Huohua Siwei, a China-based online tuition provider backed by internet group Tencent, property developer Longfor Properties, education platform developer Yuanfudao and video streaming platform operator Kuaishou, filed for an initial public offering on Monday.
Formally known as Spark Education, the company plans to float on the Nasdaq Global Market and has hired Credit Suisse, Citigroup, CICC, Gutu and Tiger Brookers as underwriters. Bloomberg reported in January this year that it is aiming to raise as much as $500m through the offering.
Founded in 2016, Huohua Siwei has developed an online after-school tuition platform which offers access to live virtual classes on subjects including maths, science, English and Chinese.
The company plans to use 40% of the IPO proceeds to improve its teaching methods, educational software and expand its subject offering. It will use 30% to develop its technology infrastructure and 15% for marketing and branding.
Huohua Siwei has amassed about $590m of funding altogether. It increased its series E funding to $400m through a $150m series E3 round in January 2021 led by growth equity firm Trustbridge Partners that valued it at $1.5bn post-money.
The January round followed a $100m series E2 round in October 2020 led by Tencent that included Yuanfudao and Carlyle Group.
Longfor Capital, an investment subsidiary of Longfor Properties, took part in a $150m KKR-led series E1 round for the company in August 2020 that also featured GGV Capital, GSR Ventures, Sequoia Capital China and IDG Capital. Kuaishou had supplied $30m in series D-plus funding in April that year.
KKR and GGV Capital co-led Huohua Siwei’s $85m series D round in August 2019, investing alongside Longfor Properties subsidiary Longhu Capital, IDG Capital, Lightspeed China Partners, Northern Light Venture Capital, Sequoia China, Hike Capital and GSR Ventures.
In March 2019, the company received $40m in a series C round co-led by Longhu Capital and Northern Light Venture Capital with additional investment from Sequoia China, IDG Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Hike Capital and GSR Ventures.
Huohua Siwei had raised at least $35m across series A, series B and series B-plus rounds between 2016 and 2018, from investors including IDG Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Hike Capital, Northern Light Venture Capital, Sequoia China and GSR Ventures.
Venus Mission, a vehicle owned by Huohua Siwei founder and CEO Jian Luo, is its largest shareholder, with a 13.6% stake. Its other notable shareholders include Sequoia China (10.5%), GGV Capital (8.9%), IDG Capital (8.7%), KKR (8.5%), Trustbridge Partners (7.5%), Hike Capital (6.3%) and Lightspeed China Partners (5.7%).