🌏 Institutional AI partnerships are expanding across South Asia. Announcing the 2026 South Asia EdTech 100.

Hello 👋

AI in South Asian education is spreading through partnerships. Universities and state governments are signing with global technology companies, including Sapthagiri NPS University’s agentic AI programme with Google and Karnataka’s agreement with ElevenLabs on voice AI, and the announcements keep coming.

The newly launched 2026 South Asia EdTech 100 shows where startups are positioning for that demand.

Capital is already responding. In recent weeks, byteXL raised $9M to take AI and technology skilling into more engineering colleges, and Nelnet’s acquisition of Entab gave a US strategic buyer a school management platform in India. Expect more of both: funding for startups that sit inside institutions, and acquisitions of the platforms those institutions already use.

Figure 1. 2026 South Asia EdTech 100, by business model

Read the 2026 South Asia EdTech 100 webnote for more insights on the region. Customers can explore the cohort data on the QS analytics platform directly.

Catch up with the QS Innovation Series to keep exploring how universities are putting AI to work, including the November 25 session, innovating with integrity: sustainability, AI & the responsible institution.

Watch them on demand and live 🎓

🪄 Reimagine Education is set for early December and early bird tickets are available now.

Reimagine Education 6-8 December, InterContinental London - The O2 London, United Kingdom

Higher education's biggest questions land in London this December. QS Reimagine Education Awards & Conference brings university leaders, employers, and edtech innovators together across four tracks: Future University, Future of Skills & Work, Future of Learning, and Future of International Education. Expect debate on funding models, graduate outcomes, AI in the classroom, and student mobility.

📍 Upcoming Education Innovation Events

⭐ AI & Digital Innovation Spotlight

🌍 France launched its $89.6M Impulsion IA 2027 plan to expand AI training and awareness across the workforce, with 12 measures designed to support AI adoption and reach more than 30 million people.

🏛️ Abu Dhabi launched AiNative in partnership with OpenAI, Microsoft, and MBZUAI, aiming to train 20,000 government employees by the end of 2026 while expanding public access to practical AI learning and responsible-use skills.

🤖 Anthropic committed $100M to train 10,000 AI engineers by the end of 2027 through its Claude Frontier Academy, combining practical training and workplace residencies to help organizations move AI projects from experimentation into real-world deployment.

🤝 Policy & Partnerships

🌐 Morocco eased admission requirements for international students entering public universities in 2026–27, waiving foreign diploma equivalency procedures and entrance exams to strengthen the country’s appeal as a regional higher education destination.

🧩 Malaysia launched the Communications and Multimedia Future Skills Framework, a five-to-ten-year plan to align education, training, and industry needs as AI, digitalisation, and emerging technologies impact jobs.

🔐 Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission and National CERT signed an MoU to strengthen cybersecurity across universities, establishing an Education Sector Computer Emergency Response Team to coordinate threat intelligence, preparedness, and responses to cyber incidents.

💪 Power Moves & Funding

🎯 Kollegio raised $5.3M to help students and institutions navigate education pathways with more personalized education options.

✈️ TechnoSchool acquired Global AeroSports to combine ICT and STEM education with aerospace training, aiming to expand aerospace-focused education programs in Indian schools and broaden the role of experiential STEM learning.

🎓Kortext acquired AI study platform StudyStash, integrating its adaptive learning technology into its portfolio to strengthen its position in the university market and support further expansion into the US.