Year-End Special Part 1: 2024 Reflections and 2025 Predictions by Alex and Ben

Dec 26, 2024

2024 brought transformative shifts in EdTech, driven by the ESSER funding cliff and the explosion of AI innovations. The hosts discuss the growing influence of Big Tech on education and reflect on major milestones within the community. Looking forward to 2025, they predict a revolution in assessments, emphasizing personalized learning and the role of parents in shaping education. There's also an exciting exploration of AI-driven gaming and the rising need for practical, career-focused learning in higher education.

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INSIGHT

2024 EdTech Overview

The 2024 EdTech landscape saw challenges like the ESSER funding cliff and a muted funding environment.
Despite this, AI innovation continued to flourish with diverse founders entering the education space.

ANECDOTE

K-12 AI Challenges

The LA Unified debacle with Ed and the founder's prosecution negatively impacted K-12 AI.
Chegg's market share loss to AI demonstrates its disruptive potential.

INSIGHT

Big Tech's Impact

Big Tech's influence in education is growing, impacting business models and learning innovation.
Founders are navigating the opportunities and challenges presented by this influence.

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2024 was an incredible year for EdTech, filled with transformative shifts and groundbreaking innovations!

In this special year-end episode, Alex and Ben dive into the defining trends of the year—from the ESSER funding cliff reshaping K-12 strategies to the rise of AI-powered learning tools. They also look ahead to 2025, making bold predictions about the future of education technology, including the potential of gaming, assessment overhauls, and micro-company innovation.

Stay tuned for Part 2, coming in January, where Alex and Ben will share predictions from thought leaders across the EdTech space to kick off the new year!

✨ Episode Highlights:

[00:00:43] 🎄 Kicking off the year-end special with reflections on a transformative 2024.
[00:01:38] 📉 ESSER funding cliff and its implications for K-12 EdTech investments.
[00:02:17] 🚀 The Cambrian explosion of AI and its impact on innovation and startups.
[00:04:02] 🤖 AI in K-12 education: challenges, successes, and lessons from the field.
[00:06:24] 🗺️ Big Tech’s growing influence on education and learning models.
[00:08:03] 🎉 Reflecting on EdTech Insiders' major milestones and community highlights.
[00:11:46] 🎮 Predictions for AI-driven gaming and real-time multimodal learning tools.
[00:13:21] 📊 The coming assessment revolution and its transformative potential.
[00:18:55] 🎓 Higher education’s pivot toward career-focused, practical learning models.
[00:23:20] 💼 Workforce learning shifts: upskilling for productivity in a competitive market.
[00:27:02] 🤔 AI agents and their transformative potential in education and beyond.

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🎉 Presenting Sponsor:

This season of Edtech Insiders is brought to you by Starbridge. Every year, K-12 districts and higher ed institutions spend over half a trillion dollars—but most sales teams miss the signals. Starbridge tracks early signs like board minutes, budget drafts, and strategic plans, then helps you turn them into personalized outreach—fast. Win the deal before it hits the RFP stage. That’s how top edtech teams stay ahead.

This season of Edtech Insiders is once again brought to you by Tuck Advisors, the M&A firm for EdTech companies. Run by serial entrepreneurs with over 25 years of experience founding, investing in, and selling companies, Tuck believes you deserve M&A advisors who work as hard as you do.