Clearwater advises Rocksteady Music School on its investment from Vespa Capital

Transaction

Rocksteady Music School on its investment from Vespa Capital

Sell-side

Undisclosed

Role

Adviser to Rocksteady Music School on its investment from Vespa Capital

Sector

Business Services

Region

United Kingdom

We have advised Rocksteady Music School (Rocksteady), the UK’s leading provider of progressive, inclusive, and empowering music education services to primary schools and children, on its investment from Vespa Capital.

Rocksteady has a vision to transform music education for the next generation and is doing this by delivering progressive lessons in a band-setting, all underpinned by market leading technology solutions, to tens of thousands of children across thousands of primary schools.

In addition, through Rocksteady’s in-house Foundation, the business is proud to deliver over £2m of free teaching each year through bursary places and provision of hundreds of free charity events. The Foundation allows some of the most vulnerable children in society to enjoy the wellbeing, fun and educational benefits of playing music in a band.

The Arts play an increasingly important role in supporting well-being and preparing children for an AI enabled workplace; primary schools do an incredible job but are resource constrained. Rocksteady offers a unique solution, delivering high quality parent funded music education at scale across the whole of England, whilst also making these services accessible to the most deprived pupils for free.

Together, Vespa Capital and Rocksteady are partnering to support the roll-out of Rocksteady lessons across the UK and internationally, as well as developing further technology to reduce the attainment gap and provide children with an exciting music education.

Founded by Mark Robinson in 2007, Rocksteady is proud to have received recognition in the FT1000 Fastest Growing Companies and the Education Awards, Wellbeing Resource of the Year.

15 years ago, I witnessed first-hand how easy it was for children to be inadvertently told they are not musical. I wanted to break down barriers and empower more children with a music education that was both enjoyable and enabled every child to succeed. I am thrilled that this new partnership will lead to Rocksteady being enjoyed by many more children.
Mark Robinson, Founder, Rocksteady

Building on Mark’s original vision and insights, my incredible team at Rocksteady have created a unique, for-profit for-good business of scale, which ensures tens of thousands of primary school children get to experience the joy of music education and the wider social and academic benefits that performing in a Rocksteady band bring. Along the way Rocksteady has become the largest employer of musicians on a full-time basis and we are leading the way in measurement through our Ofqual regulated, exam-free music qualification, which harnesses our impressive propriety technology stack and revolutionises the way children are recognised for their achievements. We are determined to bring the magic of Rocksteady to many more children, worldwide, and are extremely excited about the experience and resources that Vespa Capital can contribute in this area.
Scott Monks, CEO, Rocksteady

We have been thoroughly impressed with what Mark, Scott and the wider Rocksteady team have built to date. The business has significant proprietary technology which underpins the market leading service provided to schools, parents and children. We are excited about the opportunity to extend the reach of Rocksteady as it seeks to positively impact the confidence, wellbeing and resilience of children during their formative years in primary education, whilst also contributing to their academic progress. It was also a pleasure working with both Robs and the rest of the Clearwater team on this deal. Their professionalism was first class and their understanding of the education market is excellent.
David Forbes, Partner, Vespa Capital

Rocksteady has created its own niche in the market, delivering a huge social impact through the provision of progressive music education to primary school-aged children. The business has had an incredible journey to date, which is only set to continue looking forwards. We are delighted to have advised the shareholders on this partnership, which is our third education transaction in two months, and we wish the management team and Vespa Capital all the best for the coming years.
Rob Burden, Partner, Clearwater

Delighted to have worked on this deal and found the right partner for Rocksteady. Vespa Capital’s investment marks a significant step in the business’ growth, providing the opportunity to increase Rocksteady’s reach and enabling it to positively impact the lives of many more children. It was a pleasure to be involved and we would like to wish the Rocksteady and Vespa Capital teams all the best as they embark on this exciting journey together. We’re looking forward to seeing Rocksteady’s next phase of growth unfold!
Rob Britton, Partner, Clearwater