On Wednesday legacy education company Pearson announced Pearson Ventures, a venture fund with an initial capital commitment of $50M over three years. The fund will focus on early stage companies. The fund will decline to lead Seed and Series A rounds, opting instead of a co-investment structure that does not influence Pearson’s larger merger and acquisitions strategy. The idea, says investments director Owen Henkel, is for Pearson Ventures to allow its parent company to dip its toes into the water with new technologies and business models, without having to commit to a pricey, complex acquisition. Check BusinessInsider.com for more stories.