Apptegy Acquires California Chatbot Firm AlwaysOn

Education technology and communications firm Apptegy Inc. of Little Rock recently announced the acquisition of AlwaysOn of Newport Beach, California, a startup best known for its AI-powered school website chatbot.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

In a news release, privately held Apptegy described the AlwaysOn chatbot as “a solution that helps website visitors get answers quickly and allows school leaders to gather valuable community insights.” The multilingual chatbot integrates with school districts’ websites.

The deal comes as Apptegy accelerates its investment in AI with the goal of helping schools enhance and simplify communications. The company said upcoming AI launches will focus on “empowering school staff” and “enabling every district to communicate with greater clarity, speed and confidence.”

Apptegy’s products include responsive websites, mobile apps and two-way communications platforms for  teachers, coaches, staff and families. More than 5,000 school districts across the U.S. use Apptegy products.

The company was founded in 2015 by Jeston George. He stepped down in 2023 after private investment firm JMI Equity of Baltimore purchased a large stake of the company, becoming a majority shareholder along with Five Elms Capital of Kansas City, Missouri.

Bob Butler, then an operating partner at Five Elms, is now CEO of Apptegy.