In an era where technology is rapidly reshaping every aspect of our lives, the education sector is no exception. This article delves into the world of EdTech startups, a dynamic realm where innovation meets education, fundamentally transforming how we learn and teach. These pioneering companies are not just altering the educational landscape; they're rewriting the rulebook, leveraging cutting-edge technologies to create personalized, accessible, and effective learning experiences. From AI-powered platforms to innovative online learning solutions, read further to explore the top 18 revolutionary EdTech startups that are redefining the boundaries of education and opening new horizons for learners and educators alike.
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1. SanaLabs
- Year Founded: 2016
- Location: Stockholm, Sweden
- Funding Amount/Type: Total of $82 million in funding
- Funding Series: Latest round -$62 million Series B
- Major Investors: New Enterprise Associates, Workday Ventures, Menlo Ventures, EQT Ventures
SanaLabs utilizes AI to transform the personalized learning experience in the workplace. Their platform integrates advanced AI technologies for personalized learning recommendations and an AI writing assistant that generates content. This approach facilitates a more efficient and tailored learning experience for individuals, enhancing their engagement and productivity. The AI-powered semantic search feature enables employees to easily access vital organizational knowledge, streamlining the learning process.
The impact of SanaLabs' technology is significant in terms of reducing onboarding time, boosting sales efficiency, and enhancing talent retention. What sets SanaLabs apart in the EdTech field is the innovative use of AI to merge learning with knowledge management, providing a comprehensive learning platform that reshapes traditional organizational learning methods.
2. Jolt
- Year Founded: 2015
- Location: Tel Aviv, Israel
- Funding Amount/Type: Total funding of $23 million
- Funding Series: Last recorded as Series A- $14.1 million
- Major Investors: Climentum Capital, among others
Jolt stands out in the EdTech field with its "Not an MBA" program, designed as an alternative to traditional higher education, especially MBA courses. The program focuses on practical skills essential for the modern workforce, allowing adults to continue working while pursuing their education. This approach ensures that learning is not just theoretical but immediately applicable in real-world business scenarios.
What makes Jolt particularly exciting is its commitment to adaptability and accessibility. The courses are structured to be flexible, allowing students to tailor their learning experience to their individual needs and schedules. This model of education, which emphasizes practicality and real-world application, positions Jolt as a forward-thinking player in the realm of EdTech, addressing the evolving needs of today's professionals and industries.
3. Elevate K-12
- Year Founded: 2015
- Location: Chicago, IL, USA
- Funding Amount/Type: Total funding of $54.5 million
- Funding Series: The most recent round was Series C
- Major Investors: Information on specific major investors is not readily available
Elevate K-12 offers a distinctive approach to education in the EdTech field. Their focus is on developing proprietary live-stream learning systems. While the specifics of their AI implementation in personalized learning are not detailed in the available sources, their unique model revolves around providing live-streamed instruction directly into classrooms. This method addresses the teacher shortage and ensures quality education is accessible regardless of location.
The impact of Elevate K-12's technology is significant in democratizing education, offering real-time, interactive learning experiences that cater to diverse educational needs. This approach is particularly notable in the EdTech sector for its potential to transform traditional classroom dynamics and provide equitable access to quality education.
4. GoGuardian
- Year Founded: 2014
- Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
- Funding Amount/Type: $200 million in total funding
- Funding Series: Latest funding was a Series B round
- Major Investors: Includes Tiger Global Management
GoGuardian offers a unique approach in the EdTech space, focusing on ensuring safe and productive digital learning environments. Their technology offers solutions for managing and monitoring online learning, which is particularly relevant in today's increasingly digital classroom settings.
By providing educators with tools to oversee and guide student interactions online, GoGuardian plays a crucial role in both protecting students and enhancing the educational process. This focus on digital safety and efficient learning management makes GoGuardian an exciting and essential player in the field of EdTech, especially considering the growing importance of online education and digital literacy.
5. OpenClassrooms
- Year Founded: September 2013.
- Location: Headquarters in Paris, France.
- Funding Amount/Type: Total funding raised is approximately $149.7 million.
- Funding Series: Includes Series B and C funding rounds; Series B in May 2018 raised about $60 million, and Series C in April 2021 raised $80 million.
- Major Investors: General Atlantic, Lumos Capital Group, GSV Ventures, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Salesforce Ventures, Bpifrance, among others.
OpenClassrooms employs a unique approach to personalized learning, integrating AI and other technologies to tailor education to individual student needs. This online platform offers a variety of competency-based training programs in high-demand fields, supported by individual mentorship and project-based learning. The use of AI enhances the personalization of the learning process, ensuring that each student's experience is aligned with their specific educational needs and career goals.
This approach significantly impacts individual learning outcomes, improving both the quality of education and employment prospects for graduates. OpenClassrooms is particularly exciting in the edtech field due to its innovative use of technology in education, its commitment to employability, and its job guarantee program, reflecting a strong alignment with current and future job market demands. This makes it a standout example of how technology can transform education to meet the evolving needs of learners and employers alike.
6. 360Learning
- Year Founded: 2013.
- Location: Headquartered in New York, New York, USA.
- Funding Amount/Type: The company has raised a significant $200 million in funding.
- Funding Series: The most recent funding round, amounting to $200 million, was led by Sumeru Equity Partners, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, and Silver Lake Waterman.
- Major Investors: Notable investors include Sumeru Equity Partners, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Silver Lake Waterman, along with Bpifrance’s Large Venture fund, XAnge, and Educapital.
360Learning distinguishes itself in the edtech field with its focus on collaborative learning, using a platform that facilitates the creation and sharing of courses within organizations. This approach leverages internal expertise, enabling employees to effectively learn from their peers. The platform is designed to integrate various types of media into course creation, making the learning experience more interactive and engaging. AI plays a key role in this ecosystem by identifying areas where courses can be improved and optimizing the matching of courses to the specific needs of employees.
The impact of 360Learning's technology on the learning experience is significant. It fosters a more dynamic and relevant learning environment by emphasizing collaborative and peer-to-peer learning. This not only enhances knowledge sharing within organizations but also helps in retaining institutional knowledge, which is crucial during periods of generational changes in the workforce. In the context of an evolving work environment and the growing importance of remote and distributed teams, 360Learning's innovative approach to corporate learning positions it as a forward-thinking and influential player in the edtech sector.
7. AllCampus
- Year Founded: AllCampus was founded in 2012.
- Location: The company is based in Chicago.
- Funding Information: Specific funding details are not publicly available.
AllCampus takes a distinctive approach in the field of educational technology. While specific details about their use of AI in personalized learning were not readily available in the sources, the company is known for partnering with traditional higher education institutions to enhance online enrollment and maximize market share through comprehensive online program management services. This includes a focus on various aspects of online education, such as course design, marketing, recruitment, and student retention. Their approach likely includes leveraging technology to tailor these services to the needs of individual institutions and their students, thereby enhancing the learning experience and outcomes.
The unique position of AllCampus in the edtech sector lies in its partnership-based model, focusing on supporting traditional higher education institutions in expanding and optimizing their online offerings. This approach is especially pertinent in the current educational landscape, where the demand for flexible, online learning solutions is growing. AllCampus's contributions to this field are vital in aiding educational institutions to navigate and adapt to the evolving demands of higher education in the digital age.
8. Codecademy
- Year Founded: Codecademy was founded in August 2011.
- Location: The company is headquartered in New York City, New York, USA.
- Funding Amount/Type: Codecademy has raised significant funding, including a $40 million Series D round.
- Funding Series: The Series D funding round was led by Owl Ventures, with participation from Prosus and Union Square Ventures.
- Major Investors: Notable investors include Union Square Ventures and Naspers, along with Owl Ventures, Prosus, and others.
Codecademy employs an interactive platform for learning coding, offering an engaging and hands-on experience across a variety of programming languages and frameworks. This approach, focusing on active engagement rather than passive video learning, enhances skill retention and understanding, vital in coding where practical application is key.
In the edtech sector, Codecademy is distinguished by its specialized focus on in-demand coding and programming skills. Its range of courses and interactive learning model make it a valuable tool for those seeking to develop technical skills. The platform's growth, including its move into enterprise solutions, underscores its significance in the evolving educational technology landscape.
9. Teachable
- Year Founded: 2014
- Location: New York, NY, United States
- Funding Amount/Type: $13.5 million
- Funding Series: Not specifically mentioned.
Teachable offers a unique approach to personalized learning using AI in its online course creation platform. This platform allows users to create and sell online courses, providing tools for course personalization, quizzes, certificates, student feedback, and more. Its AI-enhanced features likely contribute to improved individual learning experiences and outcomes by offering tailored content and interactive learning tools. This capability is significant in the field of edtech, as it empowers educators and experts to share their knowledge more effectively and efficiently, enhancing the overall quality of online education.
10. Everspring
- Year Founded: 2011
- Location: Chicago, IL, United States
- Funding Amount/Type: $60.5 million
- Funding Information: No other information was given.
Everspring offers a unique approach to personalized learning through its technology and services platform, which provides customized, integrated education solutions online. Their platform supports various aspects of online education, including strategic planning, enrollment, and course development.
This integrated approach has a significant impact on individual learning experiences and outcomes by offering tailored educational solutions. Everspring's role in the edtech field is noteworthy due to its comprehensive support for online education, enhancing accessibility and quality.
11. GoStudent
- Year Founded: 2016
- Location: Headquarters in Wien, Austria
- Funding Amount/Type: $344.9 million in total funding
- Funding Information: No other information was given.
GoStudent's unique approach to personalized learning incorporates one-to-one, video-based tuition for students across a variety of subjects. This method, coupled with their use of AI for tutor selection and onboarding, enhances individual learning experiences and outcomes by providing tailored educational support. The startup is significant in the edtech field due to its focus on personalized, accessible online education, which aligns with evolving educational needs and technological advancements.
12. BrainPOP
- Year Founded: 1999
- Location: Headquarters in New York, NY, United States
- Funding Amount/Type: Not publicly disclosed
BrainPOP's approach to personalized learning is centered around its online educational solutions, particularly its short animated movies designed to develop critical, computational, and creative thinking skills. This method significantly impacts individual learning experiences, especially for younger students, by making complex subjects engaging and understandable. BrainPOP's presence in the field of edtech is exciting because it combines entertainment with education, making learning more interactive and enjoyable.
13. Snap! Mobile
- Year Founded: Founded in 2014.
- Location: The company is based in Seattle, Washington.
- Funding Amount/Type: Snap! Mobile raised $90 million in funding.
- Major Investors: The funding round was led by Elysian Park Ventures.
Snap! Mobile in edtech offers AI-enhanced tools for school program management, focusing on fundraising and finance. This streamlines administration, aiding personalized student learning. Their support for extracurriculars impacts individual development, addressing key financial and administrative needs in education.
14. Edapp
- Year Founded: Information on the exact founding year of Edapp is not readily available.
- Location: Edapp is headquartered in New York, NY, United States.
- Funding Information: There has been no information disclosed regarding their funding.
Edapp stands out in the edtech field with its mobile learning management system that includes features like microlearning and gamification. It's not explicitly detailed how AI is utilized for personalized learning, but the emphasis on mobile learning and engaging content delivery likely contributes to a more tailored learning experience.
The impact of their technology on individual learning is significant, especially in how it caters to the modern, on-the-go lifestyle. Edapp's mobile-centric approach makes it an exciting and relevant player in the edtech space, adapting to the evolving needs of learners and educators alike.
15. BetterUp
- Year Founded: 2013
- Location: Headquartered in Austin, Texas, United States
- Funding Amount/Type: BetterUp has raised a total of $269.8 million in funding.
- Funding Series: Their latest funding was a $300 million Series E round.
- Major Investors: Key investors include Wellington Management, ICONIQ Growth, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Threshold Ventures, Plus Capital, Salesforce Ventures, Sapphire Ventures, Mubadala Capital, Freestyle Capital, Crosslink Capital, and Tenaya Capital.
BetterUp has a unique approach to personalized learning, combining world-class coaching with AI technology and behavioral science to deliver personalized behavior change. This approach improves the well-being, adaptability, and effectiveness of the workforce. BetterUp's technology significantly impacts individual learning experiences and outcomes by offering a blend of one-on-one coaching, counseling, and mentorship at scale, all underpinned by AI-driven insights.
This startup is particularly exciting in the edtech field because it addresses critical aspects of professional development, including mental fitness, leadership, and career development. Its focus on whole-person growth and development and its use of AI to tailor learning experiences make BetterUp a transformative force in the realm of educational technology and employee wellness.
16. Outschool
- Year Founded: Outschool was founded in 2015.
- Location: The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
- Funding Amount/Type: Outschool has raised a total of $130 million in venture capital.
- Funding Series: Their latest funding was a Series D round of $110 million, leading to a valuation of $3 billion.
- Major Investors: Coatue and Tiger Global Management led the Series C round, and Tiger Global Management led the Series D round.
Outschool's innovative approach in edtech involves an online platform offering diverse virtual classes for children. It emphasizes small-group, after-school activities covering a wide range of subjects from fun to academic. The platform's mix of ongoing and single classes accommodates various learning preferences, personalizing the educational experience.
The company's adaptability to children's changing interests with its wide-ranging course offerings, from academic topics to creative pursuits, is a key aspect of its impact. Its rapid growth, particularly during the pandemic, underscores its success in meeting the growing need for flexible and accessible online learning. Outschool stands out in edtech for its ability to expand educational opportunities beyond conventional boundaries, making learning more diverse, accessible, and engaging.
17. Udemy
- Year Founded: Udemy was founded in 2010.
- Location: The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California, United States.
- Funding Amount/Type: Udemy has raised significant funding through various series, including a Series A of $3 million in October 2011, Series B of $12 million in December 2012, Series C of $32 million in May 2014, and a Series D of $65 million in June 2015. Additionally, they received $60 million from Naspers Ventures in June 2016 and $50 million from Benesse Holdings in February 2020.
- Funding Series: The company went through multiple funding series from Series A to Series D and beyond.
- Major Investors: Major investors include Groupon investors Eric Lefkofsky and Brad Keywell, Insight Ventures, Lightbank Capital, MHS Capital, Learn Capital, Norwest Venture Partners, Stripes, Naspers Ventures, and Tencent Holdings.
Udemy's approach to personalized learning is centered around its vast and diverse online course offerings, covering topics from business and technology to personal development. The impact of Udemy's technology on learning is evident in its flexibility and accessibility, allowing learners to access courses at their own pace and according to their own schedules.
Udemy is particularly exciting in the field of edtech for its expansive course catalog and its appeal to both individual learners and businesses. By offering courses that range from hobbyist topics to professional skills, Udemy has positioned itself as a comprehensive learning platform suitable for a variety of learners, making education more accessible and flexible.
18. Guild
- Year Founded: Guild was launched in 2015.
- Location: The company is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, United States.
- Funding Amount/Type: Guild Education has raised a total of $378.5 million in funding.
- Funding Series: The company has undergone various rounds of funding, including a significant Series D round in 2019.
- Major Investors: Some of the notable investors in Guild include Salesforce, Harrison Metal, Bessemer Venture Partners, and Felicis Ventures.
Guild's approach in edtech is distinguished by its partnerships with major corporations to offer their employees debt-free educational programs. This involves collaborating with a network of nonprofit universities and learning providers to enhance employee education and career growth. Focusing on working adults, Guild uniquely supports their career development through accessible education.
The impact of Guild's services is profound for the workforce of its partnering companies, aiding in upskilling and personal development. This enhances employees' career opportunities and growth.
Guild's innovation lies in its business model that merges corporate interests with employee educational benefits. This strategy supports workforce development and meets the changing demands of today's workplace, positioning Guild as a progressive player in the edtech sector.
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The EdTech startups highlighted in this article showcase a wide array of innovative approaches and diverse solutions, ranging from personalized AI-driven learning to digital safety in education. Each startup is forging a unique path in reshaping the educational landscape, emphasizing accessibility, engagement, and efficiency.
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