📣 Announcing the 2026 Australia and New Zealand EdTech 50. And 50 days until Back to School, NYC🗽
K-12 reclaims the top sector spot in ANZ's 2026 EdTech 50, New Zealand's footprint doubles. Plus 50 days to Back to School Summit NYC.
Hello 👋
K-12 education has edged back ahead of workforce training in the 2026 Australia & New Zealand EdTech 50, 36% of the cohort versus 34%, reversing a multi-year lean toward upskilling. K-12 Support and Career Support & Development are now tied as the list's largest sub-sectors, each at 12%, with founders building for teacher capacity and wellbeing rather than new curriculum or content. Adding in New Zealand's footprint that doubled to 32% of the cohort, and the picture starts to show an ecosystem starting to broaden while also doubling clicking on its previous strengths.
Figure 1. 2026 ANZ Edtech 50, by sector & sub-sector
A few notable organizations stand out in this year's cohort: TeacherGPT is betting that "localized" AI is a safe move, building lesson-planning tailored specifically to the New Zealand curriculum rather than a generic global product. Teacher's Buddy closed two seed rounds in five months, an unusually fast pace for a support-focused product in tough funding environment. In post-secondary, Edalex (2016) integrated its openRSD Library into Muzzy Lane's SkillBuild platform and struck a new partnership with a Canadian firm, extending skills-credentialing beyond Australia's borders. And Red Velvet AI, founded just last year to remove barriers to workforce upskilling, shows the newest wave of entrants building directly for the skills gap, an area that hasn't stopped growing. Four companies, four different bets on where the region's edtech opportunity sits next. See what all 50 have to say: Read the full 2026 ANZ Edtech 50 Analysis and explore the cohort.
📍 Upcoming Education Innovation Events
| Event | Date | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 🤝 Webinar: Partner or Perish—Collaboration as Strategy for Higher Ed | 1 Sept, 16:00 BST | Register |
| 🗽 25th Annual 'Back to School' Summit, NYC ⏰ Don't miss your chance — tickets are selling out. |
15–17 Sept | Register today → |
| 🏆 QS Reimagine Education Awards — Submissions Open ⏰ Entry deadline 31 July. |
Deadline 31 July | Apply now → |
| 📅 QS Reimagine Education 2026, London ⏰ Early bird runs to 31 Oct. |
7–8 Dec | Register today → |
| 🗓️ 2026 Innovation Webinar Series | On-demand + live | Browse all |
🗽 It's less than 50 days until the 25th annual Back to School Summit in New York!
The 25th edition takes place September 15–17, 2026 at the Tribeca Rooftop + 360°. Like every year, we're bringing together global education executives, policymakers, higher education and workforce leaders, and investors, with speakers representing organizations including:
Google | Stanford University | Columbia University | Cornell Tech | University of Virginia | The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania | Simon & Schuster| ASU | McGraw Hill | Bessemer Venture Partners | US Chamber of Commerce Foundation | The Chronicle of Higher Education | The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine | Owl Ventures | Strayer University | University Innovation Alliance | Stepful | Ithaka S+R | Kapor Center | CAPS Network | Achieve Partners | Global Electronics Association | Binghamton University | York University | InnovateEDU | Istituto Marangoni Group | CapitalizEd | UVA Online Education and Digital Innovation | BMO Capital Markets | Learn Launch | Pathways Impact Fund | EdTechnical | University of Notre Dame | Porto Business School | City University of Macau | University of Massachusetts | Packback | Rhodes Advisors | Empire State University | University of Bristol | Unify America | Brass Ring Ventures | University of Connecticut | Ridgeline | Luiss Business School | Scala Learning | Credlens | NCEE | Education Trust
We'll be adding new sessions to the agenda every week.
Register today and save 20% with code BTSADS20
💡QS Reimagine Awards and Conference
7-8 Dec
⭐ AI & Digital Innovation Spotlight
🛡️ Singapore launched an AI governance training initiative to help organizations build responsible AI capabilities, equipping professionals with the knowledge to implement and manage AI systems effectively.
🎥 Leadde AI launched India's first AI agent for business video production, enabling organizations to transform documents into professional training videos and streamline workplace learning and knowledge sharing.
🤝Instructure introduced Project Athena, an AI-powered study coach in development to provide in-context learning support within its Canvas LMS platform, providing personalized support to coach students.
🤝 Policy & Partnerships
🔧 Google, BlackRock, Carhartt, and Ford formed the U.S. Skilled Trades Alliance to expand access to skilled trades training, strengthen employer-led workforce development, and address labor shortages across critical industries.
🌐 China announced a digital skills training initiative for 300,000 Pakistanis, supporting workforce development through technology-focused education and strengthening digital capabilities across key sectors.
🎓 Thailand approved measures to expand technical and vocational education, aiming to better align workforce skills with industry demand and improve employment outcomes through strengthened vocational training pathways.
💪 Power Moves & Funding
🤝 Ânima Educação (Brazil), one of Brazil's largest higher education providers, has agreed to acquire Faculdades Metropolitanas Unidas, another Brazilian university, for $75M to expand by adding 51,000 students across on-campus and online programs.
📈 DeweyLearn, an AI edtech platform, raised $5M to grow its AI-based skills assessment platform and enhance its technology and broaden adoption across education and workforce sectors.
🧑💻 Imagi, a K-12 coding and AI literacy platform, has raised $4.5M to support product development, international growth, and broader adoption of AI literacy in schools.
