🚀 Innovation designed with intent: 3 Weeks to go for Back to School. Announcing the 2026 Southeast Asia Edtech 50
US DoE issues guidance for instructional technology, 3 NYC Back to School sessions on what it means in practice, and the 2026 Southeast Asia EdTech 50.
Hello 👋
Just in time for fall term and among widespread concern over social media access and screen usage in schools, the US Department of Education's letter to systems separates digital instructional use from recreational use, asking leaders to consider what learning problem an educational solution addresses, when it should be used, for whom, and under what conditions, while leaving the decisions themselves with states and districts. For leaders, this orients instructional design at the centre of edtech purchasing conversations and puts learning as the lever for choosing materials.
Intention and design run through this year's Back to School programme, and three sessions take the question up in a K-12 and cross-sector context:
- Screens and Schools: The Global Techlash and EdTech's Reckoning with Restriction, with UNICEF, InnovateEDU and FEM Digital
- The AI Hype Audit: Real Classroom Results vs. Speculation, with the Hechinger Report, L.E.K. Consulting and Kiddom
- School, Reimagined: How K–12 Innovation Is Reshaping the Path to College and Work, with NewSchools Venture Fund, Comp Sci High and LEAD
Back to School, 15–17 September, Tribeca Rooftop + 360°, NYC | BTSADS20 for 20% off
Back to School, 15–17 September, Tribeca Rooftop + 360°, NYC | BTSADS20 for 20% off
The Summit runs September 15–17 in New York City, bringing together leaders across higher education, business, government, investment and technology to work through the forces reshaping society and the global economy. Geopolitical change, demographic pressure and technological disruption are redefining competitiveness. This milestone edition looks at how institutions prepare for the next 25 years of leadership, talent and innovation.
📣 Announcing the 2026 Southeast Asia EdTech 50
Southeast Asia builds close to the classroom
The region's most promising companies are concentrating their work close to the act of learning itself. HolonIQ by QS's 2026 Southeast Asia EdTech 50 shows K-12 Support as the cohort's largest sub-sector by a third, covering instructional solutions, tutoring, and AI-enabled learning experiences. That concentration gives schools and systems across ASEAN a deeper supply of solutions designed around instruction rather than administration. The full analysis sets out how the cohort has shifted by sector, business model and market over the past six years.
Figure 1. 2026 Southeast Asia EdTech 50, by Sector and Subsector
Read the full analysis and if you want to explore each company, sign up for a demo of the platform to access the list itself.
📍 Upcoming Education Innovation Events
| Event | Date | Action |
|---|---|---|
| ⚖️ Webinar: Governing the AI University—Leadership, Risk and Responsible Innovation | 27 Aug | Watch On Demand |
| 🤝 Webinar: Partner or Perish—Collaboration as Growth Strategy for Higher Ed | 1 Sept, 16:00 BST | Register |
| 🤖 Webinar: The Responsive Campus—Putting AI Agents to Work | 9 Sept, 16:00 ET | Register |
| 🗽 25th Annual 'Back to School' Summit, NYC ⏰ Don't miss your chance — tickets are selling out. Use code BTSADS20 for 20% off. |
15–17 Sept | Register today → |
| 📊 Webinar: Measuring What Matters—Practical AI for Teaching, Learning and Assessment | 23 Sept, 16:00 ET | Register |
| 🧪 Webinar: Connecting Research, Teaching & Technology—Test Bedding in Action | 6 Oct, 16:00 BST | Register |
| 🔬 Webinar: Accelerating Research in the Agentic Era | 7 Oct, 16:00 ET | Register |
| 🌱 Webinar: Innovating with Integrity—Sustainability, AI and the Responsible Institution | 25 Nov, 16:00 GMT | Register |
| 📅 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 |
⭐ AI & Digital Innovation Spotlight
🤝 Meta partnered with the Nigerian government to expand AI skills and startup innovation, supporting digital capacity building and entrepreneurship while strengthening the country's emerging AI ecosystem.
💰 Gujarat-based organizations signed a $10.5M MoU to boost AI skills development, supporting expanded training and capability building to prepare talent for growing demand for AI expertise.
🖥️ Samsung unveiled an AI assistant for interactive classroom displays, bringing AI-powered capabilities into teaching environments to support educators and create more interactive learning experiences.
🤝 Policy & Partnerships
🏛️ The U.S. Department of Education issued a Dear Colleague Letter on responsible edtech use, setting five evidence questions every product must answer, putting federal weight behind learning impact over engagement.
🎓 UK universities are offering tuition discounts of nearly $11K to attract international students from major hubs such as India amidst a decline in foreign enrolments.
☁️ Konza Technopolis and Amazon partnered to advance Kenya’s digital transformation, supporting the development of digital infrastructure, technology capabilities, and skills needed to strengthen the country’s digital economy.
💪 Power Moves & Funding
EdTech investment is accelerating around AI-powered learning, technical skills and career-focused education.
💸 Reach Capital, closed $265M for its fifth fund to back roughly 50 pre-seed, seed and Series A companies across learning, health and work.
🤝 Risepoint, an EdTech company, acquired Keypath Education's North American operations, expanding into healthcare education.
🧠 Medly AI, an AI tutoring platform, raised $8M to expand its personalised exam preparation
💻 Codio, a Cambridge, MA-based learning experience platform, raised $5M to expand technical training for higher education
💰 Imagi, an EdTech company, raised $4.5M to continue developing its AI-powered learning platform.
