HolonIQ North America
EdTech 100
HolonIQ’s annual list of the most innovative EdTech startups across North America.
9 December 2020
In December 2020, HolonIQ announced our first annual North America EdTech 100 — a list of the 100 most promising education technology startups in the USA and Canada.
North America represents one of the most longstanding and mature EdTech markets globally and at the same time, continues to be a powerhouse of innovation both in technology, market and business model. There are thousands of EdTech companies across North America supporting learners, teachers, schools, institutions and companies to positively impact educational outcomes, support access to learning and increase the efficiency of educational processes and systems.
The HolonIQ North America EdTech 100 recognises the most promising EdTech teams based across Canada and the United States. This annual list helps to surface the innovations occurring across all parts of the market, and the teams who are supporting institutions, teachers, parents, learners and employers.
Around one third of the 2020 North America EdTech 100 operates in the Workforce sector, with teams focusing on K12 and Higher Education also well represented. There is a solid mix of B2C and B2B models with the latter gaining prominence in 2020 as COVID-19 sparks significant demand from institutions and companies seeking technology led solutions.
EdTech can be seen to be supporting institutions through management systems, social and interactive digital learning environments, personalised content and new approaches to mental and physical wellbeing. Public Private Partnerships extend right across the student lifecycle from demand generation to learning design and digital delivery. Immersive and simulated training for skills also features as well as new, hybrid, models connecting formal education and workforce skills.
Methodology
The HolonIQ Education Intelligence Unit evaluated 2000+ organisations from the region powered by data and insights from our Global Intelligence Platform.
HolonIQ's Scoring Fingerprint
HolonIQ and select North American market experts assessed each organization based on HolonIQ’s startup scoring rubric, which covers the following dimensions:
Market. The quality and relative attractiveness of the specific market in which the company competes.
Product. The quality and uniqueness of the product itself.
Team. The expertise and diversity of the team.
Capital. The financial health of the company and in particular its ability to generate or secure sufficient funding.
Momentum. Positive changes in the size and velocity of the company over time.
Location & Founding Year
Almost half of the companies in the North America EdTech 100 are between six and nine years old, representing the time it traditionally takes to launch and scale in the education vertical. However, it is encouraging to see another third of the list being founded less than four years ago. In terms of geography, the Bay Area contains around a third of the 100, followed by New York, Boston, Canada and the Seattle area.
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