worldwide.