The Kitchener, Ont.-based startup has secured a $70-million Series C raise with participation from investors including New Jersey testing giant Educational Testing Service, which administers the TOEFL and GRE tests. As part of the deal, ETS will form a strategic partnership with ApplyBoard, providing a platform for its users to prepare for and take the GRE and TOEFL and apply to ApplyBoard’s partner schools. (The Logic)

Talking point: ApplyBoard, founded by Iranian brothers Massi, Meti and Martin Basiri, has now raised $170 million in total Series C funding over the last six months, and is one of Canada’s fastest-growing startups, valued at US$1.4 billion. The latest investment round saw funding from international VC firms Index Ventures, Blue Cloud Ventures and Harmonic Growth Partners. Like many other companies in the edtech space, the startup has greatly benefited from the pandemic, seeing a 300 per cent increase in new schools signing up for the platform. The partnership with ETS lends ApplyBoard a nifty mechanism in which international students can apply to universities and sign up for and take TOEFL or GRE tests on the same online platform.