Edtech has changed the face of learning and the whole concept what a school is. A decade ago, a university was an old building in the city where you went to get an education – nowadays there are MOOCs available online, with enrollment numbers skyrocketing. Coding used to be reserved for talented IT professionals – now kids learn to code before they even know the alphabet. Virtual reality was a Star Trek-like feature that we only saw in the movies – today it’s a highly efficient classroom tool.
In the next few years, education will strive to fully embrace technology, and these 10 promising European startups are a clear example of that.
CoachHub – Coach hub is a digital coaching platform for employees, coaching people to be the best they can be at their jobs. The digital coaching service is delivered via an app and offers video-coaching sessions, training activities and personal support from a business coach regarding time management, stress management, and leadership skills. Launched in 2018, CoachHub’s global coaching pool currently consists of more than 300 qualified coaches who speak some 30 languages. In 2019, they snapped up 18.9 million and are already being used by employees at Sparkasse Bank, Soundcloud, Movinga, Hello Fresh, Flixbus and Danone.
Drops – Tallinn-based Drops introduces a new way to learn languages. The vocabulary-focused app was launched in 2015 and it quickly became the fastest-growing language learning app on iOS and Android. It uses aesthetically appealing pictographic word games to help users immerse themselves in a new language, drop by drop, as they say. Users can choose any of the 36 languages available to browse through for up to 5 minutes each day, making language learning part of their daily routine. In 2018 they were awarded ‘Best App’ by Google, and in 2020 launched ‘Droplets’ the version for kids aged 8-17.
Elias Robot – Elias Robot is the flagship product of Utelias Technologies (founded in 2017), a Finnish edtech startup changing the way languages are learned. Their idea is to help kids learn a foreign language by using social robots and their high-quality pedagogical methods. The robot sings and dances, plays vocabulary games, and converses with students in 23 languages, and can recognize the pupil’s skill levels and adjust its questions accordingly. The startup landed €81K seed funding in 2018, and Elias Robot is already widely used in Finnish primary schools.
InSimu – InSimu (founded in 2016) is a Hungarian startup that has developed an interactive patient simulator app, allowing doctors and medical students to practice and make a diagnosis on virtual patients. Furthermore, they also created a version for medical schools, the InSimu University, to help make medical studies more practical, competent, and measurable. The startup has raised more than €540K in funding, with its last round in 2019. In 2018, the startup won the ‘Best Newcomer’ at the Central European Startup Awards and in 2019 entered the Founders Factory accelerator to make InSumu Patient App a new standard in medical diagnostic education.
MEL Science – MEL Science is a virtual reality educational startup that offers a subscription-based mix of physical chemistry lab sets and virtual reality programmes. Founded in 2015, the startup delivers each month all the physical materials its customers need to conduct an educational chemistry experiment, and a series of associated VR experiences to help them expand their theoretical understanding of the experiments. With €9.7 million in funding, MEL Science is now going from chemistry to physics and biology, with the aim of reaching 5,000 schools worldwide.
Qoorio – Qoorio is a Lithuanian-born marketplace for knowledge and experience. Launched in 2018 and landing €2.54 million investment in 2019, Qoorio is aimed at providing access to real-life knowledge, by linking those with specific knowledge and skillsets with those in need. Law, economics, politics, engineering, media are just some of the topics on the platform, which users can browse through and connect with experienced professionals. From there on, it is up to them to either meet for a coffee, chat online, arrange a phone call, or connect in any other way.
Skriware – Skriware (founded in 2015) is a Polish startup that helps children learn to design, build and programme 3D-printable robots while developing the most sought-after skills across STEM fields. What started as a Kickstarter project, has now turned into a ‘fully integrated educational ecosystem’, comprised of an easy-to-use 3D printer, a STEAM education platform, modular robot building system and a set of online tools for 3D printing. The startup has been recognized among top Kairos K50’s most innovative startups globally and has raised €3.9 million.
Stemi – Stemi (founded in 2016) has introduced a creative solution for robot-assisted learning. Namely, a six-legged robot spider serving as a tool for learning robotics, electrical engineering and programming. The Croatian startup offers a step-by-step video guide to make your own model, unchain your creativity with some 3D modelling and learn some coding skills along the way. At the same time, STEMI offers an educational platform enabling teachers to facilitate project-based and personalized learning for their students. Following the successful Indiegogo campaign, STEMI is now preparing to go abroad.
Tutorful – This UK-based startup operates as a marketplace that helps parents find, message and book the best local tutors for one-to-one tuition, either face-to-face, or via our innovative online classroom. Powered by recommendations and reviews, their digital platform soon included over 10,000 vetted tutors covering 300+ subjects, from primary years all the way up to Ph.D. level. Four years after launching in 2015, the startup put pen to paper with a €3.7 million investment from NVM Private Equity to help children on their educational journey.
World Mastery – World Mastery (founded in 2015) is a Barcelona-based startup that offers highly-curated specialist courses, delivered by renowned experts across the following categories: sports, dance, yoga, fitness, cooking and hairstyle. World Mastery functions as a content-as-a-service platform, through which users are granted access to 1 new video a week, in exchange for a monthly subscription to the platform. More than 10,000 customers across 105 countries are using it, and now with the latest Series A funding of €3 million, the numbers will quickly increase.
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