Allen &Co. Takes Stake in LearningExpress

-- Publishers Weekly, 8/9/1999

LearningExpress, a customized publisher of vocational and professional test preparation materials founded in 1995 by Barry Lippman, has sold an equity stake in the company to Allen & Co. as well as to a select group of private investors. LearningExpress will use the cash infusion to upgrade its Web site (www.Learnx.com ) by developing online test guides and eventually offering online courses.

Lippman estimated that about 55 tests will be online by the end of the year. 'The Web was invented for what we do,'Lippman told PW. He noted that not only will LearningExpress score a student's test, it will also analyze the student's skill level to recommend products that will help the individual pass the actual exam.

LearningExpress currently has a backlist of more than 100 titles; the publisher added a school sales force last year to complement its efforts in the retail marketplace.