University Ventures, the premier investment firm focused exclusively on the intersection of global higher education and the labor market, today, announced the expansion of its leadership team to keep pace with the demand for smart investment in solutions that help to close the skills gap.
Longtime education investor Troy Williams will join as Managing Director, and Prateek Aneja, formerly of Wells Fargo Securities, will join as Vice President. The firm will also promote Aanand Radia to Managing Director.
Williams comes to University Ventures with nearly 20 years of experience in mergers and acquisitions, financing and venture capital, and operations and strategic planning, as well as advising early-stage startups. For the past six years, Williams has led education technology divisions at Macmillan Publishers, first as President of Macmillan New Ventures and more recently as CEO of Macmillan Enterprise Solutions. Williams was originally recruited to build out the education giant’s edtech portfolio, identifying solutions that would have a major impact on student performance and outcomes. Under his leadership, Macmillan New Ventures grew to include 400 employees and seven portfolio companies. Williams received his JD from Harvard Law School and his bachelor’s in History from Rice University.
Aneja brings over 10 years of investment banking, corporate development and private equity, and operational experience focused exclusively on the education sector. Most recently, Aneja served as an investment banker in the Education Technology & Services team at Wells Fargo Securities. Prior to that, he worked in mergers and acquisitions at Laureate Education, one of the world’s largest higher education companies, where he was responsible for evaluating higher education investments in Asia. Aneja received his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University and a bachelor’s in Finance from Indiana University, Bloomington.
“We are delighted to announce the expansion of our team with Troy and Prateek, who both share our deep commitment to advancing high-quality academic programs that address major economic and social needs,” said Ryan Craig, founding Managing Director of University Ventures. “Troy has a proven track record in edtech investment, mergers and acquisitions, and leadership experience that will add great value and expertise to our existing portfolio companies. Prateek’s strong background in educational technology and terrific investment performance also makes for an excellent addition to our leadership team. Their combined background in operations will help to improve the operational excellence of University Ventures’ portfolio.”
Aanand Radia, who has led University Ventures’ investments in student financing, will now serve as Managing Director.
“It’s no surprise from Aanand’s demonstrated investment acumen and leadership qualities at University Ventures that we are beyond thrilled about his promotion as Director,” said Daniel Pianko, founding Managing Director of University Ventures. “Aanand’s commitment to and passion for finding, funding, and building great education businesses will have a long term impact on student success. We look forward to his continued contribution to the success of our current and future funds in his new role as a Managing Director.”
For more information, visit http://universityventures.com/.
About University Ventures
University Ventures partners with top-tier institutions and strategically directs private capital to develop innovative programs of exceptional quality that address major economic and social needs. With the deepest respect for the missions and traditions of colleges and universities, University Ventures pursues a differentiated strategy of ‘innovation from within’ and is confident that through innovation, these higher education institutions will be successful in fulfilling and expanding their missions.
