11 Austin Edtech Startups Taking Tech to the Classroom

Technology has shaped many aspects of our daily lives, but bringing those advancements to the education sector takes dedication. These edtech companies can improve life for students in the classroom, help administrators upgrade courses, allow teachers to track students and even provide continuing education to those who are looking for a career change.  

These companies are dedicated to bringing powerful technology to education, helping tomorrow's leaders learn with today's tools.

 

Udemy is giving companies, governments, and nonprofits the tools to train their workforces with the latest skills. With Udemy’s cutting-edge platform, organizations can craft relevant courses for their employees while embracing a digital environment. If teams ever have any questions, Udemy offers guidance on tailoring solutions to meet the unique needs of each workplace.   

 

Driving and smartphones may not seem like the smartest combination for students, but Aceable has brought driver’s education to mobile devices with great success. The digital courses prepare students for the written portion of driving tests in Texas, California and other states. Students can also learn about defensive driving techniques, which can lead to insurance discounts or clear a traffic ticket from their record.

 

A Cloud Guru is the world’s largest cloud computing school with over 700,000 engineers having taken courses. The company offers beginner to advanced level online classes on everything from introduction to Google Cloud to certified SysOps Admin tests. A Cloud Guru is currently being used by Women Who Code, Expedia and Qualcomm to teach their engineers.

 

Education doesn’t end at graduation. With 360training.com, training and educating new employees or professionals interested in expanding job opportunities can learn new skills. By integrating e-learning technology with professional content, companies like Duke Energy and US Bank have efficiently trained employees for complex jobs using 360training.com’s programs.

 

As many entrepreneurs know, ideas alone can’t power a business. Amazing.com has courses for entrepreneurs of all levels. The service partners with business leaders to share information and get startups off on the right foot. Courses include short lessons to fit into busy days and range from financial literacy to courting clients.

 

With everything a student does online, from researching on the library’s website to submitting a term paper, they are generating data. But data alone doesn’t provide much insight on how students are faring. Civitas Learning uses institution-specific predictive models to monitor how students are performing, along with graduation expectations and other key predictions. With a focus on data science, Civitas may even expand beyond education thanks to a $60 million funding round last year.

 

PeopleAdmin is a talent-recruitment and management platform used by K-12 schools and higher education institutions. The software offers applicant tracking, position and performance management, employee onboarding and data-driven analytics reporting. More than 700 organizations are using the cloud-based solution.

 

Meeting new people is a huge part of going to school, but PenPal Schools expands the pool of new people a student may meet to enhance learning and build understanding across cultures. By connecting classrooms around the world, the company takes the traditional pen pal experience and adds modern technology to turn it into a more powerful learning opportunity. Students in both classrooms can learn together, and teachers can track progress to monitor which lessons are working best.

 

Schoology is a learning management system (LMS) that operates like a social media site for students, educators and parents. The LMS does everything from enabling educators to post assignments and quizzes to running full online courses. Founded in 2009, the company is now growing out of both its New York headquarters and satellite Austin offices.

 

Getting a tutor used to mean going to a stuffy room in the local library or waiting after school to meet with a senior looking to fill a bullet point on their resume. But Upswing brings tutoring online to help students stick out tough classes. With video, audio and virtual whiteboard tools, students and certified tutors or teachers can connect online. And Upswing’s data collection allows them to better engage with students who may be struggling, before they even know it.

 

ReUp Education’s work centers around promoting equitable access to higher education for adult learners who never finished college and want to enroll in school again to complete their degree programs. The company partners with schools and state systems to support re-enrollment strategies and help them create a skilled workforce pipeline.