Nordic EdTech News #58 : 2022-01-24
Your Weeks 2 and 3 update from the Nordic & Baltic EdTech ecosystem
Things have returned to a slightly more normal pace for today’s newsletter, although there’s still lots happening across the Nordic and Baltic EdTech ecosystem!
NEN #57 identified a number of significant acquisitions and consolidations in recent weeks - that trend seems set to continue in 2022. Firstly, Kognity Group (Stockholm, Sweden) has acquired UK-based Elite IB Tutors (Link). The acquisition doubles the tutoring capacity of subsidiary Lanterna Education as the business plans significant growth in 2022 to deliver over 100,000 tutoring sessions and increase revenues to over $6 million. Also worth noting that Munio, the Norwegian LMS and elearning content provider, has been acquired by EcoOnline. (Link)
Given their scope and size, updates from Egmont, the Nordic media giant, should always be carefully monitored. The owners of L&R Uddannelse in Denmark and Cappelen Damm in Norway recently announced their business strategy until 2025 (Link). Entitled “Scale Up & Stand Out”, it aims to increase group revenues to DKK 20 billion (EUR 2.7 billion) in 2025 from DKK 11.5 billion (EUR 1.5 billion) in 2020. An investment of DKK 50 billion in content is also planned in the same period. One to watch in the coming months.
Great to see 8 Nordic and Baltic EdTechs included in GSV Cup Elite 200 - a list of the top pre-seed and seed stage startups in digital learning globally. They are Astrid, Atlas Primer, Beedle, Kide Science, Matteappen / Magma Math, Mussila, Panda Training and Peaqs. Full list here
Stort tillykke to CanopyLAB CEO, Sahra-Josephine Hjorth, who has been selected to participate in this year’s Obama Foundation’s Leaders Europe programme (Link). Congrats also to Finland’s GraphoGame who came third at the GESAwards global final (Link).
In addition to celebrating these achievements, do take the time to check out those of the members of the Nordic EdTech Forum, N8. Broken down into Baltics and Nordics, these two articles provide further evidence of a hugely successful 2021 across the ecosystem.
Educators from Estonia, Finland, Norway and Lithuania summarised their experience of dealing with online and distance learning during Covid on a recent iHub4Schools webinar (Link). Great to see educators from our region held up as examples of international best practice!
On the subject of supporting educators to deliver online learning, do check out the exciting new brand look and vision for Academic Software. I’ve worked with the great team here for the last 12 months and they’ve got a unique positioning / proposition that gives students and staff easy access to the software and digital assets they need. Further details here.
Don’t miss this week’s launch of the Brighteye Ventures European Edtech Funding Report 2021. This definitive annual publication will be launched online (with a great panel) on Thursday 27th January between 14:00 and 15:00 GMT. Sign up here now! Also look out for the new VC crash course by email from David Guérin, Principal at Brighteye Ventures. Full details and classic 1980s references here.
Finally, Emerge Education’s latest growth seminar (Wed 9th Feb) with Jamie Brooker, co-founder of Kahoot!, looks really useful for early-stage EdTech founders. It’s focused on how to achieve organic viral growth via viral loops, habits and evangelists. (Link)
As always, do let me know if you’ve got any feedback or a story to include in a future issue of this newsletter by emailing hello@10digits.org. Sharing this email with your network is also always much appreciated!
Best regards, Jonathan
News from Denmark
Coding Pirates receives DKK 5.38 million from the Novo Nordisk Foundation to expand their mission and work. (Link)
The CEO of Famly highlights the negative impact of Aula on growing their local market, leading to a pivot and international success. (Link)
Helsingør Municipality continues to argue that they cannot “do without Google” in schools despite recent data breaches. (Link)
Labster launches a wide range of new higher education virtual labs simulations in biology, chemistry and physics. (Link)
News from Estonia
ALPA Kids raises €220K to expand in India (Link) and detail their collaboration with staff at Tallinn University. (Link)
Congrats to Kadri Tuisk, the founder and CEO of Clanbeat, who has been named Estonian Young Female Entrepreneur of the Year (Link) as the business is shortlisted for the World Summit Awards. (Link)
kood/Jõhvi won the Education prize at the Innovation in Politics Awards 2021. (Link)
News from Finland
Code School Finland will be running teacher training programmes during 2022 (Link) as they work with Saaga Travel to launch coding and robotics camps for youth and school groups in Oulu. (Link)
Applications for the 2022 spring cohort at the Helsinki EdTech Incubator are now open. (Link)
Mightifier signs an agreement with Somersfield Academy in Bermuda. (Link)
News from Iceland
Detailed review of the 2021 Icelandic funding landscape for startups and VCs. (Link)
Great to see the 3 Icelandic EdTechs (AtlasPrimer, Beedel and Mussila) in the GSV Elite 200 getting national press coverage. (Link)
News from Latvia
Riga TechGirls launch digital development workshops for teachers. (Link)
News from Lithuania
BitDegree launches a new learning management system called Upwisy. (Link)
EdTech Lithuania and members held a meeting at the Lithuanian Parliament to advance the EdTech agenda nationally. Featuring a special guest appearance from Märt Aro, Chair of N8. (Video and pics here)
Turing College and Startup Lithuania are running UpdatEd, a hackathon focused on data-driven education. (Link)
News from Norway
Increasing push-back against digitization in schools. (Link)
Norway’s colleges and universities return to face-to-face teaching as a new NIFU report finds that the lack of digital skills is an issue for both staff and students. (Link)
ECPAT Norge reach 18,000 children with their online safety lessons. (Link)
No Isolation announce a new NOK 90 million funding round. (Link)
The University of Stavanger launches a “Computer and video game guide for teachers” to support those who want to use them in lessons. (Link)
News from Sweden
Astrid Education has been picked as a finalist in the Octava Social Innovation Challenge. (Link)
Maria Henriksson has been named as Nordic regional manager for Binogi. (Link).
New collaboration between Booksquare and Natur & Kultur. (Link)
Gleechi releases VirtualGrasp technology enabling VR developers to add natural hand interaction to their apps. (Link)
Mattecentrum’s suite of maths resources can now be found on Skolon. (Link)
Zcooly confirms a new SEK 20 million funding round to help more Swedish children to learn maths. (Link)
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