From free e-learning platforms that democratize higher education to online homework help communities, edtech startups of all stripes are popping up across the Europe and pushing the ecosystem to the next level.
Even the European Commission has noticed developments in this area and is keen on tapping into the movement.
In March this year, it announced intentions on creating a network of MOOC providers to promote web and app skill-learning in the region.
With entrepreneurial activity picking up in this space, we thought it’d be a good time to shine light on 15 European startups aiming to change the future of education (in no particular order):
1) ALISON
Headquarters: Galway, Ireland
Gist: Founded in 2007 by serial entrepreneur Mike Feerick, ALISON (Advance Learning Interactive Systems Online) calls itself "The Original MOOC". With reportedly 4 million registered users across 174 countries, the e-learning platform offers 600 free courses on subjects ranging from business and IT skills to languages and health literacy.
2) FutureLearn
Headquarters: London, UK
Gist: As a private company owned by The Open University, FutureLearn – which was founded in 2012 – offers a selection of courses from universities and cultural institutions worldwide. Since the platform's launch in September 2013, FutureLearn claims 500,000 'learners' have joined the site.
3) iversity
Headquarters: Berlin, Germany
Gist: With the aim of becoming the 'Coursera of Europe', iversity provides opportunities for both students and professors worldwide to engage on its platform for Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Founded in 2011, the startup offers free online courses in English, German and Russian.
4) DigiSchool
Headquarters: Lyon, France
Gist: Created in 2005, DigiSchool is an online education platform that curates content (courses, videos, MOOCs) based on the user's country. Since its founding, the company has garnered 4 millions users as well as $4 million in funding.
5) Brainly
Headquarters: Krakow, Poland
Gist: Claiming more than 30 million monthly users across 35 countries, Brainly is an online homework help community targeted at the K-12 market. Created in 2009, the startup recently announced a $9 million funding round to expand its footprint in the US. Brainly's platform is available in 12 languages.
6) Labster
Headquarters: Copenhagen, Denmark
Gist: Founded in 2011, Labster has developed a way to create virtual laboratory environments that aid in teaching science classes across the globe. The aim? To get students more motivated and engaged in learning. Labster has partnered with the likes of Stanford University and Hong Kong University.
7) Memrise
Headquarters: London, UK
Gist: Memrise, founded in 2010, is an online learning tool that offers thousands of courses utilizing its 'science-based' memory techniques. In March of this year, the startup reportedly had more than 1.4 million users.
8) Eliademy
Headquarters: Helsinki, Finland
Gist: Backed by a company founded by ex-Nokians, Eliademy is a platform that lets teachers and students create, share and manage courses online. Started in February 2012, the site is available in 31 languages.
9) myBlee
Headquarters: Paris, France/San Francisco, USA
Gist: Founded in 2011 by Laetitia Grail and Samuel Rohaut, myBlee develops educational iPad and iPhone apps for elementary and middle school children – primarily in the realm of mathematics.
10) Kahoot
Headquarters: Oslo, Norway
Gist: Kahoot has developed an in-class room tool that lets educational institutions set up quizzes, discussions and surveys to encourage engagement. Earlier this month, the startup announced it was seeing more than 900,000 'new unique players' per week.
11) SkillPixels
Headquarters: Pori, Finland
Gist: Founded in 2011, SkillPixels develops and designs educational games for children 4-8 years old. Earlier this month, the Finnish startup received $2.1 million fresh funding to build a "complete educational channel".
12) Sowiso
Headquarters: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Gist: Started in 2010 as a spin-off from the Eindhoven University of Technology, Sowiso is a software startup developing e-learning technology for learning math and exact science. The firm's clients include Amsterdam University and Nordic media group Sanoma.
13) Coursio
Headquarters: Stockholm, Sweden
Gist: Coursio, founded in 2010, allows users to publish education-oriented content and courses on its platform. The service aims to allow anyone who wants to share their knowledge to do just that.
14) CareerFoundry
Headquarters: Berlin, Germany
Gist: CareerFoundry, founded in July 2013, provides an online mentor-led training platform for users looking to sharpen their tech skills – particularly in web development and UX design. The startup has reportedly raised around $300,000 in seed funding.
15) Gibbon
Headquarters: Leiden, The Netherlands
Gist: Founded in 2013, Gibbon takes a peer-to-peer approach to learning by letting users create 'playlists', which are essentially a collection of articles and videos from the web. The idea is to promote teaching and learning among users via these playlists.
Have we missed any major / important ones? Let us know!
Featured image credit: luminaimages / Shutterstock
