Donagh Barry and Chris Lauder’s Axis Education Group has added Sligo business Studyclix to its portfolio following an investment in the edtech company.
Last year, Barry and Lauder formed Axis Education Group as part of an arrangement to merge a number of colleges they control.
The new group, which serves a combined 20,000 students, includes Lauders fastest-growing grind schools Dublin Academy of Education and Barry’s businesses, Independent College, International House Dublin and Public Affairs Ireland.
Studyclix provides exam preparation tools and exam content to students and teachers.
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A spokesman for Axis Education Group said it would not comment on details of the funding arrangement with Studyclix.
Studyclix was founded in 2009 by former secondary schoolteacher Luke Saunders and software developer Keith Wright. The business has 224,000 regular second-level student users and 29,000 teachers use the system. The service is available in more than 700 Irish schools.
“Studyclix is an ideal investment for us as we expand our portfolio of education businesses, and together deliver our shared mission of empowering students and building the confidence, critical thinking and problem-solving skills necessary for success in second-level, third-level and beyond,” Lauder said.
Studyclix, which has offices in Sligo, Dublin, Melbourne and Cape Town, was owned outright by Saunders and Wright before the deal with Axis Education Group.
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Saunders said the decision to join Axis marked a “major milestone” for Studyclix.
He said the arrangement would provide the company with “additional expertise and capacity needed to continue producing engaging and effective content for students and teachers”.
“Importantly, it also allows us to retain our autonomy so that we can continue operating as usual.”
Recent filings for Axis Education Group show it booked combined revenue of €22.3 million in the 18-month period to June 2025, compared with €17.4 million in the 2023 calendar year.
Between the two accounting periods, the firm’s operating margin contracted from 13.8 per cent to 2.8 per cent as operating profits declined from €2.4 million to €627,000.
In May, accounts for Lighthouse Learning Limited, which trades as Studyclix, showed it recorded a loss of €92,000 in the 12-month period to the end of July 2025. The previous year it posted a profit of €40,000. The recent loss resulted in accumulated profits falling to €588,000.
In the same year of the loss, directors’ remuneration paid to Saunders and Wright rose from €465,000 to €754,000. The rise was mainly linked to a large increase in pension contributions, with these payments up from €106,000 to €448,000.
