Main Capital Partners agrees to take Tribal Group private

● PLATFORM | EDUCATION · Higher Education

SEPTEMBER 14, 2026

Main Capital Partners agrees to take Tribal Group private

TARGET

Student information systems and education management software for universities, colleges, TAFE organisations, and schools globally, transitioning to cloud SaaS.

Deal value	£189.3m purchase price
Revenue	£92.5m (FY2025)
EBITDA	£17.5m adjusted EBITDA (FY2025)
Ownership	Publicly traded
Headcount	~915 FTEs
Headquarters	Sheffield, United Kingdom
Leadership	Mark Pickett, CEO
Sell-side advisor	—

ACQUIRER

Main Capital Partners

Software-focused private equity firm investing in enterprise software businesses across Northwestern Europe and North America

Headcount	70 FTEs
Headquarters	The Hague, Netherlands
Deal team	Sjoerd Aarts
Buy-side advisor	—

Share deal Copy details View press release ↗

Main Capital Partners -> Tribal Group  (2026-09-18)
take_private | Education | £189.3m purchase price | announced
Target: Student information systems and education management software for universities, colleges, TAFE organisations, and schools globally, transitioning to cloud SaaS.
Website: tribalgroup.com | Buyer site: maincapital.com
HQ: Sheffield, United Kingdom | Ownership: public
Advisors - not yet credited
Source: Thematic - https://thematichq.com/software/d/main-capital-partners-tribal-group.html

Spotted an error or advised on this transaction? Claim credit or send a correction

MORE IN EDUCATION

Pearson acquires ITS (Internet Testing Systems) Assessment & ExamsSEP 18

ITS (Internet Testing Systems) – secure online assessment management, delivery, and reporting software for certification, credentialing, academic, and professional testing programs worldwide ›

McGraw Hill acquires TeachFX K-12SEP 17

TeachFX – AI instructional coaching platform that records and analyzes classroom audio to give K-12 teachers automated feedback on questioning techniques, student talk time, and engagement practices ›

ESS (Vistria) acquires HeyTutor K-12SEP 16

HeyTutor – high-dosage in-person Math and ELA tutoring platform for K-12 school districts, with proprietary three-dashboard software tracking student progress and program outcomes in real time ›

Main Capital Partners acquires Watermark (TCV) Higher EducationSEP 16

Watermark – assessment, accreditation, faculty activity reporting, and course evaluation software for colleges and universities, serving approximately 1,500 institutions worldwide ›

Wooclap (Impact Expansion) acquires Vevox Corporate & Workforce TrainingSEP 15

Vevox – live polling, anonymous Q&A, and quizzing platform for university lecturers and corporate training teams seeking real-time audience engagement ›

Gruppo Spaggiari Parma (Ambienta) acquires ESDS (E-Schooling Dream Shaper) K-12SEP 15

ESDS (E-Schooling Dream Shaper) – school management-information-system software for K-12 institutions across Iberia and Latin America, offering the eSchooling and iScholar admin platforms plus DreamShaper for project-based learning ›

Browse the full register →

SEARCH CONTACT

Thematic is a news publication, not an investment adviser. Nothing here is investment advice or a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Researched and compiled by Thematic; accuracy and completeness are not guaranteed.