Acquisition of the language assessment company strengthens ETS’s position in corporate learning and digital-skills testing
PRINCETON, N.J. (Sept. 16, 2020) — ETS Strategic Capital, a new unit of education nonprofit ETS created to grow its business and advance its mission, today announced the acquisition of Pipplet by the ETS Global B.V. A Paris, France-based start-up, Pipplet specializes in language assessment for corporations and its evaluations are used for language audits and skills certification in employee recruitment and internal mobility.
Through digital distribution and integration with widely used HR software, Pipplet has acquired a key position in the recruitment process, especially in sectors where multilingualism and oral skills are important, such as customer service. Since 2015, Pipplet has allowed recruiters from all over the world to verify candidates’ abilities to work in a foreign language. More than 30,000 candidates have been tested in 28 different languages, from English to Vietnamese, speeding up the recruitment process for hundreds of companies, from fast-growing start-ups to large consulting groups.
Pipplet builds on ETS’s existing language assessment offerings, including TOEIC® and TOEFL® tests, which now provide digital and face-to-face testing for corporate professionals, academics and individuals worldwide. Post-acquisition, Pipplet will become a business unit of ETS subsidiary Global B.V., based in Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
“This cross-border acquisition of Pipplet will help expand ETS’s global presence and is part of our core growth strategy in corporate language learning and assessment services,” said Ralph Taylor-Smith, Managing Director of ETS Strategic Capital. “The international recognition and robustness of our existing TOEIC tests for the corporate market, combined with Pipplet’s digital innovations and online SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) business model for corporate clients, will enable us to help companies globally meet the current challenges in assessing language skills, which require accurate results, consistency and accessibility at all times.”
“Pipplet has successfully built an international business meeting the language assessment needs of corporate customers around the world. As part of ETS Global B.V., we will be even better positioned to maintain and expand our network of relationships with leading companies that depend on language skills to support their business success,” added Baptiste Derongs, one of Pipplet’s co-founders.
ETS Strategic Capital’s mandate is to broaden, expand and diversify ETS’s offering in assessment, learning and development for K–12, higher education, and corporations. It is actively seeking transactions to establish a global portfolio of innovative education companies that will have a positive financial and strategic impact by bringing technology, new business models and/or geographic coverage that complement and build out ETS’s current business areas. Pipplet is one of ETS Strategic Capital’s first five portfolio companies.
About ETS and ETS Global
At ETS, we advance quality and equity in education for people worldwide by creating assessments based on rigorous research. ETS serves individuals, educational institutions and government agencies by providing customized solutions for teacher certification, English language learning, and elementary, secondary and postsecondary education, and by conducting education research, analysis and policy studies. Founded as a nonprofit in 1947, ETS develops, administers and scores more than 50 million tests annually — including the TOEFL® and TOEIC® tests, and the GRE® tests — in more than 180 countries, at over 9,000 locations worldwide.
At ETS Global B.V., we bring expertise to educational and business communities around the world, including companies, language schools, academic institutions and public service organisations. ETS Global serve 80 countries across Europe, South America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. We offer a range of ETS products, services and learning solutions, including English-language assessments, standardized assessments, training and consulting.
About the TOEIC Tests
With more than 40 years as an industry leader, the TOEIC programme has set the standard for assessing English-language communication skills needed in the workplace. The TOEIC tests are the most widely used around the world. Over 14 000 organisations across more than 160 countries, trust TOEIC scores to inform the decisions that matter. The TOEIC assessment portfolio measures all 4 language skills for a comprehensive understanding of English-language proficiency. Accurate, reliable and comparable scores can help organisations evaluate individuals with the English-language skills needed to succeed in the global workplace. Learn more about the TOEIC tests and other services provided by the TOEIC Programme.
Contact: Annabelle Junillon, Associate Director of Marketing EMEA, ajunillon@etsglobal.org
About Pipplet
Founded in 2015, Pipplet offers an innovative approach to language assessment. Based on real-life scenarios that ask candidates to express themselves orally and in writing, the Pipplet assessment makes it possible to identify all of a person’s language skills in 30 minutes, without an appointment. Its fully online, multilingual model is preferred by international recruiters who need to select candidates who can work immediately in a given language. More than 400 companies worldwide use Pipplet.
The Pipplet management team will remain in place to ensure the development of their product within ETS Global.
