Edtech companies play a crucial role in upgrading education through various technologies, especially with issues like accessibility and remote learning in the spotlight. Education technology platforms, ebooks and game-based learning apps have fueled the desire for a tech-driven student experience. As a result, the edtech industry is expected to reach a valuation of $348.41 billion by 2030, despite hiccups in venture funding.
This growth has led to an increasing number of edtech companies supporting schools, teachers and students. While education companies like Course Hero and Coursera offer students online courses on specific topics, technology platforms like PowerSchool help teachers and administrators manage and track students’ progress.
5 Types of Edtech Companies
- Learning management platforms
- Online learning providers
- Interactive learning and gaming platforms
- Online studying and tutoring services
- Language learning platforms
An expanding edtech sector also means more jobs and a greater demand for skilled professionals among edtech brands. Front-end and back-end developers, UX designers and cybersecurity analysts are some of the most popular roles. While these jobs require knowledge in areas like programming languages, data science and UX design, edtech companies still look for well-rounded candidates. Interpersonal skills like emotional intelligence aid tech workers in understanding and meeting the diverse needs of students, teachers and school systems.
Expectations have never been higher for edtech companies, resulting in a thriving education technology ecosystem. From some of the biggest edtech companies to budding edtech startups, tech professionals have plenty of options when deciding how they want to improve the daily lives of students and teachers.
Edtech Companies to Watch
The following education technology companies are helping to shape the industry, tackling questions of pedagogy and business in the process.
Top Edtech Companies to Know
- Amplify
- Great Minds
- Bright Horizons
- Skillsoft
- Guild Education
- Multiverse
- Duolingo
- Dreambox Learning
- Paper
- Newsela
Founded: 2000
Location: Fully Remote
Amplify offers learning solutions for grades K-12 within schools across the U.S. The platform collaborates with educators to create core and supplemental curriculum and assessments. It focuses on several subjects like reading, math, science and ELA and enhances the learning experience with tutoring lessons for students and professional development plans for educators.
Founded: 2007
Location: Washington, D.C.
As a knowledge company, Great Minds seeks to teach a deep understanding of the world through content-rich courses. From math to English, each Great Minds course integrates real-world contexts and core skill development. Courses also come with professional development and coaching resources for teachers, so both students and instructors can grow throughout their time together.
Founded: 1986
Location: Newton, Massachusetts
Bright Horizons supports working families by offering services for different life stages, including child care, college coaching and elder care. For parents with younger children, the company provides onsite centers that feature healthy food, flexible schedules and extended hours. Parents can also stay informed on their children’s status with the My Bright Day app, which shares photos, milestone updates and other information.
Founded: 1998
Location: Fully Remote
Skillsoft is a cloud-based learning platform geared toward corporate training and workforce upskilling. Its extensive library of video-based courses covers topics ranging from leadership essentials to product management skills to data science fundamentals. According to its website, more than 12,000 organizations have used Skillsoft.
Founded: 2015
Location: Fully Remote
Guild Education helps working adults continue their employer-funded education with online courses from universities, including veteran-friendly schools and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Once companies work with Guild Education to design a learning program, Guild Education guides marketing efforts, tracks employees’ performance and handles any administrative tasks. Chipotle, Discover and Disney are a few of the biggest names that have partnered with Guild Education.
Founded: 2016
Location: New York, New York
Access to professional opportunities operates in a biased way. To combat this, Multiverse is working to create more professional apprenticeships, offering programs for areas of focus such as data analytics, digital marketing and business analysis. Through the combination of work, training and community, the company hopes to develop and raise the social capital of a diverse group of leaders.
Founded: 2011
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Duolingo’s free app helps users learn up to 40 languages, from Spanish to Esperanto, via game-like instruction. Users score points and execute timed challenges to ascend to new levels. The app also combines AI, machine learning and language science to tailor lessons to each user and create a more personalized language learning experience.
Founded: 2006
Location: Bellevue, Washington
With its adaptive K-8 math curriculum, Dreambox Learning aims to make math accessible and exciting. Its technology tracks students’ problem-solving approaches, constantly re-sequencing problems and recalibrating difficulty based on student performance. Meanwhile, bright visuals, crisp sound design and other game-like touches make learning long division more engaging.
Founded: 2014
Location: Fully Remote
The systemic barriers in the education system make academic support inaccessible to some students. That’s why Paper offers online tutoring for K-12 students in the United States and Canada with zero costs to families. The tutoring platform operates 24/7 on any device and forms personalized lessons for students. Educators and administrators also receive insights on areas for improvement, student progress and the impact of tutoring to better assist students while in school.
Founded: 2012
Location: Fully Remote
Newsela curates a digital library of relevant, trustworthy nonfiction readings and adapts them to a wide variety of reading levels. The company supplements real-world texts with built-in activities, which allow teachers to track their students’ usage levels and performance. Teachers can always adjust their content according to students’ needs and interests since Newsela updates its content offering daily.
Founded: 2016
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Screencastify provides a free Google Chrome browser extension that makes it easier to record, edit and share videos for use by teachers, students, business professionals and collaborators of all kinds. The extension offers an efficient solution to recording via screen capture, webcam and microphone while featuring additional tools such as narration, focus mouse and virtual pen capabilities for incorporating clear visuals into workflows.
Founded: 2015
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Through online live teaching, Elevate K-12 is combating teacher shortages. The platform harnesses remote, synchronous teaching and offers certified teachers for schools without in-person instructors. Elevate K-12 produces interfaces for teachers, students and school districts for high-quality educational support. Additionally, paraprofessionals are provided to monitor classroom behavior and assist the teacher.
Founded: 2013
Location: San Francisco, California
Cambly is an online tutoring platform that pairs students with native English speakers. Each student participates in one-on-one lessons where a tutor complements vocabulary with images, listening exercises and chances for students to express their ideas in their new language. For a more in-depth language learning experience, Cambly also offers courses on intermediate and advanced conversation topics.
Founded: 2006
Location: Redwood City, California
Course Hero is an online learning hub that ensures students are prepared for graduation through online courses and test prep. The edtech platform features course-specific study materials from small campuses and many of the world’s leading universities alike, with textbook resources, 24/7 homework help and infographics all available.
Founded: 2014
Location: Fully Remote
GoGuardian facilitates safer learning experiences by providing educators with a suite of tools that ensure students are protected from harmful and distracting content when working within the digital space. The company is primarily focused on supporting mental health through a suite of products that includes DNS network filtering, classroom management tools, asset management tools, student safety beacons and more, leading to a more productive learning environment.
Founded: 2014
Location: Fully Remote
Snap! Raise simplifies group fundraising for sports teams and youth groups, replacing the hassle of door-to-door sales and flyering with customizable online campaigns. Its interface expands the reach of digital campaigns, so it takes less time and manual labor to access more neighborhoods. The site also lets organizations access some of their funds before fundraising begins, giving them more financial flexibility.
Founded: 1888
Location: New York, New York
McGraw-Hill has been a major textbook publisher since 1917, and it has since adapted its products for digital formats. Students can access online content through ebooks and McGraw-Hill’s mobile app. Meanwhile, teachers can conduct online courses and track students’ progress through the company’s Connect product, which integrates with various learning management systems.
Founded: 2000
Location: New York, New York
DonorsChoose is a crowd-funding platform, akin to GoFundMe, that focuses on fundraising for public school classrooms. Founded in 2000 by a high school history teacher in the Bronx, the site allows teachers nationwide to post funding requests for all kinds of supplies, from robotics kits to books to printer ink. Users can explore maps of local requests, meeting the needs of teachers in their communities.
Founded: 1999
Location: New York, New York
To help kids better connect to the subjects they’re learning, BrainPOP is bringing a more playful approach to the classroom. Students can engage with topics through interactive games, videos and activities. From math to music, kids can explore different pathways while growing their social-emotional skills.
Founded: 2005
Location: San Francisco, California
Quizlet has grown into a digital learning platform with more than 60 million monthly users. Students can use it to make custom sets of mobile-friendly flashcards and diagram decks, which they can then review as study guides or in a variety of ways. Flashcards can also be converted into practice tests, allowing students to reinforce their knowledge through repetition. For learning outside of the classroom, Quizlet offers a mobile app.
Founded: 2005
Location: Fully Remote
Blueprint supports students trying to break into the medical and legal fields with an online learning platform dedicated to the LSAT and MCAT. Students can choose from a range of options, including live and self-paced courses, with tutoring available to those who need extra practice. The company also screens its instructors to make sure each teacher understands their subject matter, knows the ins and outs of the test and excels at keeping students engaged.
Founded: 2015
Location: Fully Remote
To instill a love for learning at an early age, Outschool connects kids to a convenient online platform that hosts classes on coding, languages, math and other topics. Students ages three to 18 can choose courses that match their interests, as well as access small group and one-on-one sessions, ensuring they get the time and attention they need to master the materials.
Founded: 2011
Location: San Francisco, California
Remind’s app lets administrators, teachers, students and students’ families send text and voice messages via phone, avoiding the privacy hassle of exchanging actual phone numbers. Educators can quickly send out mass messages, but parents’ responses can turn into individual conversations when needed. Students can also connect to tutors through Remind, tailoring their learning environment to their needs through a one-on-one format.
Founded: 2018
Location: New York, New York
Saturn connects high school students to important information and people by simplifying their chaotic schedules. The company organizes calendars, so students can manage homework, class schedules and extracurricular activities while making time for friends. Students can send chat messages, share schedules with friends and view who’s in their class and lunch periods.
Founded: 1989
Location: New York, New York
New Visions’ goal is to establish successful futures for students who currently face inequitable access to great public education. The organization not only supports various school districts in New York City, but it also maintains a network of traditional and AIM charter high schools in under-resourced neighborhoods. The solutions for creating successful futures include student-centered learning environments, re-developed lesson plans and certificate programs to train educators.
Founded: 2012
Location: New York, New York
Zearn is a nonprofit math-learning platform that works to support in-school curriculum for grades K-8. Kids learn math concepts in the classroom first, then explore video and interactive materials on Zearn. The platform also provides real teachers in videos, pause points to check on students’ comprehension levels and real-time feedback. Teachers and administrators can receive individual to district-level reporting, professional development lessons and access to over 800 lessons.
Founded: 2012
Location: Fully Remote
Coursera offers classes from more than 275 top companies and universities, including Stanford and Duke, in an open online format. More than 100 million learners have explored fields that include data science, philosophy and fashion through the platform’s suite of video lectures, auto-graded homework assignments and discussion forums.
Founded: 2012
Location: Denver, Colorado
PAIRIN strives to bridge the gap between workforce and education programs and participants. The My Journey platform connects user data to tailor career exploration, professional development and even hiring processes. This way, students and career-seeking professionals can use the platform to access resources relevant to their personal goals and realize more equitable futures.
Founded: 2009
Location: New York, New York
Brainly serves as an online learning platform for students in search of learning materials or answers to subject-based questions. Users can find textbooks, review step-by-step solutions and look up answers to questions that cover math, English, history, biology and other common topics. If students prefer Brainly’s mobile app, they can also take pictures of a problem and receive instant support for determining the correct solution.
Founded: 2020
Location: Fully Remote
Parallel Learning’s platform is designed to empower students who experience learning challenges by offering them and their families supportive care and resources. This includes speech-language therapy, skill-based tutoring and comprehensive psychological evaluations. The company also performs free consultations for customers and can integrate with special needs services at schools.
Founded: 2015
Location: Fully Remote
With over 160 partnerships with institutions and employers, Mentor Collective strives to form inclusive mentorships for students. The company combines services, technology and research to design mentorship programs that benefit most students on campus. Mentors are recruited directly through the company and undergo training before being matched with a student. From there, engagement support and assessments are given periodically to improve programs.
Founded: 2011
Location: Fully Remote
Udacity is an online platform that provides a pathway for job-seekers to learn relevant skills that will prepare them for future careers. The platform offers a variety of programs and courses on subjects like artificial intelligence, cloud computing, product management, data science, cybersecurity and more, providing people with in-demand skills to advance their careers.
Founded: 2012
Location: Fully Remote
Panorama Education, a data analytics company, focuses on surveys that measure school climate, teacher engagement, student satisfaction, social-emotional learning and other aspects of K-12 schools. The team designs the surveys, which can be taken securely via mobile devices, and administers them. The company then helps schools analyze the data and determine what changes are necessary to improve students’ academic performance.
Founded: 2015
Location: Austin, Texas
A Cloud Guru is an edtech company that offers online cloud computing courses to engineers and engineers-in-training. Courses ranging from the basics on coding for the cloud to AWS certifications are available on A Cloud Guru’s platform, giving students an alternative to traditional online education methods.
Founded: 2006
Location: Fully Remote
TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers) is an online marketplace where teachers buy and sell worksheets, lesson plans and other educational resources for grades pre-K-12. Since its inception in 2006, the site has grown even more relevant as districts nationwide adopt standard Common Core learning objectives. More than 7 million teachers have used Teachers Pay Teachers.
Founded: 2014
Location: Fully Remote
Classkick’s mission is to increase classroom engagement and student development with impactful technology. The company designed an app and web-based instruction tool that allows teachers to monitor students’ work in real time, create a paperless classroom environment and provide immediate feedback on assignments. Additionally, students have the ability to work at their own pace.
Founded: 2016
Location: Austin, Texas
GoStudent is an online tutoring platform that operates in 20 countries. The platform works with children from K-12 in over 30 subjects — such as biology and computer science — and matches them with tutors based on their interests, personalities and learning needs. Each lesson is a private, one-on-one session where tutors set personalized objectives and engage students with digital whiteboards and screen-sharing features.
Founded: 2013
Location: San Francisco, California
On Seesaw’s student engagement platform, students complete assignments—which teachers can access from a built-in activity library—through drawing, photography, video recording and writing. The design lets teachers and parents track students’ thought processes and review their finished work, which saves to personalized digital portfolios.
Founded: 2018
Location: Fully Remote
Large daycares can charge lofty rates while paying caregivers low salaries, but NeighborSchools is working to end this trend. The company helps independent caregivers get licensed and set up small daycares within their homes. Parents can then take an online survey and find a nearby daycare that suits their needs. By decentralizing daycare, NeighborSchools is making the service affordable for parents and ensuring caregivers receive livable wages.
Founded: 2015
Location: New York, New York
Unibuddy aims to help higher education institutions streamline their student recruitment efforts and, ultimately, boost enrollment rates. The company’s platform offers peer-to-peer chat, allowing qualified prospective students to quickly connect with student and staff ambassadors who can provide an insider’s view of school life. Unibuddy also lets users create virtual events and share relevant content with prospective recruits.
Founded: 2015
Location: San Francisco, California
MasterClass is a digital platform that allows users to take online classes and learn from world-leading experts in areas like sports, writing, music, cooking and filmmaking. With Stephen Curry, Gordon Ramsey and Annie Leibovitz among the teaching ranks, students can soak up unique insights from some of the most accomplished individuals in their professions.
Founded: 2017
Location: Fully Remote
Checking email is not a task many people look forward to, but Likemind is seeking to change that. With a slate of quizzes, fun facts and other educational content, the company provides emails that engage readers and stimulate curiosity. Inspiring Quotes, Trivia Genius, and “The Discoverer” are a few brands that make up the Likemind family and help transform inboxes into sources of interest.
Founded: 2012
Location: Brighton, Massachusetts
Preply is a digital platform that matches language tutors with students looking to broaden their vocabulary in English, Spanish, Chinese and other languages. With Preply, students can schedule virtual meetings and participate in one-on-one tutoring sessions. Placement tests and continual progress tracking allows each student to personalize their learning experience and ensure they meet their desired proficiency levels.
Founded: 1957
Location: Roanoke, Virginia
PowerSchool equips school systems with cloud-based products that support superintendents, teachers, administrators and other education personnel. For teachers, PowerSchool offers tools that make it easier to customize learning plans via data on student attendance and behavior. The platform also supports communication between teachers, families and students to ensure all parties are on the same page.
Founded: 2010
Location: New York, New York
Voxy specializes in mobile-friendly English-language courses geared toward a variety of contexts, including higher education and corporate environments. Its curricula — tailored to goals like passing the Test of English as a Foreign Language and discussing data analytics — adapt to user successes and mistakes in real time and incorporate live-streamed one-on-one tutoring.
Founded: 2008
Location: Hoboken, New Jersey
Knewton has equipped its adaptive learning platform with its adaptive learning courseware called alta. These tools work together to guide students through coursework while addressing learning gaps and adjusting content based on learning objectives. Knewton also keeps its prices down and offers a mobile app, so its products remain accessible to college students.
Founded: 2005
Location: Santa Clara, California
Because college has become a major investment, Chegg’s goal is to alleviate that financial burden, especially when it comes to textbooks. Its online marketplace allows students to buy, rent and sell used books. Through its site, Chegg users also have access to free online tutoring and can apply to attend learning bootcamps.
Founded: 2010
Location: San Francisco, California
CreativeLive offers video classes for artistically minded students, covering topics like photo editing, sound design and wedding photography, while helping students develop entrepreneurial skills through courses like Business Basics. Users can view content through mobile, desktop and TV formats. And if they want to return to lessons at any time, students can download content.
Founded: 2011
Location: Somerville, Massachusetts
Labster is an online science platform that supports STEM learning through virtual labs. High school and higher-ed students can choose from over 300 simulations, applying their knowledge to real-life scenarios without needing access to a physical lab or equipment. Each simulation comes with built-in quizzes and a teacher dashboard. This way, instructors can monitor students’ progress and focus on areas where students struggle the most.
Founded: 2011
Location: Austin, Texas
Civitas Learning supports educational institutions by compiling business intelligence with its student impact platform. With predictive, performance and behavioral data, schools can pinpoint specific challenges students face and adjust courses to better support students’ success. Educators can also segment data to focus on individual demographics, understanding and addressing the larger needs of different groups within a student body.
Founded: 1999
Location: Champaign, Illinois
WolframAlpha is similar to a search engine like Google, but homes in more on academic knowledge. Featuring AI and natural language processing algorithms, the company enables students to conduct faster research on topics that span mathematics, technology, culture and other areas. Students can also look up examples to better grasp a topic.
Founded: 2012
Location: Austin, Texas
Kahoot!’s interface transforms review sessions and homework assignments into micro-quiz-shows. Students tackle a question together and whoever gets it right first earns points. The Kahoot! app allows students to participate through mobile and online formats, and users can also develop their own group quizzes and flashcards.
Founded: 2009
Location: San Francisco, California
In Simplilearn’s online courses, professionals can earn certifications in areas like project management, financial management, data science, business leadership and Microsoft usage. The company features corporate and educational partners like IBM, Caltech and Purdue, and over 5 million users have taken advantage of Simplilearn’s offerings, which include postgraduate and master’s programs.
Founded: 2012
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Formerly known as Flipgrid, Flip provides a platform that works much like a discussion board. Instead of posting written responses to prompts, though, students post short videos. They can also put together longer video presentations and receive video feedback from their teachers. To jumpstart a conversation, users can create a group and share a topic.
Founded: 2015
Location: Kitchener, Canada
ApplyBoard helps high school and college students study abroad by providing an online marketplace of semester-long programs offered by more than 1,750 schools across North America, Europe and Australia. ApplyBoard’s tools also help streamline the application process, providing a secure storage space for transcripts and other key documents.
Founded: 1941
Location: New York, New York
Infobase creates educational enrichment materials for K-12 schools, libraries, higher-ed institutions and businesses. Its offerings include research databases, ebook collections, video collections and courseware. Depending on the needs of their students, educators can further enhance digital learning experiences by adopting the company’s cloud-based learning and media platforms.
Founded: 2018
Location: Austin, Texas
Rather than encouraging universities and colleges to collect more data, Watermark Insights helps schools leverage the data they already have in new ways. Through the company’s platform and software products, school leaders can glean big-picture insights from complex sets of information on topics ranging from student learning outcomes and course evaluations to curricula and institutional surveys.
Founded: 1998
Location: Seattle, Washington
Apex Learning (now a part of Edmentum) offers online courses and tutorials that complement middle and high school curricula, preparing students for college and beyond. The company’s interactive courses can offer high achievers further enrichment, or fill knowledge gaps for struggling students. Districts can also work with Apex Learning to design virtual programs, giving students more options for how they take courses.
Founded: 1992
Location: Arlington, Virginia
Through Rosetta Stone’s software and web services, students can gain proficiency in 25 languages, including English. The curriculum supports students by combining listening, speaking and writing activities while guiding them through real-world scenarios and live coaching sessions with native speakers. Rosetta Stone also tailors its products to meet the unique needs of businesses, schools and individuals.