Post 200 The guide to the region's top businesses

Michael Chasen, chief executive of Blackboard, at his office in Washington. (Abha Bhattarai/Capital Business)

Private companies

Blackboard

The education software firm made headlines in July when it announced that Providence Equity Partners would pay $1.64 billion to buy the public company and take it private. Then in October, one day after the deal closed, Blackboard merged with education software maker Edline. Blackboard, which makes software to help schools manage online learning, has had to keep pace with changing technology appetites, adding new social media and mobile capabilities to its suite of software products.

Trivia

Clemson University student can tap a Blackboard-powered cell phone app to get real-time public computer lab usage statistics and availability on campus, updated every 60 seconds.