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Top 5 EdTech startups that changed education online

Online education has always been a part of the academic process, but implementing tools for remote learning became essential due to the pandemic. Among such tools, there are educational applications, augmented reality-based solutions for learning at home, virtual reality classrooms, services for video calls, etc.
According to the Forbes Magazine predictions, the EdTech products market will reach $325 billion by 2025. These applications make studying more fun and engaging and often boost students’ motivation to learn more and do better through gamification.
Gamification borrows mechanics for punishment, rewards, progress indications, and story structuring from games and puts them in non-game contexts. Implemented within e-learning software, gamification:

  • Engages students via a feedback loop with rewards, scores, and encouragement after completing each task. That activates the brain’s pleasure circuit and makes them addicted to the learning processes, so they come back to learn more and get more points.
  • Aims to increase students’ motivation and improves performance by putting them in a competitive environment with people who are also studying.
  • Creates a new way of receiving knowledge, often more entertaining and dynamic than learning in classes, which also boosts their motivation.
  • Makes learning more accessible for people with a short attention span and people who have difficulties memorizing things via microlearning strategies.

Due to all these factors, educational apps with gamification have gained high popularity among their users and entrepreneurs who do software development for corporate clients and universities. The idea of combining virtual spaces and daily life for the advancement of people’s skills isn’t new – but only a science-based approach and deep understanding of gamification technologies can make things work right. Let’s discuss five startups that integrate gamification in their solutions and make education more entertaining, engaging, and accessible.

Immerse

Have you ever thought about turning English classes into an exciting adventure inside self-created virtual reality? If you are not an English teacher or language school specialist, probably not.
The Immerse startup did exactly that: crafted a suite of tools for teachers to create worlds for learning — and after they’ve entered the market, distance, boredom, or distraction had no place within classes. The startup received 1.5$ million in Series A.
They claim to be the first VR platform for online English teaching and learning. Immerse aims to provide a virtual space to English schools or individual tutors to make online classes fun and interactive and involve learners in a gamified studying of foreign languages. When using the platform, teachers and students should have VR headsets to travel to the new reality – there, users can choose their appearance and modify the virtual space around them.
Learning in Immerse is much more fun than drowsy Zoom calls. For teachers, it also provides an opportunity to facilitate lessons better: they can track group dynamics, notice if someone struggles with new information, etc. The startup also gives schools and other educational facilities instructional guides on getting familiar with the technical peculiarities of the platform to ensure the adoption is smooth.

ABA English

This EdTech startup attracted a lot of attention with its comprehensive approach to English teaching – they even received $12 million from Kennet Partners. The platform provides language learners with every tool they need to advance their English skills offline.
At the same time, its users receive extra features that only an online framework can propose: interactive materials for self-education, entertaining video lessons, and group speaking classes with people from around the world.
Students get submerged in the language environment through daily microlessons. The urge to complete multiple tasks and a well-built motivation system encourages them to not only be fully engaged in learning but also to deepen their understanding of the info they’ve learned. The idea of teaching through gamification and a system that organizes close-to-reality workload without overwhelming the student is what led this startup to success.

Perlego

Perlego is a large online library with various academic resources and tools. Students, teachers, and keen readers worldwide appreciate the platform for its eye-catching and user-friendly design and the affordable way of studying it provides. Perlego received $15 billion in funding from 15 investors.
Users can make notes, create one-click references, adjust text size, style, color, and fast-search the needed textbooks. The platform became an essential source of information for all the people who can’t spend too much money on reading. Now they can choose an affordable monthly or annual plan and enjoy reading via any device.

Differ

The Differ application helps new students meet their peers and get familiar with new learning environments. The chat app is equipped with a bot called Bo. Bo introduces users to each other, connects people with common interests and hobbies, and keeps student chats alive.
This startup aims to fight loneliness at the universities and help students feel heard and valued. Many university managers and mentors consider this startup essential in 2021 when Gen Z and millennials are trying not to lose the ability to talk and build relationships with others in the post-quarantine reality. When students belong to the community or, at least, have somebody to talk to, they become less stressed and anxious – and that helps them learn better.

Kide Science

An educational platform for kids and parents, Kide Science, aims to assist users with mastering their first learning skills. Schools and universities have online classes – now kindergartens can provide their visitors with virtual learning activities too, which is what this startup does.
The platform provides pedagogical training for parents and lesson plans that consist of video-guided science experiments, a list of the necessary equipment for the lessons, and qualified studying materials. The customer support team is always ready to assist users with any topic they have questions about.
This startup allowed parents to educate their children on art, science, engineering, and mathematics. In 2019, the project raised €1.5 million in funding, bringing the total to €2.4 million.
EdTech adoption within academia will continue to expand, as schools and universities are getting used to remote education and starting to utilize tech like VR and AR, which are becoming a leading force among EdTech solutions.