What GRUPO SEB does

Grupo SEB is a privately held Brazilian education conglomerate founded around 1960, headquartered in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, operating across approximately 40 countries with 7,000+ employees and reaching 400,000+ students globally. The company runs a multi-brand portfolio spanning early childhood through higher education, organized into franchises (Maple Bear, the world's largest bilingual school network with 450+ operations in 39 countries serving 60,000 students), premium schools (Escola Carolina Patrício in Rio de Janeiro operating in partnership with Texas Tech University High School; Pueri Domus; Sphere International School with full IB curriculum in São José dos Campos), high-performance schools (Escolas SEB, Colégios AZ, Colégio Santa Maria, Escola Concept), and higher-education institutions (Harven Agribusiness School, EPD/Escola Paulista de Direito with highest MEC rating, UNIDOMBOSCO).

The group's underlying technology layer is Conexia Educação, a B2B educational solutions platform operating in 30+ countries that delivers proprietary printed and digital content to 400+ schools worldwide through sub-platforms including Plataforma AZ de Aprendizagem, AZ Blue, High Five Bilingual Education, My Life Educação Socioemocional, and LEX. Conexia provides curriculum, learning platforms, and digital content that serve both Grupo SEB's branded schools and third-party institutions.

Grupo SEB generates revenue through three primary streams: recurring franchise fees and royalties from the Maple Bear network and other branded franchises; recurring tuition and educational-service revenue from company-owned schools (Sphere, Carolina Patrício, and other premium and high-performance brands); and recurring B2B licensing fees from Conexia Educação, which sells platforms and content to 400+ external schools. Go-to-market mixes direct institutional sales for company-owned schools and higher education, franchise/licensed-operator channels via Maple Bear, and channel/reseller distribution through Conexia Educação for B2B platforms. Specific pricing, contract terms, and revenue figures are not disclosed in source materials.

Name

GRUPO SEB

Legal name

Grupo SEB

Website

https://sebsa.com.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Grupo SEB is a Brazilian private education conglomerate operating a multi-brand portfolio spanning bilingual franchises (Maple Bear, 450+ schools in 39 countries), premium Brazilian schools, and higher-education institutions, supported by Conexia Educação's B2B learning platforms serving 400+ schools and reaching 400,000+ students globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Education

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

International/Global Curriculum Schools (IB, Cambridge, etc.) (EDAJABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Online International & Cross-Border Universities (Global/Transnational Providers) (EDAHALAL), Corporate/L&D Course Licensing from Creators (B2B Upskilling) (MPACALAH), Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) & Life Skills Trade (EDAGAIAH)

Keywords

• Bilingual education
• K-12 schools
• Higher education
• Educational platforms
• Franchise schools

Headquarters

HQ city

Ribeirão Prêto

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Educational Services - Franchise Operations: Revenue generated from franchise fees and royalties from the Maple Bear network and other branded school franchises operating under Grupo SEB's educational methodology and curriculum.
2. Educational Services - Company-Owned Schools: Direct tuition and educational service revenue from company-owned schools including Sphere International School, Escola Carolina Patrício, and other branded institutions.
3. Educational Solutions - B2B Platforms: Revenue from providing educational platforms and content solutions (Plataforma AZ, AZ Blue, High Five, My Life, LEX) to over 400 other schools globally through Conexia Educação.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Grupo SEB operates a global educational ecosystem that owns and franchises bilingual and international K-12 schools (Maple Bear, Escolas SEB, Colégios AZ, Colégio Santa Maria, Escola Concept, Sphere International School, Escola Carolina Patrício, Pueri Domus), runs higher education institutions (Harven Agribusiness School, EPD, UNIDOMBOSCO), and licenses proprietary educational platforms and content through Conexia Educação to 400+ schools in 30+ countries. Revenue is generated through tuition at company-owned schools, franchise/royalty fees from the Maple Bear network, and B2B subscriptions for its digital learning platforms.

Product overview

Grupo SEB operates as a unified educational ecosystem offering a comprehensive portfolio of products and services spanning early childhood education through higher education. The core offering includes multiple school brands (Maple Bear, Escola Carolina Patrício, Pueri Domus, Sphere International School, Escolas SEB, Colégios AZ, Colégio Santa Maria, Escola Concept) organized into four divisions: Franchises (bilingual education networks), Premium Schools (high-performance international schools), High-Performance Schools (traditional Brazilian schools with strong university admission results), and Higher Education institutions (Harven Agribusiness School, EPD, UNIDOMBOSCO). Supporting this portfolio is Conexia Educação, a technology platform providing digital educational solutions including Plataforma AZ de Aprendizagem, AZ Blue, High Five Bilingual Education, My Life Educação Socioemocional, and LEX. Together, these products serve over 7,000 educational agents impacting 400,000+ students across approximately 40 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Maple Bear: Largest bilingual school network in the world with 450+ operations in 39 countries, serving 60,000 students with Canadian educational methodology.
• Escola Carolina Patrício
• Pueri Domus
• Sphere International School
• Escolas SEB
• Colégios AZ
• Colégio Santa Maria
• Escola Concept
• Harven Agribusiness School
• EPD - Escola Paulista de Direito
• UNIDOMBOSCO
• Conexia Educação
• Instituto SEB

Products and services

• Maple Bear The largest bilingual school network in the world with more than 450 operations in 39 countries, providing education to 60,000 students based on Canadian educational best practices, focusing on autonomy, critical thinking and lifelong learning.
• Escola Carolina Patrício A reference premium school in student high-performance providing international quality bilingual education in partnership with Texas Tech University High School, located in Rio de Janeiro.
• Pueri Domus School brand offering quality bilingual education as part of the Grupo SEB premium portfolio.
• Sphere International School A company-owned bilingual school in São José dos Campos offering the full cycle of Brazilian and International curricula with three IB programs (PYP, MYP, DP) from Kindergarten to High School.
• Escolas SEB Contemporary and technological schools with a 60+ year legacy focused on developing autonomy and diverse skills for students in an interactive, digital and globalized world.
• Colégios AZ A pre-university entrance exam course operator offering a complete education cycle from early childhood to pre-university exams with cutting-edge technological methodology and high pass rates in university admission exams.
• Colégio Santa Maria A school with 60+ years of history dedicated to education in Brazil, committed to excellence and high academic performance.
• Escola Concept An innovative school using design thinking methodology and project-based learning to form individuals prepared for current and future scenarios, promoting collaboration, entrepreneurship, sustainability and digital fluency.
• Harven Agribusiness School Higher education institution offering courses in Business Administration, Law and Production Engineering with a focus on training future leaders of Brazilian agribusiness through dynamic learning methodologies.
• EPD (Escola Paulista de Direito) A law school with 20+ years of tradition and highest MEC rating, providing graduation, post-graduation and extension courses in Law both in-person and via distance learning.
• UNIDOMBOSCO A high-quality University Center focused on integral formation of critical, ethical and responsible individuals through innovative education and sustainable management.
• Conexia Educação An innovative educational solutions platform present in 30+ countries that delivers educational solutions to Maple Bear, Grupo SEB and 400+ other schools worldwide, encompassing Plataforma AZ de Aprendizagem, AZ Blue, High Five Bilingual Education, My Life Educação Socioemocional and LEX.

Quantifiable outcome

• 400,000 students impacted globally across all educational institutions
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Texas Tech University High SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEscola Carolina Patrício operates in partnership with Texas Tech University High School to provide international quality bilingual education, validating the school's academic standards against an established American university framework.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Pearson: Global education content, assessment, and services provider; broadly comparable as an incumbent scaling curriculum and digital learning content across schools and institutions globally, like Conexia Educação.
• Discovery Education: Global K-12 digital content and edtech platform provider; comparable to Conexia Educação's role of licensing educational content and platforms to schools worldwide.

Direct peers

• International Schools Partnership (ISP): Global network of premium and bilingual international schools; comparable to Grupo SEB in scaling international curricula across multiple geographies and serving similar premium-family segments.
• Cognita: Global K-12 school group operating premium and bilingual international schools across multiple continents; directly comparable to Grupo SEB's Maple Bear and premium-school portfolio in business model and geographic mix.
• GEMS Education: Large global K-12 school operator with premium international and bilingual schools; comparable to Grupo SEB in operating premium schools and franchise-like school networks across many countries.
• Nord Anglia Education: Premium international K-12 school network with IB-aligned curricula worldwide; closely comparable to Grupo SEB's Sphere International School and Carolina Patrício premium bilingual model.
• Inspired Education Group: International premium schools group operating bilingual and IB-aligned schools globally; comparable to Grupo SEB's premium-school segment and franchise-style growth strategy.

Regional players

• Yduqs: Brazilian for-profit higher-education group (Ibmec, Estácio, IDOMED); comparable to Grupo SEB's higher-education segment (Harven, EPD, UNIDOMBOSCO) and overall Brazilian ed conglomerate structure.
• Eleva Educação: Brazilian K-12 education group operating multiple school brands; directly competitive with Grupo SEB's Escolas SEB, Colégios AZ, and Santa Maria in the Brazilian domestic K-12 market.
• Cogna Educação (formerly Kroton): Largest Brazilian for-profit education conglomerate covering K-12 and higher education; comparable to Grupo SEB as a multi-brand Brazilian education conglomerate with edtech and content offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about GRUPO SEB