Qoria announces acquisition of OctopusBI and completion of $30m capital raising

Qoria Limited (ASX:QOR) has announced the acquisition of data analytics innovator OctopusBI, aiming to integrate premium data analytics and AI capability into the Qoria admin and teacher platforms. The acquisition involves acquiring 100% of the shares of Ayra International Pty Ltd (trading as OctopusBI) and taking over the team, tech, and products. The consideration for the acquisition is $5M cash plus up to 11,666,667 performance rights with vesting subject to OBI reaching a target of circa $8 million in ARR within 30 months. Additionally, Qoria has completed a $30 million institutional capital raising through a placement of 80,645,162 new fully paid ordinary shares at an issue price of $0.372 per Share to fund the upfront consideration in relation to the acquisition of OctopusBI and general working capital.

Tim Levy, Managing Director, Qoria on OctopusBI acquisition

Tim Levy, Managing Director of Qoria, expressed, 'OctopusBI is the right technology and the right team at the right time. OctopusBI creates a leapfrog opportunity for Qoria to be embedded in the strategic management of modern schools. We look forward to launching OctopusBI as Qoria Insights early next year in time for the upcoming US & UK K-12 selling periods and the greater strategic opportunities that will come'.

Acquisition of OctopusBI and capital raising outlook

The acquisition of OctopusBI by Qoria is set to add premium data analytics and AI capability into the Qoria admin and teacher platforms, aiming to provide a fast track into the expanding K-12 data analytics and decision support segments. The completion of the acquisition is scheduled to occur by 31 October 2024. Additionally, the $30 million institutional capital raising through a placement of new fully paid ordinary shares will provide the necessary funds for the acquisition and general working capital. Qoria's ambitions include integrating OctopusBI's platforms as Qoria Insights and Qoria Intelligence, aiming to become a core component of their safety & wellbeing ecosystem. The company expects the acquisition to be EBITDA contributing and value accretive within 12 months, with a focus on the upcoming US & UK K-12 selling periods and strategic opportunities.