Picsart acquires Code Republic to expand focus on education

February 3, 2022 - 10:34 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Digital creation platform Picsart, which is one of the most downloaded app worldwide, announced Wednesday, February 2 that it has acquired the learning platform Code Republic for an undisclosed sum to join its educational division Picsart Academy.

Operating since 2016, Picsart Academy provides world-class learning opportunities for the most qualified students in IT, including web development, AI, machine learning, data science, product management and more. Picsart has seen thousands of students go through its programs, and receives hundreds of applications each year, with many being hired by the company at the end of their courses. The acquisition of Code Republic will allow Picsart Academy to support additional programs and expand into more locations.

As part of the acquisition, all 20+ Code Republic employees will join the Picsart Academy team. In fact, Code Republic’s Founder Vardan Grigoryan is a boomerang Picsart employee, having previously worked at the company as a Senior Engineer for more than two years. He’s also been teaching coding bootcamps regularly since 2012, where he developed expertise in spotting and developing talent. Grigoryan is rejoining Picsart as Director of Picsart Academy, leading the company’s educational efforts to attract new talent.

Picsart Academy courses are currently offered in the Armenian language only, and will be hosting in-person classes in Yerevan this month. The team plans to launch English language courses online later this year and expand in-person courses to additional cities.

This is Picsart’s third acquisition, after the acquisition of Computer Vision and AI company DeepCraft late last year and advanced video effects company “D’efekt” in 2020. This news comes on the heels of Picsart announcing its first major brand marketing campaign last month. Picsart raised a Series C funding round of $130 million last year and is using part of the funds to acquire companies that mirror its values and growth strategy.