Course with employment: "The profession of a Methodologist from scratch to PRO"
Find out moreEBAC co-founder Andrey Anishchenko noted that investors often express doubts, pointing to the lack of their own technology: "They say: "You don’t have a unique development, which means you are just a cheap fake." This underscores the importance of having original technologies to attract investment and enhance a company's reputation in the market.
Russian EdTech often disguises itself as IT, which is another important reason for its development. To become a Skolkovo resident and receive tax breaks, a company must develop new information technologies. According to experts, including Anishchenko, two-thirds of companies in the Russian EdTech market are registered with Skolkovo as IT companies. This underscores the trend of integrating educational technologies with information solutions, which contributes to the sector's growth and attracts investment.
At a certain stage of its development, according to Anishchenko, an EdTech startup needs to create its own platform. This applies even to cases where the product is unique content that can initially be broadcast through social media, streaming services, or existing platforms. The main problem with these platforms is their monolithic structure, which does not allow for modifications or adaptation of content to specific business needs. Creating your own platform will enable more efficient content management, improve user experience, and implement innovative solutions, which will ultimately enhance the startup's competitiveness in the educational technology market.
Alexey Polovinkin, CEO of Tsifrium, shared his experience, confirming the need to create a user-friendly educational platform. The school began operations in 2009, offering online courses for talented students. At that time, learning was conducted through voice chats and video broadcasts, which were not synchronized. The increasing demand for high-quality education has shown that effective learning requires an in-house platform with an integrated testing system.
Dmitry Kalaev emphasized that even a growing company doesn't need to create the 105th platform in the learning management system (LMS) market. It is more practical to focus on developing unique tools that competitors lack. For example, it is worth considering creating a system capable of assessing the level of the incoming audience of a specific educational institution or organization. This will not only allow you to stand out from the crowd, but also significantly increase the effectiveness of the educational process.
Many discussion participants agreed that using proprietary technologies allows companies to stand out from the competition. Andrey Anishchenko emphasized this, presenting several key arguments.
- A proprietary platform allows for the constant creation of new products. "[For example], if we want to launch webinars or online chats tomorrow, we'll have them available tomorrow. For an audience of over 300,000 paying students, this is important."
- The service can be tailored to meet any student needs.
Managing a large number of students, teachers, and their ratings is a complex task. With 50,000 students, it's necessary to develop an effective service system that will ensure optimal interaction between all participants in the educational process. It's important to consider how to fire teachers, distribute tasks, and provide students with a choice: they can choose to have a lesson with a specific teacher with a waiting list or choose the next available one. Currently, such a service is not widely available, highlighting the need to create specialized solutions for educational institutions.
- A company with its own developments can be capitalized. At a certain point—according to Anishchenko, reaching $10 million in revenue per year—this is a must.
Does the "Ed" prefix always need "Tech"?
Zhdan Shakirov, Senior Manager for Innovation and Technology in Learning at BCG, emphasized the existence of successful examples of business development in the EdTech sector, which do not always depend on technological solutions. It is important to note that innovation in education can take various forms, including methodological approaches and organizational changes. This allows companies to adapt to market needs and find new avenues for growth, not limited to technological aspects alone. Developments in EdTech open up new opportunities for educational institutions and businesses, allowing them to effectively integrate innovation into their strategies.
Content developers can attract investment without having to create their own technology solutions. There are many platforms that allow for the effective monetization of courses. One example is the online course platform Kajabi, which offers the opportunity to create your own business developing and selling educational programs. Thanks to such platforms, course creators can focus on content and its quality, rather than technical aspects.
While technology is key for EdTech companies, this does not mean that all of them develop complex and large-scale solutions. More niche products are also successfully operating in the market. An example is Class Technologies, whose platform is an adaptation of Zoom, specifically designed for educational purposes. This approach demonstrates that even simple solutions can be in demand and generate profit if they effectively solve specific problems in the education sector.
The discussion participants came to the general opinion that at the initial stage of new product development, it is advisable to test hypotheses using publicly available solutions. Alexey Polovinkin gave examples of large companies that are successfully entering new educational niches without their own technological base. This is especially relevant for startups, as Dmitry Kalaev emphasized. To determine which functions are missing from standard tools, it is necessary to work with them for some time. Thus, entrepreneurs can not only theoretically anticipate their needs, but also test hypotheses and analyze markets in practice.
Whose Technologies Will Be in EdTech?
The discussion participants unanimously concluded that the situation in which each EdTech business develops its own platform cannot continue for long. The future of the industry is undoubtedly linked to integration. However, the question arises: what kind of integration will this be? Three possible scenarios were presented during the discussion.
The liberal approach implies that each company assembles standard solutions from other developers into its "Frankenstein's monster." At the same time, the final product may prove interesting to users. Zhdan Shakirov notes that the unique method of combining various components allows for the creation of an original data structure and, as a result, a completely new product. Andrey Ilingin, founder and CEO of RIFGO, adds that there is currently no need to invent custom integration methods, which simplifies the development process. This approach opens up new opportunities for creating innovative solutions based on existing technologies.
In the US, there are services that offer the integration of various platforms, claiming, "We've integrated ten services, use our LMS." However, in reality, this is simply the unification of several other services in a single interface. This approach has become one of the most popular trends currently, as it simplifies access to various tools and increases user efficiency. Service integration saves time and resources by allowing users to work with multiple solutions simultaneously without switching between them.
Andrey Anishchenko predicts the monopolistic development of the adult supplementary education market. He believes that a fragmented market will not survive for long, as large Chinese and American companies begin acquiring numerous educational platforms, transforming them into powerful content conglomerates. The technological base within such conglomerates can be expected to be similar. According to Anishchenko, only state-regulated educational sectors, such as preschool education, schools, and universities, will remain local and unaffected by these changes.
The futuristic scenario presented by Dmitry Kalaev offers interesting perspectives and unique insights into the future. This scenario examines key trends and potential changes in various areas of life, including technology, society, and the environment. Kalaev emphasizes the importance of innovation and adaptation to a rapidly changing world. His predictions can inspire new approaches to solving current problems and shaping a sustainable future.
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In the future, we will reach a level of development where even in medicine there will be a single patient record containing a complete health history and treatment recommendations. The same will happen with professional skills. Each person will be able to have a comprehensive profile reflecting their skills and competencies. This will allow both people themselves to better understand their strengths and weaknesses, and employers to gain a clear understanding of the skills of applicants. Platforms will provide development recommendations, highlighting areas for improvement and skills that are less relevant to current work. This approach will ensure more effective interaction between employees and employers, creating opportunities for professional growth and advanced training.
If integration develops in this direction, the placement of courses on various platforms and the degree of market fragmentation will lose their significance. Only access to data from individual providers for the main integration platform will become important. Analysis of the latest amendments to the law on education adopted by the State Duma indicates the likelihood that such a platform will be state-owned in Russia.
Reading is an important part of our lives. It not only broadens our horizons but also promotes critical thinking. Immersing ourselves in books, articles, and other materials helps us absorb new knowledge and ideas. It is important to choose high-quality sources of information to get the most out of reading. Modern technology offers numerous opportunities for accessing literature and scientific publications. Create a daily reading habit, and you will notice how it will positively impact your intelligence and creativity.
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