Will the EdTech Investment Wave Continue into 2021?

Celebrating the leaders and experts that are powering education into the future, host JW Marshall sets out to ask the “right questions” in EdTech to understand the changes in policy and technology that will power our universities, tradeschools, and companies – and drive growth in upskilling certifications.

 

2020 wasn’t a bad year for every industry. EdTech companies in the U.S. raised $2.2 billion last year. Diving into what those investments mean for the sector now and beyond, host JW Marshall welcomed back Tony Wan, managing editor of EdSurge. Wan recently published an article on this investment news, A Record Year Amid a Pandemic: U.S. Edtech Raises $2.2 Billion in 2020.

Investment in K-12 education, despite challenges associated with the pandemic, had a big year in 2020. Wan said that “the pandemic accelerated tech trends in education, bringing in new and existing investors” that poured into that modernization of the learning experience.

So, what types of companies were able to excite investors? Wan broke it down into a few categories. “First, there was the consumer space, a reflection of the pandemic forcing home to be a learning environment. There were companies like MasterClass that mix education and entertainment. Those that provide job training and upskilling did well, too,” Wan explained.

There was definitely a boon for the market for adult education. The industry saw colleges partnering with platforms, which Wan said was a “win-win.”

The drive to learn online for targeted jobs also aligns with the higher education trends, even before COVID, with declining revenues and numbers for smaller universities. These partnerships with EdTech companies could revive them.

For K-12, companies selling directly to schools didn’t see as much investment. “The K-12 market has always been iffy for general investors,” Wan noted. The upside was those focused on consumers and parents to provide extra support for remote learners.

Wan also revealed that the numbers for U.S. investments were impressive but paled compared to investments in EdTech in China and India. In predicting what’s next for the space, he said, “There could be acquisitions and consolidations because of market saturation, especially in curriculum, communications, and learning management systems. The market can’t sustain too many.”

Listen to Previous Episodes of Voices of eLearning Right Here!

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

payments
Revolutionizing Payments: Discover the Power of PayPal for Your Business
June 24, 2025

Unlock seamless transactions and elevate your business operations with PayPal’s innovative payment solutions. Harness the platform trusted by millions to drive financial efficiency, streamline processes, and enhance security. What You’ll Learn Why PayPal is the Go-to Solution for Small Businesses Leveraging PayPal and Venmo for Multi-Channel Capability Enabling Seamless Integration with PayPal’s Tools Essential…

Read More
Customer Experience
Why Customer Experience Is Your Most Powerful Growth Lever—and How to Use It to Drive Referrals, Retention, and Revenue
June 24, 2025

In an era where marketing is shifting faster than most can keep up with, staying informed is a challenge for even the most seasoned revenue leaders. From AI upending traditional search to MarTech tools bloating underused tech stacks, the ground beneath B2B marketers is shifting. According to McKinsey, companies leading in customer experience are…

Read More
last mile optimization
Supply Chain Leaders Must Abandon Outdated Routing and Embrace Last Mile Optimization Through Modeling and AI
June 24, 2025

As geopolitical tensions disrupt global shipping and tariffs create fresh uncertainty in international trade, companies are being forced to reexamine their most vulnerable supply chain segment—the last mile . While upstream operations get the spotlight during crises, the final leg of delivery remains a persistent blind spot. That oversight has consequences: empty trucks, fragmented delivery…

Read More
patient financial journey
RevSpring Uses Data, Automation and Empathy to Improve the Patient Financial Journey – Better Outcomes for Patients, Less Burden for Providers
June 24, 2025

Healthcare providers are under increasing pressure to meet consumer expectations without adding an administrative burden. According to a survey conducted by The Harris Poll in June 2024, 18% of the 2,092 American adults who were surveyed had received an unexpected medical bill of $1,000 or more in the past year, and 50% said they would…

Read More