• Soliloquy is a leading reading teacher in the $3bn US market • Builds on a successful year for van Tulleken advising on 11 deals across the US & Europe January 9 , 2008: The van Tulleken Company (“van Tulleken”), leading international corporate finance advisers in media, information and technology, is pleased to announce it has advised JTT Holdings, Inc., the owner of Soliloquy Learning (“Soliloquy”), the reading and language technology company, on its sale of Soliloquy to Nasdaq-listed Scientific Learning (“SCIL”), the educational software company. Van Tulleken acted as sole advisor to JTT Holdings regarding its strategic options for the Soliloquy business, and led the negotiations and execution of the transaction on its behalf. Scientific Learning paid approximately $11.0 million in cash for Soliloquy in the acquisition, which closed on January 7, 2008. In 2006, Soliloquy generated estimated sales of $2.5 million and used approximately $1.7 million in cash. Soliloquy’s flagship product is Soliloquy Reading Assistant™, which acts as a personal reading tutor. This software tool combines advanced speech recognition technology with scientifically-based interventions to help elementary and secondary students strengthen their reading fluency, vocabulary and comprehension towards becoming proficient, life-long readers - www.soliloquylearning.com Robin Warner, van Tulleken Managing Director, New York, said: “Soliloquy Learning’s outstanding speech recognition technology and creative team have found the perfect home with Scientific Learning. The combination of SL’s marketing expertise and Soliloquy’s market- leading technology will create a powerful new dynamic in educational software. We are delighted to have advised the shareholders of Soliloquy on this significant strategic step for their continued growth.” Joe Costello, CEO and Founder of Soliloquy Learning, said: "Soliloquy Learning and Scientific Learning make a fabulous combination, with complementary products and technologies, and a common vision for how technology can make a huge positive impact on the education of our children. Our Reading Assistant customers will continue to get this great product, but now backed by a company with greater financial, technical and support resources. With Scientific Learning's strong sales and market organization, unique in the industry, Soliloquy will be far closer to achieving its dream of making Reading Assistant available to all learning readers in our schools." Robert C. Bowen, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Scientific Learning, said: “The acquisition of the Reading Assistant product line will bring a significant opportunity for us to combine speech verification technology with reading and neuroscience research. This unique innovation effectively addresses the difficult issue of providing every student with rigorous and consistent fluency training. Reading Assistant broadens our brain-based solutions and will give our growing direct sales organization increased access to the $3 billion mainstream reading market.” For further information: Robin Warner, The van Tulleken Company, New York: Tel: +1 212 355 1390 Libby Young, Smithfield: Tel: +44 20 7360 4900 Notes to Editors The van Tulleken Company (www.vantulleken.com) is a leading international corporate finance adviser on mergers, acquisitions and strategic developments in the media, information and technology industries. The company has offices in New York and London, serving large international companies and small and medium sized firms in the US, UK and Europe. Clients include corporations, financial sponsors, media executives and entrepreneurs. Companies that have retained The van Tulleken Company on an ongoing or assignment basis include Wolters Kluwer; The von Holtzbrinck Group; VNU; Reed Elsevier; Hearst and Pearson. The skills and experience of the team are virtually unmatched in the industry, having worked on over 50 publishing and information deals in the last few years, representing both sellers and acquirers.
• Soliloquy is a leading reading teacher in the $3bn US market • Builds on a successful year for van Tulleken advising on 11 deals across the US & Europe
January 9 , 2008: The van Tulleken Company (“van Tulleken”), leading international corporate finance advisers in media, information and technology, is pleased to announce it has advised JTT Holdings, Inc., the owner of Soliloquy Learning (“Soliloquy”), the reading and language technology company, on its sale of Soliloquy to Nasdaq-listed Scientific Learning (“SCIL”), the educational software company. Van Tulleken acted as sole advisor to JTT Holdings regarding its strategic options for the Soliloquy business, and led the negotiations and execution of the transaction on its behalf.
Scientific Learning paid approximately $11.0 million in cash for Soliloquy in the acquisition, which closed on January 7, 2008. In 2006, Soliloquy generated estimated sales of $2.5 million and used approximately $1.7 million in cash.
Soliloquy’s flagship product is Soliloquy Reading Assistant™, which acts as a personal reading tutor. This software tool combines advanced speech recognition technology with scientifically-based interventions to help elementary and secondary students strengthen their reading fluency, vocabulary and comprehension towards becoming proficient, life-long readers - www.soliloquylearning.com
Robin Warner, van Tulleken Managing Director, New York, said: “Soliloquy Learning’s outstanding speech recognition technology and creative team have found the perfect home with Scientific Learning. The combination of SL’s marketing expertise and Soliloquy’s market- leading technology will create a powerful new dynamic in educational software. We are delighted to have advised the shareholders of Soliloquy on this significant strategic step for their continued growth.”
Joe Costello, CEO and Founder of Soliloquy Learning, said: "Soliloquy Learning and Scientific Learning make a fabulous combination, with complementary products and technologies, and a common vision for how technology can make a huge positive impact on the education of our children. Our Reading Assistant customers will continue to get this great product, but now backed by a company with greater financial, technical and support resources. With Scientific Learning's strong sales and market organization, unique in the industry, Soliloquy will be far closer to achieving its dream of making Reading Assistant available to all learning readers in our schools."
Robert C. Bowen, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Scientific Learning, said: “The acquisition of the Reading Assistant product line will bring a significant opportunity for us to combine speech verification technology with reading and neuroscience research. This unique innovation effectively addresses the difficult issue of providing every student with rigorous and consistent fluency training. Reading Assistant broadens our brain-based solutions and will give our growing direct sales organization increased access to the $3 billion mainstream reading market.”
For further information:
Robin Warner, The van Tulleken Company, New York: Tel: +1 212 355 1390
Libby Young, Smithfield: Tel: +44 20 7360 4900 Notes to Editors
The van Tulleken Company (www.vantulleken.com) is a leading international corporate finance adviser on mergers, acquisitions and strategic developments in the media, information and technology industries. The company has offices in New York and London, serving large international companies and small and medium sized firms in the US, UK and Europe. Clients include corporations, financial sponsors, media executives and entrepreneurs. Companies that have retained The van Tulleken Company on an ongoing or assignment basis include Wolters Kluwer; The von Holtzbrinck Group; VNU; Reed Elsevier; Hearst and Pearson. The skills and experience of the team are virtually unmatched in the industry, having worked on over 50 publishing and information deals in the last few years, representing both sellers and acquirers.
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