2. Introduction:Education Market
Edu is one of the last territory for innovation to
penetrate
Current big players:
Pearson, McGraw-Hill, Kaplan, Kumon
新东方，学而思，百度教育，沪江网校
3. Sub-Verticals of EdTech Industry
CONTENT/CU
RRICULUM
CLASSROOM
NEEDS
TUTORING CAUSAL
LEARNING/
GAMIFICATI
ON
CORPORATE
LEARNING
MOOC Class Dojo InstaEDU MindSnacks SuccessFactor
sLearning
Udemy LearnBoost Tutorspree TreeHouse Udemy for
Organization
Skillshare Piazza Chegg Code
Academy
Bloomfire
Noodle EDU Lore TutorVista Jive Software
4. Dissecting Edu Market
Sub-vertical
Key products
Pain Points
Value Proposition
Funding
Biz Model
Competitive adv and weakness
Applicability in Chinese context
5. Sub-Vertical: Content and Curriculum
MOOC (Coursera, Udacity…) Udemy/SkillShare
Pain Point Lack of access to high-quality content
from prestigious institutes/individuals
lack of platform and marketplace for
user-created video-based instruction;
under-utilized asset and capacity
Value Prop Free, high-quality instructional content platform and marketplace that enable
anyone to teach and learn
Funding 16M, 6M, 63M 1M, 3M, 12M
Biz Model Accreditation, university partnership,
content licensing, job placement
A la carte course fee; corporate training
licensing fee
Competitive Adv/Weak Free content; star instructors; low
engagement and completion rate ;
questionable effectiveness in learning
Powerful platform for content authoring
and delivery; active marketplace; low-
cost for instructor (one time labor);
prepackaged, not personal
CN Market Applicability High if partnered with accrediting
institutes
High if it’s of high-quality content and
easy user experience
6. Sub-Vertical: Classroom Needs
Class Dojo Piazza
Pain Point Guess what's the most challenging
part of teaching an elementary class
in the US?
students/teachers of higher ed
classes don't have a central
platform to communicate
Value Prop classroom behavior management
app through digital stickers, badges
online course-based
discussion forum
Funding 1.6M 1.5M, 6M
Biz Model free for now; bottom-up adoption
strategy
free for now, probably bottom-
up adoption, embedded online
learning
Competitive Adv/Weak free, fast adoption rate (3.5 m
teachers in 35 countries in 10
months!)
sticky (2-3 hrs/day on
average); fast adoption, high
engagement; no revenue
CN Market Applicability low medium high
7. Sub-Vertical: Tutoring
InstaEDU Chegg
Pain Point Private tutoring/learning is geographically
limited; access for star private instructors is
limited with your area; high cost of private
tutoring
Lack of access to affordable ad-hoc
homework help on-demand
Value Prop On-demand 24/7 online tutoring and private
lessons through video chat and online
collaboration tools; access to instructors
world-wide; scheduling, payment and delivery
platform
On-demand 24/7 homework help (posted
online); no video etc.
Funding 1M, 4M 2M, 4M, 25M (195M so far)
Biz Model Hourly rate ($24, $20 goes to tutors) Monthly fee of $14.99
Competitive
Adv/Weak
One-to-one private lesson at affordable rate;
great platform
Textbook rental helps it get foot into the door
of auxiliary services; competitive pricing;
homework help is ad hoc and pragmatic; no
private or personal interaction
CN Market
Applicability
High if tutor screening and good UX is
provided
Medium-high for middle-high schools, low for
higher-ed
8. Sub-Vertical: Casual Learning/Gamification
Mindsnacks Code Academy/TreeHouse
Pain Point lack of short, quick, educational
content
needed a breakthrough in
using internet for teaching
programming;
Value Prop Engaging short language learning
games on mobile
web-based, game-based,
video-based learning platform
Funding 1.2M, 6.5M 2.5M, 10M
Biz Model app fee, ad placement free (codeacademy), monthly
fee $25 treehouse), job
placement, corporate content
licensing
Competitive Adv/Weak great execution, great founders,
lightweight and not preachy, easy to
use on the go, brainteaser
fast adoption, high
engagement rate
CN Market Applicability medium high if it’s of good UX and
high-quality content
9. Sub-Vertical: Corporate Learning
Bloomfire Udemy for Organization
Pain Point Content/knowledge are usually separate
from social networking.
Lack/high cost of content
Value Prop End-to-End solution that unites content
management, file sharing, collaboration,
learning management, and social
business software.
platform and marketplace that
enable anyone to teach and learn
Funding 10M, 8M, 2M 1M, 3M, 12M
Biz Model $200 /month/ 25 users,
$300 /month 50 users, ...
$99 / month / 50 users
$349 /month / 250 users
Competitive Adv/Weak - Pro: Tackles the sales learning problem
- Con: Self-produced content
- Pro: large content lib
- Con: just the learning, no CMS or
social
CN Market Applicability
10. Edu with Chinese Characteristics
中国式教育产品： 盘子大，平台化, 垂直少
切入点 代表产品
学历教育 开课吧
名师效应 华图，沪江网校
应试教育 猿题库
统一教学大纲 学而思
作业为重心 一起作业吧
16. Challenges： 为啥这块骨头这么硬？
Quality of content and measurable results: dilemma
Biz model challenge: freemium, pro bono; bottom-
up sales strategy
Distribution channel: tightly controlled;
Exit challenge: IPO, acquisition;
