Every year, HolonIQ’s Education Intelligence Unit identifies the most promising 1000 EdTech startups around the world. The global 1000 is built region by region from over 10,000 nominations, applications and screening to ensure the global cohort is diverse and to shine a light on the inspiring innovation happening all around the world.
Each regional list is focused on identifying young, fast growing, and innovative learning and upskilling start-ups. To be eligible, startups are generally less than 10 years old (though there are some exceptions), are either headquartered in the region, or predominately focused on the market (e.g. > 80% revenue/customers), are pre exit (not acquired or listed) and not a subsidiary of a larger company or controlled by an investor group (e.g. via private equity buyout or controlling investment).
The HolonIQ Education Intelligence Unit and select market experts assess each organization based on HolonIQ’s startup scoring rubric, which covers the following dimensions:
Market. The quality and relative attractiveness of the specific market category in which the company competes.
Product. The quality, uniqueness and impact of the product itself.
Team. The expertise and diversity of the leadership team.
Capital. The financial health of the company and its ability to generate or secure sufficient funding.
Momentum. Positive changes in the size, velocity and impact of the company over time.
A market anchored in K–12, rising in workforce readiness, and maturing in post-secondary support.
The 2025 Global EdTech 1000 highlights a market still young, with K–12 continuing to play a large role and workforce learning accelerating. K–12 represents nearly 40% of this year’s cohort, driven by demand for tutoring, content, school support, and classroom infrastructure. Workforce training and development accounts for more than one-third, consistent with the global shift toward job-relevant, short-cycle learning. Post-secondary represents about 20%, and Early Childhood Education remains a small but steady segment. Sector distributions have remained steady over the past five years, with K–12, Workforce, Post-secondary, and Early Childhood maintaining consistent proportions across the Global EdTech 1000.
Figure 1. 2025 EdTech 1000 - Distribution by Sector. 2020-2025
Subsector activity illustrates where innovation is concentrating. Early Childhood innovation remains centered on learning content, foundational skills, and parent-focused learning solutions, often delivered through child development and learning apps. Latin America offers standout examples such as Yuna and Escribo, both advancing early literacy and foundational learning.
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