TOP 15 promising EdTech startups to follow in 2024

Let’s think of a student who attends traditional in-person classes. This young learner’s education primarily relies on printed textbooks and handwritten notes. The feedback received from their teachers is limited to exams and final grades, making it challenging for them to learn from their mistakes and improve.

Upon the adoption of EdTech, this student’s learning experience underwent a significant transformation. Not only did it grant them access to a wide range of digital resources with much more flexibility, but the feedback from their teachers and online collaboration with classmates enabled them to enhance their academic performance.

Main types of EdTech startups

First things first, what is EdTech? The term refers to “Educational Technology” and pertains to emerging companies that focus on the development and implementation of information and communication technology to enhance and facilitate the teaching and learning process.

EdTech startups often create software, mobile applications, online platforms, digital content, educational hardware, and other technologies used primarily in:

• Learning management platforms. They serve as virtual classrooms, providing tools for teachers to assign tasks, exams, and give feedback while also facilitating communication between educators and students.
• Online learning. It delivers an array of digital educational resources, catering to self-directed learners independent of traditional educational institutions. These platforms facilitate interaction with instructors and peers, enhancing the virtual learning experience.
• Interactive learning and gaming platforms. They offer an engaging blend of educational content and gaming elements, with students participating in interactive challenges and missions that solidify educational concepts. These platforms utilize gamification and social interactions to foster a fun and collaborative learning atmosphere.
• Online study and tutoring services. They are focused on subject-specific assistance and exam preparation, giving students access to study materials and personalized instruction. Such platforms are ideal for those aiming to deepen their understanding of specific concepts and gear up for crucial exams.
• Language learning platforms. They provide targeted lessons, exercises, and activities to help users acquire vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and conversational skills in their chosen language. These platforms employ interactive methods, such as games and listening exercises, to enhance language fluency.

EdTech startups specialize in creating innovative technology solutions to enhance and streamline education and communication between teachers and students.

Education technology companies market

The EdTech industry is growing and introducing new advancements. It has become a key component of what we can call Education 2.0. The boom in this market is largely due to the emergence of numerous EdTech startups and established companies offering a wide range of solutions, from learning management platforms and online courses to adaptive learning tools and language teaching applications.

The transformative effect of these technologies on education is fueling the need for experts in web development, user experience design, and cybersecurity. In other words, as these companies impact on education with their technological solutions — there is a growing need for individuals with expertise in creating websites, designing user-friendly interfaces, and safeguarding online information.

These companies are not only changing the way we learn but also contributing to the development of the education industry through technology

Industry expertise from Halo Lab

Halo Lab is a design and development agency that has established itself as an invaluable resource for companies of all sizes, from emerging startups to well-established corporations. Specializing in services encompassing branding, UX/UI design, and software development, we have demonstrated our expertise in numerous fields, with a particular focus on the EdTech world.

HeyTutor: connecting learners and educators worldwide

HeyTutor is an online platform that facilitates effective communication among tutors, students, and knowledge centers. Halo Lab perfectly understood the mission of this EdTech platform and once again demonstrated their expertise in the niche through the project they completed for the online tutoring platform.

We not only improved the brand image and added modern design elements, but also successfully conveyed a lively brand identity, intelligent design, and a user-friendly interface. The client was extremely pleased with the results.

Skillex: empowering learning across diverse fields

Skillex is a platform that aims to provide practical learning experiences for students worldwide. Skillex’s goal was to offer high-quality courses, guides, and instructors in various fields, appealing to both aspiring learners and experienced professionals.

Halo Lab took on this challenge, creating a user-friendly, clean, and human-centered platform that facilitates and enhances the learning experience. The use of soft pastel colors, rounded shapes, and clear fonts creates a peaceful and productive learning environment.

Spaces: advancing sustainable urban development

Spaces is a research and education center dedicated to studying urban and spatial development, infrastructure planning, and urban life in European regions. The project developed by Halo Lab for Spaces in 2023 exemplifies their commitment to innovative design. This project involved branding, UX/UI design, and Webflow development.

The result was an elegant and cutting-edge website that perfectly reflects the institute’s character and values, effectively communicating its mission to a broader audience.

Top EdTech startups

Now, let’s take a look at some of the other innovative startups in the field of EdTech. From creating mobile apps for driver’s education to mentoring programs in higher education, these companies are transforming the way we learn and teach. Many of them are even driving positive change in the world of education, enhancing its accessibility, engagement, and efficacy for learners across various age groups.

EdTech not only changes the way we teach but also the way we learn, expanding opportunities to acquire knowledge anytime, anywhere.

1. Aceable

Aceable is an innovative American startup dedicated to offering online driver’s education courses. Initially, their debut mobile application offered certified courses for driver’s education. Over time, they expanded their reach and ventured into real estate and healthcare education.

A team of former teachers, NASA engineers, and education enthusiasts founded this startup. What sets them apart is their focus on enjoyable and captivating educational experiences for students. They use a variety of methods, such as videos, games, memes, and quizzes, to ensure that students acquire knowledge about traffic rules and road safety in a fun way.

Additionally, Aceable offers an online driving practice service that allows students to improve their driving skills in a virtual environment. It has gained popularity among individuals seeking to understand road safety through an entertaining approach.

• Foundation year: 2012.
• Founded by: Blake Garrett.
• Location: Austin, Texas.
• Focus areas: Mobile education, e-commerce, educational technology, health technology, and software.
• Growth: Aceable has experienced significant growth, serving over 1.5 million students annually and reaching over 20 million in total.

2. AllCampus

AllCampus is a leading platform in the higher education and digital marketing industry. It collaborates closely with educational institutions to enhance the student experience and optimize their online programs.

This startup aims to make higher education more affordable, accessible, and fair for all learners. They collaborate with universities and employers, providing diverse services like marketing, recruitment, student support, and course design and development to achieve their mission.

• Foundation year: 2012.
• Founder: It originated as a division of Alloy Education (Private Colleges and Universities), but in 2012, it separated from its parent company.
• Location: Chicago, Illinois.
• Growth: It has partnerships with over 20 million active professionals and provides services in over 130 different academic programs.

3. BenchPrep

BenchPrep is a prominent American startup specializing in offering an online exam preparation platform. This includes university admission exams like the SAT, ACT, LSAT, MCAT, GMAT, and GRE, as well as professional certification exams such as the CPA, CFA, CISA, CISSP, and PMP, and language exams like the TOEFL, IELTS, and Duolingo.

BenchPrep’s platform provides students with various preparation resources, including study materials with practice questions, simulated exams, and video lessons. Moreover, BenchPrep stands out for its exam review, which offers students detailed feedback on their performance and an active student community where they can engage in discussion forums and study groups.

The startup is a pioneer in creating mobile exam preparation apps, demonstrating innovation in the field of online education.

• Foundation year: 2010.
• Founder: Ashish Rangnekar and Ujjwal Gupta.
• Location: Fully remote.
• Focus areas: EdTech and Enterprise Software.
• Growth: It has evolved to become a leading company in online exam preparation and has expanded to serve a wide variety of clients, including educational institutions, publishers, and exam preparation companies.

4. Concept3D

Concept3D is an innovative American startup that specializes in providing a valuable solution in the form of 3D mapping and virtual tours software.

The platform of this startup allows users to create 3D maps of physical spaces using advanced technologies such as LiDAR and photogrammetry, resulting in highly accurate 3D models. With virtual tours, users can explore these physical spaces in a completely different way, turning them into captivating digital experiences.

• Foundation year: 2006.
• Location: Denver, Colorado.
• Focus areas: EdTech, Enterprise Web, Mobile, and Software.
• Growth: It is a leading company with more than 10 years of experience in 3D rendering and 360° panoramas. Its platform is used in many industries, and its ability to transform physical spaces into digital experiences has contributed to success and growth. The company has a team of 29 local employees and 61 employees overall.

5. Course Hero

Course Hero is a prominent online learning platform with a mission to transform the study process into a seamlessly fluid experience for every course. It provides students access to different educational resources.

With an impressive library of millions of documents, it offers class notes, flashcards, videos, assignments, exams, and tutoring services for students of all levels.

Course Hero allows learners to access these resources for free, but it also has the option to subscribe to a premium plan with additional benefits such as unlimited document downloads, an ad-free experience, and access to valuable tutors.

• Foundation year: 2006.
• Founders: Andrew Grauer, Adam Miller, and Ryan Craig.
• Location: Redwood City, California.
• Focus areas: EdTech, Machine Learning, Social Impact, and Software.
• Growth: Its extensive library of educational resources includes over 100 million documents. The focus on online learning and accessibility has contributed to its growth and success in the field of online education.

6. Elevate K-12

Elevate K-12 is an EdTech startup aiming to provide educational equity for all students and teachers, regardless of location or socioeconomic status. Its mission is to foster top-notch educational experiences for both teachers and students.

The platform offers live classes in various subjects (Math, Science, History, Languages, etc.) taught by certified teachers trained in using technology for education. These classes are interactive and engaging.

The company prides itself on creating value and opportunities for students, firmly committing to inclusive and quality education.

• Foundation year: 2015.
• Location: Chicago, Illinois.
• Focus areas: EdTech and Social Impact.
• Growth: It works with more than 500 school districts and over 2,000 schools across the United States, providing high-quality instruction to over 200,000 students.

EdTech is democratizing access to education and providing learning opportunities to people around the world.

7. GoGuardian

GoGuardian is an innovative startup aiming to provide schools with a cutting-edge safety and productivity platform. It has become an essential tool for educational institutions, helping to protect students from harmful content and improve classroom productivity.

It includes a content filter that blocks access to malicious websites and applications and activity tracking that allows administrators to monitor students’ online behavior. It also offers productivity tools to help learners stay organized and focused on their work.

• Foundation year: 2013.
• Founders: Michael Fitzhenry and Yossi Matias.
• Location: San Francisco, California.
• Focus areas: EdTech and Software.
• Growth: It is a growing startup with a team of 740 employees, aiming to empower educators and students worldwide.

8. Great Minds

Great Minds is a nonprofit startup dedicated to developing and providing high-quality curricula for K-12 students. Founded by a group of educators, its mission is to improve education and ensure all students have access to exceptional teaching.

Great Minds’ curricula cover a wide range of subjects, from math and science to English, history, and social studies. What makes their curricula exceptional is their rigor and their ability to engage students at all levels. They are based on learning standards and are carefully designed to prepare students not only for success in school but also for success in life.

• Foundation year: 2007.
• Founder and CEO: Lynne Munson.
• Location: Washington, D.C.
• Focus area: Developing and providing high-quality curricula for K-12 students.

9. Hivebrite

Hivebrite is a French startup that offers a SaaS community engagement platform. It is designed to help various organizations create customized online communities connecting employees, customers, and other members.

Its platform is versatile, creating both public and private communities, allowing organizations to manage and moderate content, organize events, and measure member engagement. It also integrates with third-party applications to connect communities with additional systems.

• Foundation year: 2014.
• Founder: Jean Hamon.
• Location: Paris, France.
• Focus area: EdTech, Professional Services, Sales, and Software.
• Growth: The company has a wide customer base in more than 40 countries, including renowned organizations such as Boeing, Kraft Heinz, Adidas, WWF, the United Nations, and various prestigious universities.

10. HopSkipDrive

HopSkipDrive is an American startup based in San Francisco, California, offering a shared transportation service focused on providing a safe and reliable solution for children.

It addresses the need for safe and accessible transportation for children, especially those residing in areas with limited access to public transportation. It operates through a mobile app that connects parents with trusted drivers who have undergone rigorous background checks.

HopSkipDrive vehicles are equipped with security cameras, and the drivers are responsible adults who have been carefully selected. Parents can use the mobile app to schedule round-trip rides for their children, providing a reliable solution for taking them to school, extracurricular activities, or other destinations.

• Foundation year: 2014.
• Founder: Jennifer Field and Josh Green.
• Location: San Francisco, California.
• Focus area: EdTech, Kids and Family, Mobile, Social Impact, and Transportation.

11. InStride

InStride is an American startup that provides corporate education solutions to help companies transform and make a positive social impact.

The startup offers customized learning programs tailored to the unique needs of each company. It enables employers to offer educational programs to their employees that enhance their careers and provide certifications and degrees from leading academic institutions worldwide.

• Foundation year: 2019.
• Founder: Kevin Bartelt and Matt Miller.
• Location: Los Angeles, California.
• Focus area: EdTech, Enterprise Web, Social Impact, and Software.
• Growth: Its focus on personalized learning programs has resulted in a significant increase in employee participation and success in their studies, leading to a 92% increase in retention and promotion rates.

12. Mainstay

Mainstay is a startup dedicated to strengthening communication and interaction in schools. It offers an engagement platform with a chatbot for quickly answering student and staff questions. Additionally, Mainstay integrates with other essential school applications and provides in-depth analytics to augment its services, helping schools promote student engagement, provide staff support, and efficiently answer questions to improve the overall educational experience.

• Foundation year: 2019.
• Location: San Francisco.
• Founders: Drew Magliozzi and Kirk Daulerio.
• Focus areas: Artificial Intelligence, EdTech, HR Tech, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, and Social Impact.

13. Mentor Collective

Mentor Collective is a prominent startup offering mentoring programs for higher education students.

Mentor Collective’s mentoring program connects higher education students with volunteer mentors who provide personalized guidance and support. Students register, complete profiles, and are matched with mentors according to their interests and goals.

Through the online platform, students and mentors communicate and share advice and experiences, contributing to a reduction in dropout rates and improved student retention in higher education.

• Foundation year: 2014.
• Location: Boston, Massachusetts.
• Founders: James Lu Morrissey and Jackson Boyar.
• Focus areas: EdTech, Social Impact, and Software.
• Growth: To date, it has connected over 250,000 students with mentors.

14. Multiverse

Multiverse is a startup on a mission to democratize access to the best learning and career opportunities. Its focus is on providing professional learning programs through apprenticeships, as they believe that learning on the job offers a more equitable and successful path to careers.

They specialize in identifying and nurturing talent across different career stages, equipping them with in-demand tech, software engineering, and data skills. This not only propels their careers but also brings significant value to their employers.

• Foundation year: 2016.
• Location: New York City, New York.
• Focus areas: EdTech, HR Tech, and Information Technology.
• Growth: They have reached notable achievements, such as forming a community of over 10,000 apprentices and initiating one of the UK’s largest data apprenticeship programs in collaboration with Jaguar Land Rover. Additionally, they have established partnerships with renowned companies like Mars, Verizon, and CitiBank.

15. New Visions for Public Schools

New Visions for Public Schools is a prominent nonprofit organization that works to improve public education in New York City. While it is not a typical startup, given its long history and established presence, we have decided to include it in our list due to its innovative impact on the EdTech space. Since its inception, it has collaborated with multiple public schools to develop and implement educational innovations in four main areas: curriculum and teaching, school leadership, equity, and innovation.

How do they do it? By providing high-quality materials and support to teachers to ensure effective education, working closely with school principals to strengthen their leadership skills, removing barriers that hinder student success, and fostering educational innovation.

• Foundation year: 1989.
• Location: New York City, New York.
• Focus areas: EdTech, Kids and Families, Others, and Social Impact.
• Growth: It has partnered with over 400 public schools.

EdTech does not replace teachers but rather empowers educators to deliver more personalized and effective teaching.

Concluding thoughts on EdTech’s evolution

Throughout this article, we have explored how EdTech startups are shaping an exciting and dynamic educational future. We’ve discovered that these are companies that are not only changing the way we learn but also making education easier to access and even enjoyable for students of all ages. The innovative spirit and commitment to continuous improvement promise us an ever-evolving educational horizon.

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