Our history

AcadeMedia was founded in 1996, however, the oldest AcadeMedia business is much older than that. In 1898 Hans Svensson Hermod started the "Malmö Language and Trade Institute" which would later develop into what is today known as Hermods.

70 years later, another business that is now part of AcadeMedia began. In 1968 Romanian immigrant Mikael Elias started NTI. Mikael Elias came to Sweden in 1955 and with him brough his fascination with pedagogy, an interest that came to characterise his entire life. His fundamental theory was that all individuals can learn - as long as they have the appropriate attitude and conditions. One of his mottos was "You can become whatever you want, as long as you want it". This motto continues to live on within AcadeMedia.

Since 1898, AcadeMedia has had the time to write history. The preschool group Pysslingen was founded in 1984 and, despite a ban on grants for independent day care centres being introduced the same year (the so-called Lex Pysslingen), the group became the first in Sweden to run independent preschools.

Political reforms have since then changed the market. When the independent school reform was introduced in 1992, a large number of entrepreneurs started their own schools. Many of the education companies that are today part of AcadeMedia, such as the founded in 1993 Vittra and the founded in 1998 IT-Gymnasiet resulted from this deregulation.

Lärare sitter med elever vid ett bord i ett klassrum och undervisar.

Timeline

  1. 1898

    Hermods

    Hermods is founded under the name Malmö Language and Business Institute.

  2. 1968

    NTI

    NTI is established. NTI’s focus was technology which was taught via correspondence.

  3. 1986

    Pysslingen

    Pysslingen is established, the first independent preschools in Sweden.

  4. 1992

    The free school reform

    The free school reform is introduced and many entrepreneurs start their own schools.

  5. 1993

    Vittra

    The primary school company Vittra opens up its first school.

  6. 1996

    AcadeMedia

    AcadeMedia is founded.

  7. 2004

    Eductus

    AcadeMedia focuses on adult education and acquires Eductus.

  8. 2007

    Independent school company

    New focus is upper secondary school. The first acquisition is NTI. We become an independent school company.

  9. 2008

    Education company

    We join forces with Vittra’s owners, and become Sweden’s largest education company with 70 schools.

  10. 2010

    Shares are delisted

    EQT becomes the major owner of AcadeMedia and delists the shares from the stock exchange.

  11. 2011

    Acquisitions

    AcadeMedia acquires Pysslingen, ProCivitas and Plushögskolan, among others.

  12. 2013

    JB

    AcadeMedia takes over a number of units from JB. The schools continue to be run under our auspices.

  13. 2014

    Norway

    AcadeMedia makes its first foreign acquisition, Norwegian Espira with around 100 preschools.

  14. 2016

    Germany

    The German Joki becomes part of AcadeMedia. We are relisted on the stock exchange with Mellby Gård as the main shareholder.

  15. 2017

    Praktiska Gymnasiet

    The business in Germany is growing rapidly. In Sweden, the upper-secondary schools Praktiska and Hagströmska are acquired as well as Movant.

  16. 2022

    The Netherlands

    AcadeMedia continues to expand abroad with the acquisition of two preschools in the Netherlands.