Blackboard

Blackboard was founded in January 1997 in Washington, D.C. by Matthew Pittinsky and Daniel Cane as a developer of web-based course management software. The company grew to serve thousands of higher education institutions, K-12 schools, government agencies, and corporate training programs globally with its flagship Blackboard Learn learning management system.

Blackboard's core products include Blackboard Learn (its LMS for online and blended learning), Blackboard Ally (a digital accessibility tool for inclusive content delivery), Blackboard Evaluate (course and faculty evaluation software), and a suite of institutional effectiveness tools covering outcomes assessment, accreditation support, strategic planning, and program review.

Blackboard went public on NASDAQ in June 2004 under the ticker BBBB before being taken private by Providence Equity Partners in a .64 billion transaction in 2011. In late 2021, Blackboard merged with Anthology Inc. and Campus Management, operating under the Anthology brand name until March 2026, when the company rebranded back to Blackboard following a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in September 2025 and subsequent acquisition by Nexus Group and Oaktree Capital Management.