Student Brands

Student Brands, LLC
Student Brands, LLC
Formerly	Study Mode Holdings, LLC
Type	Private
Industry	Internet; Education;
Founder	Blaine Vess; Chris Nelson; Todd Clemens;
Headquarters	Los Angeles, California, United States
Area served	Worldwide
Services	Writing help; Flashcards;
Parent	Barnes & Noble Education, Inc.

Student Brands, LLC (formerly Study Mode Holdings, LLC) is a Los Angeles County-based company that owns and operates a network of educational websites and applications.

Student Brands’s network of websites includes StudyMode.com, where students can download model essays and term papers, book notes and AP notes; Cram.com, where students can share and review flashcards; and Cite.com, a citation generator and bibliography builder.

Student Brands was founded by Blaine Vess and Chris Nelson in 1999 when they re-launched the website, OPPapers.com. The company was originally run out of a dorm room at North Central College. By 2007, revenues and profits exceeded US$1 million. Todd Clemens joined the company in 2008. The company subsequently grew through the acquisitions and international site launches. In 2013, its portfolio included more than a dozen websites in several languages with around 2.5 million visitors per day and revenues exceed $10 million.

For more than a decade, the co-founders ran the company out of Vess’s home with about thirty remote contractors.

Acquisition

Student Brands was acquired by Barnes & Noble Education in August 2017 for $58.5 million.

Learneo acquired Student Brands from Barnes & Noble Education in May 2023.

References

↑ Amendment to Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC), 2017-01-02
1 2 3 Dave, Paresh (19 July 2013). "Blaine Vess harnesses the Internet to help students succeed". Business. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
1 2 Jarvey, Natalie (19 September 2013). "West Hollywood Company to Help Students Cram". Los Angeles Business Journal. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
1 2 Watson, Dan (2 October 2013). "Digital Entrepreneur Blaine Vess Brings His 'Home Work' to WeHo". WEHOVille. West Hollywood, California: WHMC LLC. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
↑ Vess, Blaine (27 August 2013). "Should I Find a Co-founder or Start a Business Alone?". YFS Magazine (Digital magazine). YFS Media. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
↑ "Barnes & Noble Education Acquires Student Brands" (Press release). Barnes & Noble Education. 4 August 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2018 – via BusinessWire.
↑ "Learneo Advances Platform Strategy with Second Acquisition this Year" (Press release). PR Newswire. 31 May 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2024 – via PR Newswire.

[1] Amendment to Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC), 2017-01-02

[dave-2] 1 2 3 Dave, Paresh (19 July 2013). "Blaine Vess harnesses the Internet to help students succeed". Business. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 9 October 2013.

[jarvey-3] 1 2 Jarvey, Natalie (19 September 2013). "West Hollywood Company to Help Students Cram". Los Angeles Business Journal. Retrieved 9 October 2013.

[watson-4] 1 2 Watson, Dan (2 October 2013). "Digital Entrepreneur Blaine Vess Brings His 'Home Work' to WeHo". WEHOVille. West Hollywood, California: WHMC LLC. Retrieved 9 October 2013.

[vess-5] Vess, Blaine (27 August 2013). "Should I Find a Co-founder or Start a Business Alone?". YFS Magazine (Digital magazine). YFS Media. Retrieved 9 October 2013.

[6] "Barnes & Noble Education Acquires Student Brands" (Press release). Barnes & Noble Education. 4 August 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2018 – via BusinessWire.

[7] "Learneo Advances Platform Strategy with Second Acquisition this Year" (Press release). PR Newswire. 31 May 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2024 – via PR Newswire.