Noteworthy startups taking education to the next level in 2020

It’s a fact: education is one of the pillars of modern society. For many years now, companies and institutions operating in the education industry have been promoting the lifelong learning approach which resulted in people of almost every age and life status being enabled to acquire new skills, practice, broaden horizons and share their knowledge with others. Currently, a huge part of those activities happens online and via portable devices, such as mobile phones or tablets. The technology facilitates the entire learning process and allows us to acquire knowledge anywhere and anytime, in a way that is the most convenient for each individual.

There is no doubt that digital transformation has irreversibly impacted the way we both learn and teach.

The potential of innovative, technology-based learning solutions has already been acknowledged by investors. In recent years, enormous fundings rounds have been given to numerous companies from the learning vertical all around the world. Those who use advanced technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence, AR/VR, Machine Learning, or gamification elements in their products certainly draw the most attention at the moment. In response to extraordinary circumstances around the world, distance learning solutions have also gained ground in the industry.

Expectations of teachers and learners are ever-changing and depend on numerous factors, which is why staying up to date with the current educational trends seems crucial when developing an EdTech product. It is important especially for startups and small businesses that are trying to find their place in the market. Let’s take a look at some of the companies that responded to users’ needs and demands in the most efficient way.

Lingumi

A UK-based startup, Lingumi, offers an innovative language learning program for preschool children. Their app, available for both iOS and Android devices, uses AR technology and allows toddlers to learn English by playing interactive games, as well as engaging in speaking activities with their tutors. The platform can be downloaded in many countries around the world, including China, the UK, Italy, and France.

Currently, Lingumi is running a Covid-19 Charity Campaign, helping children from disadvantaged backgrounds get access to education. The company’s work has been recognized by investors – in March, Lingumi received substantial funding to continue their activities and revolutionize the world of pre-school education.

Astrid Education

For a long time now, Artificial Intelligence has been impacting different industries in domains of our life, including education. Astrid Education, a small Swedish startup, has just unveiled its big project: an AI-powered schoolbook that uses speech recognition to help children learn how to read.

Source: Astrid Education

It guarantees a personalized learning experience based on engaging stories and recommendations. The platform conveniently adapts to individual needs and learning styles. Moreover, it shows a holistic view of students’ progress. The solution is currently available to users in Sweden, the UK, and the US.

Mightifier

Learning is the most effective when performed in a calm, peaceful atmosphere. The importance of this phenomenon was noticed by Mightifier, a Finnish startup co-created by teachers and students. The team came up with the idea of an AI-fueled social-emotional learning tool for schools. Its main objective is to track students’ wellbeing and offer them support in mastering emotional skills.

Source: Common Sense Education

The Mightifier app creates a safe learning environment, where students share positive, encouraging feedback with one another. As a result, they fight together against social isolation and anxiety. The app includes dashboards with relevant data and insights, as well as development materials for both students and teachers. It is available in three languages: Finnish, Swedish, and English. In 2018, it received The Finnish Educational Quality Certificate.

Juni Learning

Located in San Francisco, Juni Learning is a company providing private online coding and maths lessons for kids and teenagers. It’s a Computer Science & Mathematics academy offering an advanced program for children passionate about technical subjects. The students are guided by experienced tutors from US Universities and meet with them either one on one or in small groups.

Source: Juni Learning

Juni Learning has created a powerful platform where students can learn, practice, and keep a portfolio of their previous work, which enables them to see their progress. Subscription-based courses are adapted to children in different age groups. In light of the current events, the Juni Learning team has decided to offer free classes to 800 children of healthcare workers.

💡 Speaking of online learning, you might be interested in how digitalization helps cover the needs shaped by the new reality in other industries as well.

Degreed

It’s been 8 years since Degreed, another educational company from California, started supporting organizations on the quest for plugging employees’ skills gap. How you may ask? Their inclusive system connects people to various resources, such as articles, podcasts, videos, or courses that are supposed to guarantee the most efficient and convenient learning experience. In other words, they make diverse learning materials accessible in one place, on-demand.

Thanks to data analytics, the platform boosts the teams’ performance and shows aspects that can be improved, thus leading to better investments in growth activities within a company. Additionally, the individuals are able to benefit from the app and its resources for non-professional purposes. Currently, the solution is available in +20 languages. Apart from developing the platform, the Degreed team eagerly share their insights on learning technologies and business skills on their blog.

Teacherly

Based in the UK and UAE, Teacherly is an educational technologies company offering a peer to peer coaching platform. Its main goal is to enable teachers to work collaboratively and connect across schools. Using predictive analytics, Teacherly provides its users with high-quality remote lessons accompanied by real-time feedback. The platform supports remote learning based on interactive lessons, collaboration among teachers, and course management.

Remote lessons available on the platform are tailored to different groups and utilize relevant multimedia resources, such as videos, audio clips, or quizzes. What is more, teachers using the platform may engage with one another, build a community, and share ideas. It’s worth mentioning that the Teacherly team is also engaged in the education community – their CEO, Atif Mahmood, has recently delivered a talk during the EdTechX Summit.

Bolt Learning

Combining modern web technologies and powerful teaching methodologies, Bolt Learning, a Scottish startup, delivers high-quality learning solutions for online training sessions. Their product is widely used by workforce trainers and HR professionals, as well as individuals from different industries.

The company has developed an innovative Cloud-Based Learning Management System which allows users to manage and monitor training within their organization. It’s a comprehensive, all-in-one system supporting different activities related to training management. Each course is available in different languages and can be taken on various devices. The solution benefits from modern technologies, such as gamification or facial recognition in order to ensure a seamless learning experience. Apart from the LMS, Bolt Learning runs a successful blog about educational technologies and employee training.

Gnowbe

Microlearning, which is guided by the belief that students should consume educational content in bite-sized portions, has proved to significantly enhance learning efficiency. This powerful approach has been used by many EdTech companies, including Gnowbe, a San Francisco-based startup that designed a solution revolutionizing corporate education. Using small pieces of information in the form of short paragraphs, quotes, or videos, the Gnowbe mobile platform inspires behavior change and leads to higher productivity and engagement among employees. Moreover, Gnowbe offers a plugin that integrates with the most popular software systems.

The solution has already won a couple of awards. For instance, it was recognized as the most innovative mobile micro-learning platform in 2019. Recently, the Gnowbe team has also come up with a “Daily Pulse” initiative, which was created to connect people all around the world through daily inspiring sessions and heartwarming stories.

Skoove

Modern technologies may not only be used for educational purposes at school or in the workplace. They can also support learning skills related to our passions, such as art. Skoove, a German startup created by music enthusiasts, developed a virtual piano teacher app that makes learning fun, efficient, and easily accessible. The lessons are targeted both for advanced players and complete beginners and include sheet music or hand positions videos.

The app works with PC and iOS devices and is available in a free version, as well as a paid, premium version. The AI-powered virtual guide takes a learner through each lesson, recognizes the notes that are played, and provides real-time feedback, helping the users improve quickly and learn from their own mistakes.

Summing it up

As can be seen above, the education startup scene is flourishing and is not likely to stop. New digital products, fueled by emerging technologies and data analytics, are bound to appear in the market with a goal to revolutionize the way we acquire knowledge. It is important to build these solutions with reliable tools and support of an experienced software partner in order to gain success in this demanding industry and follow the footsteps of Juilliard School, StudyBee, competenz4u, or U Project.

Keen on making a change in the EdTech industry? Find out what it takes to build a successful e-learning platform.