Contents
- Step 1 – Check if the Teacher Is Still Central
- Step 2 - Verify They Deliver On Personalization
- Step 3 – Check Their Definition of ‘Good Screen Time’
- Step 4 – Look for Real-World Application, Not Just Theory
- Step 5 – Follow the Mission AND the Money
- Choose the RIGHT EdTech Company
Every edtech company claims to be revolutionary, but artificial intelligence hype has created more snake oil salesmen than many care to admit. MOST education technology companies weren't built from the classroom trenches. You need to align yourself with companies that understand pedagogy drives education technology, not the other way around.
It's a ridiculously good time to be an EdTech company.
The EdTech market is set to more than double from $215 billion to $446 billion between now and 2029. And AI in EdTech has hit its stride with 40% annual growth through 2033.
EdTech is burning bright.
And with it comes more funding. More features. More promises of transformation.
But for every company building an industry shaping tool that helps teachers and students thrive, there are a dozen using artificial intelligence buzzwords as a smokescreen for mediocre products and toxic culture.
If you're an elite job seeker, you can't afford to waste your talent on hype machines. The kind that'll burn you out while turning your students into beta testers for half-baked experiments.
You HAVE to separate the builders from the bullshitters.
Ready to spot THE EdTech company worth your talent and drop the ones just riding the venture capital wave? Here's our 5-step system that separates the talkers from the doers.
Step 1 – Check if the Teacher Is Still Central
Red Flag: The company treats AI as a substitute for teachers.
Green Light: The company positions teachers as essential, with AI designed to work alongside them.
People don't want to get into teaching today.
Not because they doubt the value. Because they’ve seen what it's become.
Long hours. Stagnant pay. Relentless stress. Rampant burnout.
Back in 1969, 75% of parents were happy with their kids joining the profession. Today, that's down to 40%. And that flatlining sentiment has fueled a nationwide shortage, with roughly one in eight teaching positions either vacant or filled by someone not fully certified.
Great EdTech companies protect and amplify their teachers.
They build systems where AI takes on the repetitive load - lesson planning, grading, basic content delivery - so educators can focus on high-impact HUMAN work. That means coaching, mentoring, building relationships.
Mackenzie Price - founder of 2 Hour Learning - puts it like this:
Our top tip for finding the RIGHT EdTech company:
Don't skip the research.
When researching an EdTech company, dive into their product pages, 'About' section, imagery, videos.
Do you see teachers visibly leading the learning process? Or is the tech running the show?
If the human element is missing from their story, they probably don't understand the classroom.
Step 2 - Verify They Deliver On Personalization
Red Flag: One-size-fits-all curriculum with an artificial intelligence label.
Green Light: Tools that adapt to each learner’s pace, style, and interests.
Six in ten educators already use generative AI in the classroom. It's not rare.
But MOST AI applications are shallow.
Stopping at automated lessons and maybe a branching path or two.
It looks like personalization (...kind of). But under the surface, delivery is exactly the same.
AI done right is a different animal.
It’s mastery-based, interest-driven, and shifts teaching from the 'mythical middle' to the individual.
Mackenzie explains how:
Schools leveraging REAL personalized AI - like the tutors designed by 2 Hour Learning - see some mind-bending results.
Average students learn twice as fast. The top two-thirds advance at 2.6x speed. The top 20% push 3.9x. All while scoring in the top 1-2% nationwide.
THAT'S the outcome of real personalized learning.
Our top tip for finding the RIGHT EdTech company:
Look for concrete examples of individualized learning AT SCALE.
Do their case studies show students taking unique paths? Or do all the snapshots look the same?
If it’s the latter, they’re selling the idea of personalization, not the reality.
Step 3 – Check Their Definition of ‘Good Screen Time’
Red Flag: More device time marketed as student engagement.
Green Light: Limited, purposeful tech use that prioritizes accelerated learning over consumption.
Nearly every U.S. teen (95%) has access to a smartphone. And about half say they’re online 'almost constantly.'
Too many EdTechs just add more time to that load. Treating hours on app as an analogue for success.
Smart EdTechs optimize for a different metric... LEARNING.
The aim is to get knowledge in as fast as possible. Then get kids off the screen, out of their chairs, and applying what they’ve learned in new and interesting ways.
That’s the real test: Does the tech shorten time to mastery, or just keep students clicking?
Our top tip for finding the RIGHT EdTech company:
Check how your EdTech company approaches screen time. Screen time isn’t bad IF it’s applied intentionally.
Look for approaches that:
- Accelerate self-directed learning
- Push creation over consumption
- Enforce proactive guardrails
Step 4 – Look for Real-World Application, Not Just Theory
Red Flag: Learning that stops at the smartboard.
Green Light: Programs that bridge online learning with hands-on practice.
Knowledge without application is just trivia.
Too much EdTech ends at the 'pass quiz' stage. But students can click through, score high, and still have no idea how to apply what they've learned.
Top EdTech companies design for transfer (concepts → actions). Forcing learners to leave the screen. Enter the world. Think, solve, and build.
Alpha School - an EdTech that leverages 2 Hour Learning - dedicates just two hours a day to core academics. Then kids stand up and get their hands dirty.
Think coding self-driving cars. Managing a REAL Airbnb. Communicating through a 45-second Go-Kart pitstop.
Mastery doesn't happen at the end of a quiz. It REQUIRES action.
Our top tip for finding the RIGHT EdTech company:
Check how the model pushes students to apply what they’ve learned.
Review case studies, watch demo lessons, and scan the curriculum for offline projects and challenges. Look for signs of students creating, collaborating, and problem-solving
Make sure success isn't ONLY measured by test scores.
Step 5 – Follow the Mission AND the Money
Red Flag: Big innovation claims, but silent on how they treat their teachers.
Green Light: Upfront about pay and perks.
This step is short and sweet.
If a company hides pay, it’s usually because they’re not proud of it.
The national average teacher salary is $69,544. Accounting for inflation, that's 5% less than a decade ago.
The LAST thing education needs is another platform profiting off underpaid educators.
Top EdTech companies put their money where their mission is. Build cultures that reward teachers, share wins, and reinvest in the classroom (virtual and otherwise) that fuels their success.
Our top tip for finding the RIGHT EdTech company:
Check job listings for pay transparency and benefits.
If their growth story doesn’t include how students AND teachers win, it’s not a story worth joining.
Choose the RIGHT EdTech Company
The hype is loud. AI in education is everywhere.
But when you strip away the pitch decks, the real deal EdTech companies are easy to spot.
- They’re radically human-centred - working with teachers and personalizing for students.
- They never substitute screen time for real world application.
- They put their money where their mission is.
Most people chasing EdTech never look past the buzzwords. And they end up working with tools that prioiritize hype over value.
You don't have to.
The right EdTech company is out there. You just need to find it.
Don't waste your talent on an EdTech hype train. Follow the signs. And take your place in a mission worth your energy.
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