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Instructure

Instructure is the Salt Lake City company behind Canvas, the learning management system used by more than 200 million learners in over 100 countries. Founded in 2008 by two BYU graduate students, it has been taken private twice — by Thoma Bravo in 2020 and by KKR and Dragoneer in 2024 at a $4.8 billion enterprise value.

Education technologySalt Lake CityFounded 2008instructure.com
$4.8Benterprise value of the KKR and Dragoneer take-private, completed 13 November 2024 at $23.60 per shareInstructure press release, 2024-11-13
200M+learners on Canvas, across more than 100 countriesInstructure press release, 2024-11-13
~$2Bvalue of the earlier Thoma Bravo take-private, announced December 2019Higher Ed Dive, 2019-12-04

The people

BW
Brian WhitmerCo-founderprofile coming
DD
Devlin DaleyCo-founderprofile coming

What they build

CanvasThe learning management system used across schools, universities and companies.Product page ↗

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Working at Instructure

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About

Brian Whitmer and Devlin Daley started Instructure in 2008 as BYU graduate students, and built Canvas into one of the two dominant learning management systems in North American education. The company listed publicly, then went private with Thoma Bravo in a roughly $2 billion take-private that closed in March 2020, returned to the NYSE, and went private again on 13 November 2024 when KKR and Dragoneer completed an all-cash acquisition at $23.60 a share — an enterprise value of about $4.8 billion. Canvas now reaches more than 200 million learners across over 100 countries, alongside credentialing and education-effectiveness products. Michael Lysaght, its chief technology officer, is in this directory for an October 2019 TechTO talk given as chief digital officer of WW.

Backers

Owned by KKR and Dragoneer Investment Group since November 2024; previously owned by Thoma Bravo and listed on the NYSE.

Quick answers

What does Instructure do?

It builds Canvas, a learning management system used by more than 200 million learners in over 100 countries, along with credentialing and education-effectiveness products.

Who owns Instructure?

KKR and Dragoneer Investment Group, which completed a $4.8 billion take-private on 13 November 2024 at $23.60 a share. Thoma Bravo had taken it private once before, in 2020.

Did Instructure take the TechTO stage?

No. Michael Lysaght's October 2019 TechTO talk on moving beyond legacy systems was given as chief digital officer of WW.

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Maintained by TechTO · facts sourced and dated · last reviewed Aug 30, 2026