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Q2 202420.05.2024

Edtech

Picture of Federico Scolari

Federico Scolari

at Sifted

Among other fast-growing sectors, edtech arguably moved the swiftest into Europe’s post-pandemic digital sphere. Between needs and regulations, along a widespread inclination for people to both learn and educate, only time stood in the way of tech-first ventures filling gaps in the market.

For large enterprises, it meant offering scalable services to more employees at a reduced price, balancing must-have tailored programmes and budget-bound benefits. For startups, it was a matter of shipping and selling products as fast as possible, given slim gaps for competitive differentiation. For the wider market, the interaction between the two created thousands of hours of content, large communities and hundreds of jobs between coaches and peer-to-peer professionals.

But it hasn’t been a completely smooth ride. Edtech funding has fallen at an average pace of 44% year-on-year since 2021 heights, with no megarounds recorded in more than 20 months. The first few PMF-stage companies, including GoStudent and Coachub, have somewhat hit the brakes after receiving large cash injections, but the early funding stages have maintained healthy, sustainable dynamics — Sifted tracked 42 early-stage deals so far in 2024.

Now, AI — itself a diligent student — has brought seemingly infinite possibilities to the boardroom. On one hand, it can leverage large amounts of training data to maximise personalisation; on the other, it will need to shake hands with humans, who are intrinsically bound to remain focal. Whether the student will become the master, that’s to be seen, but it’s likely that machines and humans will coexist for greater outcomes.

20 startups to watch

  • Junto logo

    Sifted score

    8.09
    -

    Junto

    • Strong investor(s)
    • Serial founder(s)
    • Hiring

    • Year founded

      2022

    • HQ

      Berlin, Germany

    • Latest round

      Seed
      €5m / Aug 2022

    • Total funding

      €6.2m

    View company profile
  • Sdui logo

    Sifted score

    8.04
    -

    Sdui

    • Strong investor(s)
    • Serial founder(s)
    • Hiring

    • Year founded

      2018

    • HQ

      Koblenz, Germany

    • Latest round

      Series A
      €18m / Feb 2023

    • Total funding

      €25m

    View company profile
  • Pixaera logo

    Sifted score

    7.93
    -

    Pixaera

    Virtual reality training for hazardous tasks.

    • Strong investor(s)
    • Serial founder(s)
    • Hiring

    • Year founded

      2020

    • HQ

      London, United Kingdom

    • Latest round

      Seed
      €5.7m / Oct 2022

    • Total funding

      €5.7m

    View company profile
  • Knoma logo

    Sifted score

    7.83
    -

    Knoma

    • Strong investor(s)
    • Serial founder(s)

    • Year founded

      2019

    • HQ

      London, United Kingdom

    • Latest round

      Seed
      €3.7m / Sep 2022

    • Total funding

      €5.2m

    View company profile
  • Neol logo

    Sifted score

    7.77
    -

    Neol

    • Strong investor(s)
    • Serial founder(s)
    • Hiring

    • Year founded

      2022

    • HQ

      London, United Kingdom

    • Latest round

      Seed
      €4.7m / Jun 2022

    • Total funding

      €4.7m

    View company profile

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