London’s Leading Edtech Startups

by Mathias Bizimana

EdTech is a booming industry that is transforming the world of education. In 2021, the global edtech market reached a staggering $106.46 billion, but that was only the start. The market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 16.5% from 2022 to 2030, and to more than quadruple in size from 2019 to 2025, reaching $404 billion in 2025. EdTech has also become more relevant and important due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has accelerated the adoption of online learning and development.

London is the leading EdTech hub in Europe, featuring as the only European city in the global EdTech top 10 by total VC investment value. The UK capital comes in eighth globally, with $630 million invested into London-based EdTech companies since 2014. London’s EdTech ecosystem is the largest in Europe, with an estimated value of $3.4 billion.

London is home to world-renowned educational institutions and a leading tech sector, which provide a strong foundation for EdTech innovation. The city hosts two of the largest industry events in the world, EdTechX and Bett Show, and it also boasts a diverse and vibrant EdTech community with over 300 EdTech startups. Here, we showcase four startups that are disrupting the Edtech sector in London – UK.

Multiverse: Multiverse is an edtech startup that provides professional apprenticeship programs for young people and adults who want to develop the skills of the future. It matches learners with employers and delivers expert-led training in areas such as data, digital, and technology. The company aims to create a diverse group of future leaders and to challenge the one-size-fits-all approach to education and careers.

Multiverse is headquartered in London, UK, and has a US office in New York. The startup has raised a total of $358.5 million in funding to date, from investors such as General Catalyst, Google Ventures, Index Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and SoftBank Group. In June 2021, Multiverse raised $220 million in a Series D round, which valued the company at $1.7 billion, making it the UK’s first edtech unicorn.

Perlego: Perlego is an edtech startup that offers an online library of academic books and resources for students and professionals. It works with over 3,000 publishers to provide access to more than 800,000 titles in six languages, covering various subjects such as business, science, engineering, law, and humanities. The startup aims to make learning more affordable, accessible, and sustainable by offering a subscription-based service that supports authors and publishers.

The startup has raised a total of $88.2 million in funding to date from investors such as Mediahuis Ventures, Evli Growth Partners, Charlie Songhurst, and Dedalus Global. In March 2022, Perlego raised $50 million in a Series B round, which it planned to use to expand its content, technology, and international presence.

BibliU is an edtech company that offers a subscription service for online academic textbooks. Students can use the company’s platform to access course content instantly, search for relevant topics, download books for offline reading, track their progress, and share notes and highlights with their peers. The startup was founded in 2014 and is based in Islington and has raised a total of £42.1m in 12 rounds of equity funding, including four rounds in 2022 and one round in 2023. 

MyTutor is an online learning platform that connects students who need tutors with online lessons. The company offers online tutorials, live video chats, interactive whiteboards, and collaborative tools like simultaneous document viewing with tutors who are students from top universities. MyTutor was founded in 2013 and has raised £28.8m in equity funding across seven rounds.

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