Ânima Educação is one of the biggest private higher-education institutions in the Country, both in terms of revenue and number of enrolled students. In December 2020, Ânima Ecosystem had around 140,000 students, with institutions located in the States of Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Santa Catarina, Paraná, Goiás, Bahia, and Sergipe.
We are an organization with a special positioning when compared to other companies of the segment, including listed education companies. This is because we were able to balance scale with offering of a high-quality education, as evidenced by MEC standards.
With nearly two decades of experience in the Brazilian higher education segment, Ânima brings together twelve University Centers: (i) two in Belo Horizonte/MG (Una and UniBH); (ii) one in Bom Despacho/MG (Una); (iii) one in Betim/MG (Una); (iv) one in Uberlândia/MG (Una); (v) two in Curitiba/PR (Unisociesc and Unicuritiba); (vi) one in Joinville/SC (Unisociesc); (vii) one in Blumenau/SC (Unisociesc); (viii) one in Santos/SP (São Judas – Unimonte Campus); (ix) one in Paripiranga/BA (Ages); and (x) one in Guanambi (Unifg).
The São Judas Tadeu University [Universidade São Judas Tadeu] in São Paulo, State of São Paulo and campus outside its headquarters in Cubatão, State of São Paulo;
Other Universities, in the cities (i) Conselheiro Lafaiete; Contagem, Divinópolis, Pouso Alegre, Itabira, Sete Lagoas and Vespasiano (located in the State of Minas Gerais); (ii) Itumbiara, Catalão, Jataí (located in the State of Goiás); (iii) Balneário Camboriú, Florianópolis, Itajaí, Jaraguá do Sul and São Bento do Sul (located in the State of Santa Catarina); (iv) Lagarto (located in the State of Sergipe); (v) Tucano, Jacobina and Senhor do Bonfim (located on the State of Bahia).
In addition, Ânima’s portfolio also includes HSM, HSM University, Brazilian School of Law [EBRADI - Escola Brasileira de Direito], Le Cordon Bleu - São Paulo, SingularityU Brazil, Inspirali, Ânima Institute and Medroom.
How everything started: In May 6, 2003, Ânima started its history. It all began with the acquisition of Minas Gerais Educação Ltda., sponsor of Centro Universitário Una, in Belo Horizonte, traditional learning institution in Minas Gerais’ capital. For three years, the founders’ dedication - the businessmen Daniel Faccini Castanho, Marcelo Battistella Bueno, and Marcelo Battistella Bueno - was completely focused on administrative, academic, and financial restructure of that university center.
In 2006, Ânima took another step towards its development with the entrance of group Associação Educacional do Litoral Santista – AELIS, sponsor of Centro Universitário Monte Serrat, known as Unimonte. Founded in 1971, the institution of Santos, in São Paulo State’s shore, also required intense work on administrative, academic, financial, and, yet, people’s images adjustments.
After a cycle of more than three years, in 2009 Ânima amplified its presence in Minas Gerais territory, by having among its institutions Centro Universitário de Belo Horizonte, UniBH, another traditional higher-education school in Minas Gerais’ capital. Such as the examples of Una and Unimonte, a significant restructuring of UniBH happened, which was in a delicate financial situation at the time it entered Ânima’s list of institutions.
From 2013 to 2019: There was a four-year gap for the group to amplify its strength. In 2013, Ânima acquired 100% of interest-share in HSM, company with more than 30 years of history, leader in business education and reference all over Latin America in performing big business-management events and offering learning services. In the same year, the group issued its shares in the Stock Market, in the New Market sector, which is considered the one with a higher level of corporate governance. In the following season, in 2014, Ânima acquired Universidade São Judas,in São Paulo, one of the most traditional higher-education institutions in São Paulo State, recognized for its high academic discipline, high quality of its courses, and a highly-qualified faculty and administrative-technical board.
The year of 2016 represented an import milestone in Ânima’s evolution route. The group lived a season notable for many news, which consolidated efforts for expansion of its operation and pursuit to make its purpose reach a higher number of Brazilians. The acquisition of Sociedade Educacional de Santa Catarina (Sociesc), from Joinville (SC), represented the beginning of its operations in the South axis of the Country. Sociesc performance is characterized also by its strong relationship with local productive sectors, being a leader also in corporate-qualification activities and support to development of companies in its region, being also reference and exclusive partner of FGV in the sectors it performs in Santa Catarina.
Besides this one, Ânima also reinforced its presence in Minas Gerais’ region with acquisition of Alis Educational and, also, Faculdade Politécnica de Uberlândia, institutions that were later linked to Una’s brand. Still in 2016, the group closed a partnership with secular international french-cuisine chain Le Cordon Bleu, opening in 2018, in São Paulo, institution’s first school in Brazil.
In the same year, São Judas kept its expansion course in the State of São Paulo opening three unities in the capital city: Paulista, Santo Amaro, and Jabaquara, besides leaving its mark in Baixada Santista region, from the transformation of Unimonte (acquired in 2006) into Centro Universitário São Judas Tadeu | Campus Unimonte. Now in 2019, it started operations in four other areas of the State of São Paulo. Vila Leopoldina (in the Capital), Guarulhos and São Bernardo do Campo (in Greater São Paulo), and Cubatão (on the State’s shore).
Another great milestone of 2018 was the implementation of a learning system referenced by capacities, named Ecossistema Ânima de Aprendizagem (E2A). It were the first higher-education organization in the country to adopt this model in a large scale, considering it includes all institutions in the group. E2A is based on three pillars: 1) personal path with flexible content; 2) focus on students’ life project and carer; 3) mentoring professors.
In August 2019, we celebrated the acquisition of AGES, which marks Ânima’s strategic entry into the Northeast region and the strengthening of the Group’s Health vertical. AGES institutions are distributed in 5 units (one university center located in the city of Paripiranga, State of Bahia, four Universities in the State of Bahia - Jacobina, Senhor do Bonfim and Tucano - and one in Sergipe – Lagarto) with approximately 5,600 students enrolled, including two medical courses: an already authorized course with 126 annual seats, in its third year of operation and a course, approved in February 2020, with a start date in the second half of 2020, with 50 seats available.
In November 2019, the Private Agreement on the Option to Acquire the Maintenance of a Higher Education Institutions and Other Covenants was signed with the University Foundation of the South of Santa Catarina [UNISUL - Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina], which has a significant operation in two regions of Santa Catarina, with on-campus education in six different cities: Tubarão, where the headquarters is located, Florianópolis, Palhoça, Braço do Norte, Içara and Araranguá, totaling around 20,000 students, with 1,300 Medical students, and may reach up to 2,058 students when matured. In December 2019, through our wholly-owned subsidiary VC Network Educação S.A., we entered into a legal business that will result in the acquisition all the shares of Administradora Educacional Novo Ateneu Ltda., maintainer of UNICURITIBA (University Center), with around 5,200 students. For us, the integration with UNICURITIBA intensifies the recent movements promoted in the South of the Country, to expand the offer of quality education to an increasing number of Brazilians.
Nowadays: We started 2020 with positive results and a strong capital structure to face the challenges brought by the year. In March 2020, we started to live a new reality with the COVID-19 pandemic and we quickly understood that people, companies, governments, and institutions could not be the same anymore.
We strengthened and accelerated many of our innovative practices. We also took the lead, quickly making decisions and implementing changes, adapting to the new means of personal and professional interaction, and of creatively adopting solutions. We have a privileged position in the educational segment, with all activities from students and educators delivered with great quality.
In May 2020, we acquired 100% of the shares of INOVATTUS EMPREENDIMENTOS E PARTICIPAÇÕES LTDA., which, in its turn, holds 51% of the share capital of CESUV, the holding company of FASEH, which has around 1,034 students in the city of Vespasiano, metropolitan region of Minas Gerais. Faseh has a Medical Course, authorized in 2003, which currently has 100 places, considered one of the bests in the country, with the top course grade (5) from the Ministry of Education (2018), highlighting the intense use of cutting edge technology and equipment. Besides the Medical Course, the IES offers courses in Nursing, Physical Therapy, Law, Civil Engineering and Production Engineering, with its reputation established mainly in the health area. For Ânima Educação, the integration of FASEH represents a stronger health vertical, Inspirali, adding a Medical Course with MEC’s top score, also adding a strategic advantage in the health area and possible expansion of the portfolio, as a leverage for additional value.
In July 2020, we signed an purchase option, through the wholly-owned subsidiary INSEGNARE EDUCACIONAL S.A (“INSEGNARE”) with all shareholders of CENTRO DE EDUCAÇÃO SUPERIOR DE GUANAMBI S.A., which will result in the acquisition of control of the Company, which holds the maintenance rights for UniFG - FG University Center. Responsible for teaching 3,800 students, UniFG develops education, research and extension through 25 undergraduate courses - in Health, especially Medicine, with 50 annual places authorized in the headquarters and a new course to be approved in the city of Brumado, also with 50 annual places, in addition to Law and Engineering courses and Graduate Courses, including a Master’s Degree in Law (the first in the countryside of the North and Northeast of the Country).
In November 2020, we acquired the Laureate group, which makes us very proud. This is certainly a milestone in the history of Ânima Educação. Laureate institutions that join our Ecosystem are fully in line with our high-quality positioning, with the tradition and origin of our brands and an excellent reputation in their respective markets. The operation in complementary and relevant geographies is another characteristic of this Transaction. With the acquisition, we expanded our operation in markets that currently correspond to 75% of the total enrollments in Brazilian higher education. Besides, we now have new places in the Medical Courses in important cities of the country that, added to the current places, at maturity, will total 2,260 places or 16,254 students, making us even more relevant and highlighted among the country’s private education organizations. The special brands, in privileged and complementary locations, the significant expansion of operations in the medical education segment, added to a wide range of potential synergies, make this Transaction a unique opportunity to expand our purpose, scale and impact on society.
The conclusion of the Acquisition of Laureate group is subject to certain precedent conditions, common for this type of operation, such as, for example, the approval by the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE).
On November 18, 2020, Dysgu Educacional Ltda., subsidiary of the Company, signed a Share Purchase and Sale Agreement and Other Covenants to acquire MEDROOM’s corporate control, a technology-based company (startup) leader in Brazil in the development of solutions in immersive technologies (Virtual Reality - VR and Augmented Reality - AR) for medical education.
Also in 2020, the Learning Village was launched, the first innovation and education hub in Latin America, founded by HSM and SingularityU Brazil. The hub will offer to development programs to startups, connecting them to large companies, providing mentorship, workspace, SingularityU Brazil programs, access to Singularity University global network and specific internal programs performed with startups and large enterprises.