Kanahoma Announces Strategic Investment from Virent Capital to Expand Enrollment Growth Services
Chip Paucek, Co-Founder and former CEO of 2U, joins as Co-Chairman to support Kanahoma’s next phase of growth
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Kanahoma, a higher education marketing agency, today announced a strategic partnership with Virent Capital, a private equity firm focused on supporting founder-led businesses. The partnership will support the development of broader enrollment services and investments in the people, capabilities and technology needed to help colleges and universities grow.
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Kanahoma + Virent Capital
Founder Seth Odell will continue to lead Kanahoma as CEO and retains significant ownership in the business. Chip Paucek, Co-Founder and former CEO of 2U, has joined Kanahoma as Co-Chairman of its board of directors, bringing the experience of building and scaling the largest platform in online higher education.
Founded in 2020 by Odell, a former higher education chief marketing officer, Kanahoma has grown to nearly 50 full-time employees and currently supporting more than 20 institutions nationwide. Recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies in both 2025 and 2026, the agency combines enrollment strategy with creative and performance marketing to help institutions connect with the learners they are best positioned to serve.
“I’m deeply proud of what we’ve built at Kanahoma and grateful to the partners who have trusted us and the team that has made it possible,” said Odell. “We see an opportunity to expand on this success and provide even more value for the institutions we serve today. With Virent Capital and the Board of Director support, we can build on our strengths in marketing and help our partners address a broader set of enrollment challenges.”
The partnership will support investments in data analytics, artificial intelligence and technology, alongside the development of services that connect marketing more closely with enrollment strategy and execution. Kanahoma’s goal is to give institutions a more coordinated partnership approach to attracting and enrolling students, with greater ownership and visibility into what drives results.
“Seth and the Kanahoma team have built a business with a clear understanding of higher education and a strong commitment to their partners’ success,” said Connor McMahan, founder and managing partner of Virent Capital. “Enrollment has never mattered more to colleges and universities, and institutions need a strategic partner focused entirely on helping them reach and enroll the right students. We believe Kanahoma is that partner. We’re proud to support the team with the capital, resources, and strategic guidance to build a truly unique enrollment growth platform for the institutions they serve.”
Garnet Partners acted as exclusive financial advisor to Kanahoma. Lippes Mathias acted as legal advisor.
About Kanahoma
Kanahoma is a San Diego-based education marketing agency founded in 2020 by Seth Odell. The agency helps colleges and universities connect with the learners they are best positioned to serve through enrollment strategy, performance marketing, creative, web and SEO services. Learn more at https://kanahoma.com.
About Virent Capital
Virent Capital is a thesis-driven private equity firm headquartered in Radnor, Pennsylvania, focused on the lower middle market. The firm takes a thematic approach to investing, partnering with founders who want to accelerate growth in sectors where a create-and-build strategy can expand a company’s services and capabilities, improving outcomes for its customers and strengthening its growth profile. Virent brings a differentiated approach to companies earlier in their growth curve, giving tomorrow’s market leaders access to the resources of a private equity partner sooner in their journey. Virent pairs investment capital with Virent Drive, its proprietary technology operating platform, which provides bespoke capabilities in AI enablement, application development, performance marketing, automation, and IoT. Learn more at https://virentcap.com.
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