in early 2017, 2u acquired getsmarter. getsmarter was founded in 2008 in south africa. it offers short-term online courses in partnership with major universities. 2u paid $103 million in cash up-front for getsmarter with a $20 million earn-out. in 2016, getsmarter had $17 million in revenue and roughly 400 employees. getsmarter was 2u's first acquisition. at the time of its acquisition, getsmarter continued to operate as an independent business unit.