Research from iMarc shows that the global EdTech ecosystem is projected to grow at around 12.48% per year over the next ten years, reaching a market size of $662 billion by 2032. This remarkable growth is predicated on technology continuing to enhance the traditional educational offering, setting the stage for improved outcomes even as the way students learn evolves at a rapid pace.
To put these numbers into context, here are some of the companies that are making a real impact and contributing to growth in both EdTech and traditional Education. In each case, they represent examples of how innovation, product-market fit, and great service can deliver an immediate impact on education as a whole. They are listed in no particular order (other than alphabetically), and their efforts will hopefully catalyze further improvements and advancements in educational results across the country and the world.
Elenco
Elenco is on a mission to provide innovative and high-quality educational products and toys that are engaging, affordable, and designed to instill a passion for learning and creating. Their philosophy is that children learn from doing and so every product they sell aims to encourage curiosity, trial-and-error, and a journey of discovery that illustrates key principles and ways of thinking.
Their approach to producing learning-based toys is comprehensive and thoughtful, and each experience is carefully curated for maximum engagement and enjoyment. Additionally, Elenco is focusing a lot of their efforts on important STEM areas such as coding, physics, robotics, and the like – all of which will play an ever-increasing role in the modern world as we know it.
Holberton
Holberton is a Silicon Valley-based computer science school that was founded to help aspiring software engineers bridge the gap between the education system and the fast-advancing world of modern technology. They offer intensive full-time programs that can be molded and adapted to the specific things that each student is fascinated by. The nature of this leads to a unique journey for each person – allowing them to follow their curiosity and dive deeply into whatever areas of computer science resonate with them.
Their educational model is built around collaboration. They believe that real-world learning comes from supporting one another and that’s why you won’t find any formal teachers in their programs. Instead, they create a community where knowledge and learning can come from anywhere – so that you aren’t just learning to code, but you’re learning how to learn as well.
This way of thinking can nurture the next generation of software engineers so that they can be deeply connected to the communities in which they’re building, thus ensuring that the solutions are contextually appropriate, and are solving real problems.
Inner Explorer
Mental health has rightly become a major focus over the past few years, and Inner Explorer is one of the companies bringing approachable tools into the EdTech field that can really make a difference. They’ve created an audio-guided mindfulness program based on science that helps students practice key mindfulness concepts such as managing focus and attention, self-awareness, and emotional regulation.
Their technology currently reaches more than a million students and more than 35,000 teachers which is a testament to the real impact they’re making across the country and the world. Through carefully created experiences, students can learn more about managing their minds and improve their performance across a multitude of aspects.
But more importantly, Inner Explorer is helping students to deepen their self-awareness, improve how they think about themselves, and mitigate against some of the most significant mental health challenges that young people face in today’s world.
Johnnie Max
Johnnie Max is known for its award-winning online literacy program for Pre-K teachers and learnings. Their program uses real-world photography from around the world to support the foundations of early learning experiences. Combined with content-rich non-fiction, these images help to foster a sense of awe and wonder for the children who get to interact with them.
Across literacy, math, science, and social studies – the programs from Johnnie Max are going a long way to providing rich and engaging content that can encourage young learners to immerse themselves in the wonderful world around them. They’ve also built some additional technology to support these efforts, such as a communication app that connects parents and teachers and a digital learning platform for in-classroom and distance learning.
OETC
The OETC is a non-profit consortium of schools, universities, and libraries that are united under the common belief that everyone should have access to tools for a great education. By coming together and combining their bargaining power, the OETC can help educators access tools and technology at much more affordable prices – making them accessible to many more students across the country.
As an organization, OETC thoughtfully negotiates EdTech contracts and works tirelessly to open the doors for technology to enter the lives of students without breaking the bank. By supporting technology procurement in this way, they are working to enable and empower administrators and leaders to improve the educational experience for all.
PASCO
PASCO offers award-winning science tools and data logging solutions that enhance the STEM learning experience. These tools include sensors, interfaces, and data collection and analysis software, as well as high-quality lab equipment for physics and engineering experiments. PASCO is committed to offering tools that push the boundaries of science and technology education, and they’re making a significant impact on the students who get to use their solutions.
Their products are heavily used in robotics education – a continually emerging trend that is becoming more and more important as the technology becomes more accessible. There are few areas of science that capture a child’s imagination like robots do, and PASCO is using that curiosity as a catalyst for a love of the field.
S&S Worldwide
S&S Worldwide is one of the longest-standing marketplaces for hands-on learning products with over 110 years of experience. They have been ever-present, helping educators find products that can enhance their teaching and stretch students to expand their minds. The marketplace is vast and contains thousands of different products – providing a seemingly endless stream of learning potential.
The company remains a family-owned company where multiple generations of the Schwartz family have acted as custodians. The community they’ve built helps children play and learn in a wide variety of different modes and methodologies. This is the sort of resource that can become an invaluable component of a teaching arsenal, enabling practical, innovative, and engaging instruction for all ages.
Steps to Literacy
Learning to read and write is perhaps the most foundational skill in a young child’s education and that’s exactly what Steps to Literacy focuses on. They are a company passionate about igniting a passion for reading through accessible and exciting children’s books. They work with over 200 publishers to provide a wide range of stories for all use cases, categorized by reading level and collected in a way that makes it seamless to craft a unique reading journey for each student.
There is a lot of careful curation that goes into how they think about their book choices. Each collection is diverse, intentional, and just challenging enough to push each child and show them that they’re capable of more than they realize. Steps to Literacy has become an incredibly important resource for so many schools, and their materials continue to shape the minds of those young learners as they engage with the written word, often for the first time.
Teaching.com
Teaching.com is changing online education by building exciting products that equip students and teachers with the tools to succeed in the classroom and beyond.
From creating the first web-based learn-to-type platform in the late 1990s, Teaching.com now offers Typing.com, the largest and most well-known typing tutor on the internet. From kindergarteners to retirees, the Teaching.com platform has taught millions of students around the world not only how to type but also the fundamentals of interacting with computers.
The innovative Teaching.com product line includes Typing.com, Reading.com, EduTec, and Nitro Type. With over 1 million races a day, Nitro Type is a real-time competitive typing game that integrates educational content with high-intensity gaming that keeps students engaged. Teaching.com believes that the best learning happens when self-directed, uncoerced, and rooted in fun. They infuse this into everything they build, unlocking children’s instinct to learn.
Finding World ClassTalent to Impact Education and Communities
These 9 companies are making a real impact in the Education sector and are set for a strong 2024. Their efforts are emblematic of the advancements happening across the industry and as they grow, we should see more of these sorts of initiatives making their way through EdTech and Education as a whole.
Here at The Renaissance Network, we are passionate about enabling companies like these through high-quality flexible recruitment and executive placement solutions so that the best people possible can push this innovation forward. If you need help with your Education, Technology or Social Impact company, be sure to get in touch, and let’s help you get those A-players on board to take things to the next level.
