Leeds Equity and eLuma Partner to Transform Online Special Education and Mental Health Services to K-12 Districts

NEW YORK, July 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Leeds Equity Partners ("Leeds Equity"), the New York-based private equity firm, and eLuma (the "Company"), a leading two-sided marketplace for providing live, online special education and mental health services and software to K-12 districts, schools, and their students nationwide, announced today that Leeds Equity has made a significant investment in the Company.  

Leeds Equity partners with talented management teams to drive innovation and growth in leading companies across the Knowledge Industries. Leeds Equity's investment in eLuma will enable the Company to further expand its K-12 online therapy services into mental health as well as invest in its school software platform, further strengthening eLuma's ability to support educators, administrators, therapists, students, and families with mission-critical special education and mental health services.

"Bringing on an investment partner was very important to us, and given Leeds Equity's reputation as a leading investor in the Knowledge Industries, we knew that this was the right move at the right time for our company, and I personally couldn't be more excited," said Jeremy Glauser, Founder and CEO of eLuma. "Leeds Equity has proven to have an unparalleled track record of building innovative companies that address high stakes challenges and deliver measurable, best-in-class outcomes.  We look forward to working in partnership to continue serving districts, schools, students, and families with the best resources possible, and we can't wait to see the things we're able to accomplish together." 

Glauser, who founded the business ten years ago, will continue to lead as Chief Executive Officer and will also serve on the Board of Directors.  

Since being founded in 2011, eLuma has become a leading two-sided marketplace for live, online special education and mental health services for K-12 students. eLuma utilizes proprietary software to enable K-12 districts and schools and their students, on the one hand, and therapy services providers, on the other hand, to receive and deliver, respectively, live, online speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, school psychology, and mental health services.  eLuma is a mission-driven organization focused on helping children develop critical life skills.

"We are excited to partner with Jeremy and the eLuma team to support the Company's mission and solve schools' complex and increasing health service needs for students," said Scott VanHoy, Partner at Leeds Equity Partners. "The Company helps schools address critical clinician supply issues, expand access to more specialized, relevant clinicians, reduce costs, automate manual tasks, and manage compliance. We look forward to helping eLuma and its management team continue to provide progressive, impactful health services that enable districts to better serve their students through periods of disruption and change." 

Eric Geveda, Managing Director at Leeds Equity Partners, said, "eLuma provides an attractive opportunity to innovate in an important and growing market serving children with special needs.  In addition to further investing in the Company's software platform to enable districts and schools to better manage their special education therapy, eLuma will increasingly address the growing mental health crisis that is driving more service requirements in school settings. Good mental health is a pre-condition to children having successful school outcomes."

Crewe Capital, LLC served as financial advisor and Mitchell Barlow & Mansfield, P.C. provided legal counsel to eLuma.  Polsinelli PC served as legal counsel to Leeds Equity Partners.

About Leeds Equity Partners:

Leeds Equity Partners is a New York-based private equity firm dedicated exclusively to partnering with management teams in the education, training, and information services industries (the "Knowledge Industries"). The firm was founded in 1993 and has managed $3.9 billion of capital across a broad spectrum of companies within the Knowledge Industries. Leeds Equity seeks to leverage its sector-focused expertise and market insights to create long-term value for its partner companies.

For additional information on Leeds Equity, see www.leedsequity.com.

About eLuma:

eLuma was founded in 2011 on the belief that employing online solutions can tremendously increase the quality of therapy in K-12 special education and mental health programs.  The Company is the premier provider of live, online speech therapy, mental health therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and school psychology for K-12 schools and districts.  eLuma leverages a national network of high-quality therapists and educators, an innovative software platform, and an advanced case management system to help deliver therapy services in an effective, cost-efficient, and compliant way.

For additional information on eLuma, see www.elumatherapy.com, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

CONTACT: Danielle Derrico, [email protected], 212-835-2015

SOURCE Leeds Equity Partners, LLC