Madrid, July 30, 2025. The Co-investment Fund (FOCO), managed by COFIDES, will invest €90M in Proeduca, a leading online higher education platform in Spanish language. In this operation, FOCO is a co-investor with the British fund manager Schroders Capital, the Swiss fund manager Unigestion and the Portobello Fund in order to contribute to Proeduca's growth and innovation.
Proeduca is a Spanish company focused on private and online higher education and parent company of the International University of La Rioja (UNIR). It teaches more than 100,000 students and offers 440 programs. This operation aims to boost the development of online education in Spain, in line with FOCO's strategic priorities. This investment contributes to strengthening Spain's economic and educational fabric, promoting technological innovation and the digital transformation of the university system.
COFIDES Chairperson and CEO, Ángela Pérez, states that "this FOCO investment reinforces Spain's role as a benchmark for international investment in education, while reducing the digital gap, promoting inclusion and creating opportunities for young people."
CO-INVESTMENT FUND FOR ATTRACTION OF FOREIGN INVESTMENT (FOCO)
FOCO is a fund created by the Government through the addendum to the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR) and has resources from the NextGenerationEU instrument. The purpose of FOCO, which is endowed with €2,000M, is to favor foreign investment in the Spanish economy, boosting access to financing for companies linked to the ecological and digital transitions, as well as biotechnology and technological innovation. FOCO investments must be contributed by a foreign co-investor and may be made through direct investment in companies or investment funds. The fund is fully operational and project proposals for FOCO funding can be submitted to foco@cofides.es.
ABOUT COFIDES
COFIDES is a state-owned trading company that manages state funds, as well as its own resources and those of third-party institutions. COFIDES's mission is to support the internationalization of the Spanish economy, attract foreign investment into strategic sectors in Spain, promote the impact economy, and contribute to global economic development. COFIDES is also instrumental in strengthening the solvency of Spanish companies, particularly in response to challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic. COFIDES’s shareholders include the Spanish State, Banco Santander, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA), Banco Sabadell, and CAF-Development Bank of Latin Americ
ABOUT SCHRODERS CAPITAL
Schroders Capital is the private assets division of Schroders, a global investment management firm with over 200 years of experience. With a presence in 26 countries and a team of more than 770 professionals dedicated to private assets, it offers customized investment portfolios for institutional and private investors.
Currently, it manages €94 billion in private equity, private debt, and alternative investments in credit, real estate, and infrastructure. Thanks to its strategic vision and global scale, Schroders Capital is well positioned to deliver comprehensive solutions while promoting best practices in sustainability and impact investing.
ABOUT UNIGESTION
Unigestion is an international asset management firm with $15 billion in assets under management and 10 offices across Europe, North America, and Asia. Its award-winning private equity team offers four key strategies focused on secondaries, direct investments, emerging managers, and climate impact. The team aims to invest in the champions of tomorrow by selecting attractive, hard-to-access companies with resilient profiles aligned with seven themes: climate transition, resource efficiency, sustainable cities, service efficiency, the future of work, personal well-being, and healthcare transformation.
Unigestion believes that better and more consistent investment decisions can be made by combining human intelligence with technology. Since 2020, it has applied its proprietary artificial intelligence technology, called PEpper, to private equity investments. Additionally, the firm strives to remain at the forefront of ESG integration, having launched its first environmentally focused private equity fund in 2010.
ABOUT PORTOBELLO CAPITAL
Portobello Capital is a leading private equity investment firm in Southern Europe, focused on the mid-market segment and headquartered in Spain. It manages approximately €3 billion in assets, has an experienced team of over forty professionals, and currently holds a portfolio of 25 companies. Portobello Capital invests in industry-leading business projects with the goal of driving growth through active and collaborative partnerships with founders, entrepreneurs, and management teams.
