Pearson

Modern tools to train and motivate staff, and bridge emerging skill gaps.

EdTech: Corporate Learning

<div>
  <p>
    Founded in 2010 by Gregg Carey and Paul Gollash, Voxy provides web and mobile-based, personalized English language learning solutions for businesses, educational institutions, and governments in Europe, Asia, and North and South America. The company’s largest market is Brazil. Voxy uses a combination of online courses, live instruction, and personalized self-study to facilitate courses in general English, soft skills, academic preparation, and business English for a range of industries. 
  </p>
  <p>
    In September 2021, Voxy partnered with Coursera, an online learning platform, to provide career development opportunities designed to improve English language communication skills of professionals. Voxy will provide English language learning courses to Coursera's user base of 87 million learners across a wide range of subjects such as technology, calls and messaging, and planning and organization.
  </p>
</div>


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  <p>
    Blackboard is an educational technology company founded by Stephen Gilfus, Daniel Cane, Michael Chasen, and Matthew Pittinsky in 1997. The company serves K-12, higher education, business, and government clients worldwide. Blackboard products for business include the Blackboard Learn learning management system (LMS), the premium Blackboard Learn Ultra LMS, the Blackboard Data analytics solution, the Blackboard Ally accessibility solution, and the Blackboard Collaborate virtual classroom and web conferencing solution. Blackboard went public in 2004 and was acquired by Providence Equity Partners in 2011.
  </p>
  <p>
    In March 2020, the company had 733 Learn clients and 259 Learn Ultra clients and reportedly served 100 million users worldwide. As of October 2020, the company reported nearly 20,000 organizational clients and millions of student users.
  </p>
  <p>
    In September 2021, Blackboard announced its merger with Anthology, a provider of enterprise application services, admissions management, student engagement services, learning effectiveness solutions, and alumni advancement services to higher education institutions. Blackboard plans to use this merger to build a comprehensive, global EdTech ecosystem comprising academic, administrative, and student engagement applications. Additionally, the merger will allow the combined entity to gain deeper insight into learners. Following the merger, Veritas will be the majority shareholder of the new company, while Providence and Leeds will hold minority stakes. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2021.
  </p>
</div>


<div>
  <p>
    HowNow is a UK-based learning experience solution provider that provides an integrated platform designed to support organizations in their efforts to onboard, upskill, and support their employees. The platform combines multiple resources such as training, shared knowledge, blogs, podcasts, and courses into a centralized location to facilitate collaborative learning. Additionally, the platform includes a dashboard for companies to track the growth and skill progression of their workforce and to create personalized learning programs to address any skills gaps. As of February 2023, the platform had served 10,000+ users, including Depop, Vanmoof, Permutive, Checkout.com, Mercer, Telenor, Sanofi, and Investec.
  </p>
  <p>
    The platform claimed to generate 5x more engagement than a traditional learning management system (LMS).
  </p>
  <p>
    <b>Key customers and partnerships</b>
  </p>
  <p>
    In November 2022, the company formed partnerships with Mind Tools for Business to expand its content library. The partnership allows access to Mind Tools&rsquo; e-learning modules, which specialize in management and compliance, as well as an animation suite that includes up to 50 videos on various topics.&nbsp;
  </p>
  <p>
    <b>Funding and financials</b>
  </p>
  <p>
    In February 2023, the company raised 
    <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/16184">
      <u>GBP 4 million (~USD 5 million) in a Series A funding</u>
    </a>
     round from Mercia Asset Management and Pearson. It planned to use the funds to hire more team members, expand its operations internationally, and for further platform development.
  </p>
</div>


Remote learning is driving an education technology revolution.

EdTech: K-12

<div>
  <p>
    Blackboard is an educational technology company founded by Stephen Gilfus, Daniel Cane, Michael Chasen, and Matthew Pittinsky through a business combination in 1997. Blackboard went public in 2004 and operated publicly until it was acquired by Providence Equity Partners in 2011. Blackboard products for the K-12 sector include Blackboard Unite (a suite of virtual learning tools and resources; launched in April 2020), Blackboard Learn (a learning management system), an accessibility tool, mobile app, and a service and implementation kit to help districts launch their remote learning efforts. As of October 2020, the company had nearly 20,000 organizational clients and student users reaching into the millions.
  </p>
  <p>
    In October 2020, Blackboard launched Blackboard Reach, a tool that allows teachers and families to communicate securely with each other as part of the company’s efforts to aid learning and improve the remote, or hybrid, learning experience. The company also announced the creation of a formal Blackboard Student Advisory Council, comprising a diverse and international group of students, as part of its efforts to involve students in developing and designing the company’s software and solutions. In July 2021, the company formed the Center for Advancing Learning (CAL), a hub for education thought leadership, policy, and corporate social responsibility to support student and institutional success. The Center, which comprises internal and external experts, has three main aims: increasing access, supporting underserved and at-risk communities, and improving learning outcomes.
  </p>
  <p>
    In September 2021, Blackboard announced its merger with Anthology, a provider of enterprise application services, admissions management, student engagement services, learning effectiveness solutions, and alumni advancement services to higher education institutions. Blackboard plans to use this merger to build a comprehensive, global EdTech ecosystem comprising academic, administrative, and student engagement applications. Additionally, the merger will allow the combined entity to gain deeper insight into learners. Following the merger, Veritas will be the majority shareholder of the new company, while Providence and Leeds will hold minority stakes. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2021.
  </p>
  <p>
    In March 2021, the Education Development Institute (EDI), a member of the Qatar Foundation, selected Blackboard to provide its Blackboard Learn and Blackboard Collaborate solutions to more than 1,300 PreK-12 educators across 13 schools in Qatar and the Middle East. In April 2021, Blackboard’s Learn and Collaborate solutions were selected by several more K-12 schools across the Middle East and Africa (MEA). In May 2022, the company 
    <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/10594">
      <u>sold Blackboard Collaborate</u>
    </a>
     to EdTech solution provider Class Technologies for USD 210 million. 
    In September 2022, the company 
    <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/13083">
      <u>sold the Blackboard K-12 Community Engagement division</u>
    </a>
     to online digital marketing and communications platform provider Finalsite, allowing Anthology to continue its focus on Blackboard Learn Ultra, Anthology Student, and other areas of expertise in the EdTech space. Additionally, the company stated that Anthology will continue to be the preferred learning management system provider for K-12 schools that use Blackboard Learn.
  </p>
  <p>
    <b>Key customers and partnerships</b>
  </p>
  <p>
    In May 2021, the company partnered with software development firm Concentric Sky, developers of the branded learning ecosystem developer Badgr, to build its suite of digital credentialing tools including skill-aligned micro-credentials and stackable credential pathways available within Blackboard Learn via Badgr’s “Spaces” feature. In June 2021, Blackboard partnered with K16 Solutions, a provider of LMS course migration, course design, and course archiving services, to facilitate its own LMS migration and onboarding process for new Blackboard Learn Ultra clients. The company also partnered with Amazon Web Services in July 2021 to integrate the Amazon Chime SDK service into Blackboard Collaborate, allowing developers to use its infrastructure and services such as messaging, audio, video, and screen share capabilities. In September 2021, the company announced a partnership with Busuu, a language learning platform, to bring Busuu's language learning content to students via Blackboard Assist.
  </p>
</div>


<div>
  <p>
    Founded in 2016 by Daniel Blackman, Smashcut is an online learning platform and digital studio that partners with universities and education institutions such as the NYU School of Arts to provide learning resources for visual and media arts. These resources include video material and video meeting capabilities. The Smashcut platform allows for real-time student project reviews via 1-on-1 video sessions with instructors. One of the company’s main value propositions is its ability to provide these resources to students on an international scale at a fraction of the cost of film schools.
    
    In August 2021, Smashcut secured USD 7 million in Series A funding from Pearson Ventures. This investment will enable Smashcut to support Pearson’s visual and media arts programs, namely animation and gaming development courses from Pearson College London’s Escape Studios.
  </p>
</div>


Revolutionary talent assessment platform Plum is talent realized. Universally designed, Plum uses objective data to measure and match human potential to job needs, enhancing talent decisions across the employee lifecycle. With unmatched scalability, Plum empowers organizations to quantify job fit, improve quality of hire, identify potential, provide personalized career insights and create high-performing teams from one platform. Plum has been named a Top HR Product of the Year by Human Resource Executive, won an HR Tech Award from Lighthouse Research & Advisory and secured High Performer status with G2. Visit www.plum.io to learn more.

HowNow is a London-based EdTech startup that connects experts and learners by offering interactive video lessons.  It is an online platform that gives everyone the opportunity to learn from experts all over the world.  HowNow's live online video classes mean that teachers and students can interact with one another as if they were in the same room.  The company has more than 400 experts teaching in 33 countries.

Smashcut is an education technology and content company that has built a next-generation learning platform designed for video-centric, collaborative education. Smashcut partners with education brands to develop and deliver customized online programs. The company was founded in 2016 by Daniel Blackman, co-founder of Howcast and a former executive at Google, YouTube, and Barnes & Noble.com.

Secondmind is on a mission to help automotive innovators design cleaner cars, and achieve greater sustainability through machine learning. Underpinned by years of award-winning, practical machine learning research and technology, developed by a world-class team of researchers, data scientists and machine learning engineers, Secondmind is helping Automotive manufacturers navigate the increasing complexity of engineering design in its transition to electrification. Secondmind was founded in 2016 and is backed by leading venture funds including Amadeus Capital, Atlantic Bridge, and Cambridge Innovation Capital, among others.

Credly is helping the world speak a common language about people’s knowledge, skills, and abilities. Thousands of employers, training organizations, associations, certification programs, and workforce development initiatives use Credly to help individuals translate their learning experiences into professional opportunities using trusted, portable, digital credentials. Credly empowers organizations to attract, engage, develop, and retain talent with enterprise-class tools that generate data-driven insights to address skills gaps and highlight opportunities through an unmatched global network of credential issuers. Unleash the workforce.

Inkling is a single system that lets teams create great content, share it on any digital device, and measure how it's being used. It helps businesses succeed in today’s mobile world with data-driven content that can be accessed by any user, on any device, anywhere in the world. Inkling’s first-of-its-kind software prioritizes content intelligence—enabling businesses to maximize their content’s value with real-time data insights.  Based in San Francisco, Inkling is backed by Sequoia Capital, and partners with the world’s leading brands to enable their content for the digital space.

Sudiksha Knowledge Solutions Pvt. Ltd. is a social entrepreneurship initiative by a group of young professionals who use entrepreneurship skills and innovation to bring about a revolution in the educational standards of schools in India. Sudiksha is a social laboratory that works towards designing, training and researching various facets of education.

Zaya is a non-profit organization focused on bringing world-class education to children from marginalized communities around the world. We want to close the education gap by leveraging the online learning revolution that's happening right now. We are creating a global network of Learning labs that will educate, activate and empower one billion students at the bottom of the pyramid. Each Zaya Learning Lab is powered by Zaya Kit and our personalized blended learning approach with the specific goal of bridging the achievement gap for primary education. By developing a mobile Labkit, we want to empower women to own and operate these learning labs in their homes, community centers or schools.

The SPARK Schools model combines highly engaging classroom teaching, individual instruction in the Learning Lab, partnership with families and the community, and dedicated professional development for teachers and school leaders to facilitate student achievement. SPARK Schools students prepare for university and successful careers by excelling academically, practicing creative thinking skills, and demonstrating core values that emphasize cooperative citizenship and love of learning.

Voxy provides truly personalized English language instruction to corporations, educational institutions, and governments across the globe. Based on more than 30 years of academic research, Voxy’s solution meets the needs of each user by combining patented technology that adapts lessons in real-time with personalized live instruction all delivered in a fully mobile experience.  Launched in 2010, it has been used by millions of learners and hundreds of institutions in over 50 different countries. Voxy’s innovative approach has been recognized by major media outlets including The New York Times, Forbes, and CNN. Backed by leading investors in education technology, Voxy is headquartered in New York City and has an office in São Paulo.

Based in San Francisco, Scoot & Doodle creates web and mobile products that facilitate human interaction and connected learning, helping friends and classmates practice and strengthen visual creative thinking and collaboration -- core skills needed to make them the innovators and problem solvers of tomorrow.   Scoot & Doodle on Hangouts, the company’s first, award winning product, is the most popular premier app inside Google+ Hangouts and has been called “a revolutionary digital tool” by USA Today.   Scoodle Jam, a social collaboration app for iPad, launched on the App Store in December 2013 and was featured upon launch in Apple’s New & Noteworthy section. The app offers an innovative space for teens to socialize, collaborate and get creative together, one-on-one with their Facebook friends.

Nook Media spun out from Barnes & Noble in 2012. Nook Media is a subsidiary of [Barnes & Noble](http://www.crunchbase.com/organization/barnes-noble).   Microsoft invested in early 2012 and owns 16.8% and Pearson at the end of 2012 owns a 5% stake.   The nook is an electronic book reader produced by Barnes & Noble and runs on the Android platform. The nook will compete with the Amazon Kindle, iPad, Google's Nexus 7, Kobo, Sony Reader, and other readers. It is has Wi-Fi connectivity, a six inch E Ink display, and a separate, 7'' and 9'' color touchscreen that serves as the primary input device. The device also has a MicroSD slot for extra storage. Some nooks have a user replaceable battery and a memory card slot as well.

Knewton's mission is to personalize learning for the world.  Teachers, schools, and education companies around the world use Knewton to power digital course materials that dynamically adapt to each student’s unique needs. Knewton provides students with tailored recommendations for exactly what to study, teachers with analytics to better support each student, and publishers with content insights to develop more effective digital products.  Knewton was founded in 2008 and has offices in New York City, London, Tokyo, Singapore, and Dubai.   Knewton has been recognized globally as a “Technology Pioneer” (World Economic Forum in Davos) and several times as one of the top 10 most innovative companies in education  (Fast Company).

TutorVista Global Pvt. Ltd. (TutorVista) is a global education services company. It is located at 4, Service Road, Domlur Layout, Bangalore-560071. India.  TutorVista was acquired by Pearson Education in Jan 2011.

LessonLab offers a wide variety of software and program development services to improve classroom teaching methods. It enables teacher to study videotaped classroom sessions to improve their own performance. The company works with various partner organizations such as states, large school districts, public and private sector providers of teacher professional development services, textbook publishers, and universities to build standards-based teacher-learning programs. It also enables teacher to study videotaped classroom sessions to improve their own performance.  LessonLab was founded by Jim Stigler in January 1998 and is based in Santa Monica, California. The company currently operates as a subsidiary of Pearson Education.

FEN is an online platform that offers family education services for its users. The platform offers its users with advice on family-related topics. In addition, it provides its users with reference material, facts, and features to assists in its users’ children’s homework. Furthermore, it provides its users with teaching resources to assist its users in educating their children. FEN was founded in 1990 and is based in Boston.

Blackboard designs learning and education software for enterprise/ school groups. Blackboard is a global leader in enterprise technology and innovative solutions that improve the experience of millions of students and learners around the world every day.   Blackboard's solutions allow higher education, K-12, professional, corporate, and government organizations to extend teaching and learning online, facilitate campus commerce and security, and communicate more effectively with their communities. Founded in 1997, Blackboard is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

Pearson operates as a media and education company in the United Kingdom, other European countries, the United States, Canada, Asia Pacific, and internationally. The company operates through North American Education, International Education, Professional, and FT Group segments. It provides its customers with a range of products and services such as curriculum textbooks and other learning materials; student assessments and testing services; and education technologies for educators and students from early education through elementary, middle and high school, and higher education. It also publishes educational materials in local languages; English language teaching materials for children and adults; and online learning products as well as offers testing, assessment, and qualification services. In addition, Pearson Education is involved in publishing, training, testing, and certification for professionals; publishes computer, information technology, and business titles; and offers electronic testing for regulatory and certification boards providing a suite of services from test development to test delivery and data management. It also offers a range of data, analysis, and services through various print, digital, and mobile channels to business people and financial institutions.   The company publishes [The Financial Times](http://www.crunchbase.com/organization/the-financial-times), an international daily business newspaper with five editions in the U.K., Continental Europe, the U.S., Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East; and operates FT.com which sells content and advertising online as well as publishes information about the retail, personal, and institutional finance industries.  Pearson Education was founded in 1844 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

<div>  <p>    Pearson plc (LSE: PSON) is the world's leading learning company, providing educational products and services to learners, institutions, and governments globally. Founded in 1844 as a construction company, Pearson has transformed into a digital learning and assessment provider. The company went public on the London Stock Exchange in 1969 and has since established itself as a leader in the education technology sector.  </p>  <p>    Pearson's main products and services include:  </p>  <ul>    <li>      <p>        Digital learning platforms: Pearson+ subscription service for online textbooks and study materials      </p>    </li>  </ul>  <ul>    <li>      <p>        Educational content: Textbooks, e-books, and online courses for K-12 and higher education      </p>    </li>  </ul>  <ul>    <li>      <p>        Assessment and qualifications: Standardized tests, professional certifications, and academic credentials      </p>    </li>  </ul>  <ul>    <li>      <p>        English language learning materials: Resources for English language learners worldwide      </p>    </li>  </ul>  <ul>    <li>      <p>        Professional development: Training and support for educators      </p>    </li>  </ul>  <p>    Pearson has been focusing on its digital transformation strategy in recent years. In March 2021, the company launched Pearson+, a Netflix-style subscription service for digital textbooks and study materials. As of December 2023, Pearson employed approximately 18,000 people worldwide. The company reported that its digital products accounted for a growing portion of its revenue, reflecting its shift toward technology-enabled learning solutions. Pearson has also been actively pursuing sustainability initiatives.  </p>  <ul>  </ul></div>

Pearson unveils tool to improve hiring and upskilling with precise english language benchmarks

Pearson Ventures

Businesses providing education delivery solutions such as learning management systems (LMS), and tech solutions for data analytics, administration, and other services to educational institutions.

Businesses delivering curriculum-based learning, particularly relating to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education to educational institutions and individual students.

Mostly for-profit corporations running state-funded, tuition-free schools as an alternative to traditional public schools.

Businesses providing extra-curricular education relating to the arts, hobbies, and life skills, and entities providing college and career guidance.

Businesses delivering English language arts (ELA) education, and language learning and literacy support to educational institutions and individual students.

Platforms providing students with after-school tutoring support on an individual or group basis.

Businesses delivering early childhood education, special education, and social-emotional learning (SEL) programs to educational institutions and individual students.

Entities providing professional development resources and tools for teachers, and those providing testing and assessment solutions to educational institutions and educators.

Platforms providing student-parent-teacher-school communication and networking solutions, and those providing search, reference, and marketplace solutions.

Companies that use GenAI as a core part of their product offering for EdTech: K12 solutions

Learning content | Career development includes providers of content libraries and customized courses focusing on learning and developing skills directly related to job roles and careers (including hard skills, soft skills, and skills in demand). Delivery styles are varied and include in-person or virtual classrooms, mobile learning, and micro-learning. A variety of technologies may be employed such as video-based learning, artificial intelligence-based (AI-based) and adaptive learning, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR).

Massive open online course (MOOC) platforms allow large numbers of users to sign up for various courses from multiple sources, offering a flexible and affordable means of upskilling and reskilling.

Coaching, tutoring, and mentoring platforms connect employees with experts and specialists who provide personalized training and development support.

Technology platforms such as learning management systems (LMS), learning experience platforms (LXP), and learning content management systems (LCMS) host in-house or third-party content, track progress, and generate analytics. Content development tools comprise authoring and course-building tools for instructional designers, corporate trainers, and educators. Content development tools comprise authoring and course-building tools for instructional designers, corporate trainers, and educators.

Learning and engagement tools include platforms that offer adaptive learning, gamification, immersive learning, and microlearning solutions that can be used by enterprises for the delivery of learning content.

Service providers include those offering digital credentialing and identity authentication solutions, among others.

Learning content | Supplementary skills includes providers of content libraries and customized courses focusing on learning and developing supplementary skills. Delivery styles are varied and include in-person or virtual classrooms, mobile learning, and micro-learning. A variety of technologies may be employed such as video-based learning, artificial intelligence-based (AI-based) and adaptive learning, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR).

Educational technology plays a pivotal role in driving and enabling the revolution in post-secondary learning

Higher EdTech

Designers of learning programs and creators of learning content, aggregators and libraries of learning content and program, massive open online course (MOOC) platform operators, and providers of content development tools for authoring and course-building.

Providers of tools and features to improve learner engagement and learning effectiveness such as AR/VR platforms, interactive software, memory aids, and personalized student support platforms.

Technology platforms such as learning management systems (LMS), learning experience platforms (LXP), and learning content management systems (LCMS) that host in-house or third-party content, track progress, and generate analytics.

Providers of testing and assessment, identity authentication, proctoring, plagiarism-checking, digital credentialing, and feedback-gathering solutions.

Platforms that connect students with experts, specialists, and near-peers who provide academic coaching, development support, college admissions and career guidance, and career readiness support.

Platforms that facilitate communication and networking among students/faculty/alumni/institutions and those providing search, reference, and marketplace solutions.

Providers of campus operating infrastructure including enterprise resource planning (ERP), student information system (SIS), and data analytics solutions and those that support enrollment and marketing processes. Also includes technology solution providers offering security, communication, cloud, and managed services.

Companies that use GenAI as a core part of their higher EdTech product offering

INCUMBENTS_PRESENT

PROMINENT_CATEGORY

<div>
 <p>Pearson, a UK education firm, introduced two new online, full-time tuition-free public school programs and expanded an existing one in its Connections Academy. The programs include all essential books and materials and are open for enrollment for the 2024–2025 school year.</p>
</div>

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