A Breathtaking $53.68 Billion was Invested in Global Edtechs in 2021

By Justin Johnson.
Updated Jan 17, 2022

MONROE, Wash. (PRWEB) January 17, 2022 - An astonishing $53.68 billion was invested in 1,284 edtechs across the planet in 2021. This is vastly higher than the funding made to edtechs in 2020: a record-breaking year at the time. The free whitepaper is called 'The 2021 Global Learning Technology Investment Patterns: Gigantic Spike in Funding in 2021.'

'I have been publishing this annual whitepaper on global edtech investments every year since 2004,' comments Sam S, Adkins, Chief Researcher at Metariverse. 'I have never seen such a surge in funding. While it would be easy to cite the pandemic as the root cause, particularly for the massive funding going to live remote Collaboration-based Learning firms, it does not explain the sharp spike in funding going to AI-based Learning and Game-based Learning companies.'

The Serious Play Conference (SPC) is the exclusive distributor of this Metariverse whitepaper. The free whitepaper has 71 pages, 8 tables, and 13 charts. The new edtech investment whitepaper is available for free here:

https://www.seriousplayconf.com/downloads/metariverse_2021-global-learning-technology-investment-patterns/

In 2021, the US accounted for the vast majority of funding. Just over $40.04 billion went to US learning technology developers in 2021. This is 74% of all global investments made in 2021.

'Due to draconian regulations imposed on learning technology providers in mid-2021 in China that essentially gutted the learning technology industry,' comments Adkins. 'The funding in China all but dried up in the second half of 2021. China accounted for only $2.21 billion in funding in 2021, down dramatically from the $11.52 billion invested in Chinese edtechs in 2020.'

In sharp contrast, India became the second-largest investment hub in 2021 with nearly double the funding made to Chinese companies. Just over $4.411 billion in capital flowed to 136 learning technology companies in India in 2021. Yet, 52% of this went to just one company; the online education juggernaut BYJU'S raised $2.262 billion in five rounds in 2021. ($1.2 billion of this was a term loan made to BYJU'S in November 2021.)

'Very high amounts were invested in a handful of companies in 2021,' adds Adkins. 'Cambium Learning garnered the highest single amount at $2.15 billion in August 2021 with a direct loan made by the investment firm Blackstone. Articulate Global obtained $1.5 billion in June 2021. India's Eruditus (Emeritus) raised $650.0 million in August 2021. Just over 154 companies raised at least $100.0 million in 2021.

Investments increased in all nine learning technology types in 2021, but they spiked dramatically for Collaboration-based Learning, AI-based Learning, and Game-based Learning. Investment in Cognitive Learning companies tripled in 2021 compared to the year before.

About Metariverse Metariverse (formerly Metaari) is an ethics-based quantitative market research firm that identifies revenue opportunities for advanced learning technology suppliers. We track the learning technology markets in 126 countries. We have the most complete view of the international learning technology market in the industry. Metaari focusses solely on advanced learning technology research on products that utilize psychometrics, neuroscience, location intelligence, game mechanics, robotics, cognitive computing, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and augmented reality. For more information about our research, email research@metariverse.com.