21 Startup Ideas for Education Entrepreneurs

The education industry has not progressed nearly as fast as new innovation and tech has been introduced to the world. Teachers and other education employees don't have the tools they need to create engaging classrooms that capture the attention of students. Creating new edtech with your startup business may help transform how the kids of the future learn.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) are industries that will help shape our future. For this reason, a startup that provides lessons on how to use this technology is a needed service. This startup idea allows you to give back to your community by teaching people how to use AI or VR to potentially secure employment and open up opportunities.

Making this startup successful will depend on results and your teaching ability; however, it is also a good idea to connect with companies looking for skilled AI/VR users that you can refer your customers to after their lessons.

You probably know the saying that knowledge is power, so it cannot be stressed enough how important it is to have access to a good education. Sharing knowledge through online courses makes education more accessible and provides a service for people who are interested in learning the skills you have to teach them.

According to Medium, premium course makers with wide audiences can feasibly make around $600,000 annually, making this idea a potentially lucrative venture with the right marketing strategy. To make this a socially-focused startup idea, gear your online courses towards teaching valuable skills that can help students find employment or enhance their quality of life.

For first-generation college students especially, applying for universities can be an overwhelming task. This startup idea could simplify the process for those students and their parents. Whether it is educational resources and courses to prepare for applications, tools for navigating FAFSA, or personalized support for selecting the right college or university, this edtech startup idea holds a lot of possibilities.  

Learning new skills is invaluable to workers looking to secure new employment or begin filling up their resumes. A skills-based learning app or platform can deliver valuable training or educational materials dedicated to teaching individuals the skills they need to get hired or grow in their current positions. Consider developing content with experts in each field to provide the best possible educational experience. 

There has been a lot of attention in the past few years on helping children continue to learn, but not much of that focus has been spent on helping teachers learn. 

There is a big opportunity to create software that helps employees in the education industry to keep up with new teaching methods, training, and more. This software could be used by school districts, universities, and private companies who want to make sure their employees are always learning and keeping up to date with the latest trends. If you want help building this idea, consider an accelerator that specializes in software such as Boomtown Accelerators or FasterCapital. 

Many edtech startups have come to market that helps businesses connect with one another using video conferencing for meetings, product demonstrations, and more. However, these platforms are not always ideal for educational purposes. 

You could create a webinar hosting platform that is specifically designed for educators. This platform would allow teachers to host virtual classes, connect with other educators around the world, and share resources. More importantly, if you can position your platform to focus on safety above all else, it would help secure funding and partnerships.

Since podcasts have become one of the largest growing media platforms in the world, with over 82 million people reporting podcast listenership in 2021, it's easy to see how you could create an education-focused podcast. 

This type of podcast could interview teachers, discuss new educational methods, and review the latest edtech products. You could even use your podcast to generate leads for your other startup ideas. You could even create an educational podcast that helps students learn or get supplemental education in addition to what students are already learning.

Being a great motivator is a cornerstone of online coaching, so if you’re great at pumping people up, an online coaching startup is a great idea for you. This is an industry ripe for growth, reporting a $6.79 billion valuation in 2022, with numbers expected to rise. The key to creating a successful online coaching startup is finding a niche that suits your skill set and allows you to provide effective coaching for clients. Since this business relies on customer testimonials, tangible coaching results are exceptionally important.

If you have a special skill or field of expertise, such as foreign language or mathematics, consider starting a tutoring business. Tutors are needed now more than ever with the transition to online learning across the globe. A tutoring startup provides services for students of all ages to strengthen their skills and expand their knowledge.

The education system often moves slowly in terms of progress and change. You could create an elearning platform that helps students learn at their own pace outside of the classroom. 

This type of platform would be great for students who want to get ahead, catch up, or even take classes that are not offered at their school. You could use your platform to offer supplemental education or even provide credit for taking the courses. To gain additional support launching an edtech startup like this, consider an accelerator program like Imagine K12 or StartED. 

An educational or instructional toy store sells toys and games that are developed to educate, stimulate, and engage creativity for infants, children, and adults. The market for educational toys like Trashbots is vast and holds a lot of opportunities for new startups to succeed.

The best way to increase the likelihood of success is to offer a range of toys and materials that help with a variety of things, such as promoting creativity, lowering stress, and strengthening memory.

With more of our day-to-day lives taking place online, an online library startup provides a way for the community to access educational resources that they aren’t able to get in person. To create a unique online library startup, consider offering a wide range of materials for members to borrow and an easy platform to exchange books.

Bring the gift of reading to communities that don’t have the same access with a bookmobile. This startup idea can be made possible by soliciting donations of used books that you can deliver to underprivileged communities. For children especially, a bookmobile startup could provide the education and entertainment they deserve in an easy, accessible way.

The days of old where imagination was key to understanding education concepts are gone. With the power of immersive augmented reality (AR), you can bring education concepts to life like never before. AR technology can be deployed for several use cases including in a classroom, for students with special needs, or training for businesses or trades. 

If you’re like most people, you use apps every day. With online learning becoming the new normal, educational apps can help children and adults learn new skills (such as the app Realworld), study, or even make learning easier. The key to making an educational app that will be a hit is to focus on usability and provide a solution for a widespread educational problem such as absorption of materials.

Make learning fun by creating or selling educational games and cash in on the games-based learning market worth over $11 billion. Children and students especially benefit from the absorption of material through educational games. Not to mention, they can create a more positive atmosphere for learning, which is invaluable. If you don’t have an idea for a new educational game, consider developing a marketplace for the sale of games instead.

Nutrition is essential for living a healthy life, yet many people lack resources to understand how nutrition affects them or how to implement a healthier lifestyle. If you’re a food lover, here are many ways to start a nutrition startup, such as being a holistic nutrition coach, food tracking apps, or creating ultra-nutritious foods.

The right nutrition startup idea begins with your skill set and interest. To find the best, most effective nutrition startup for you, look at what interests you and how you can use that to serve your community.

With more and more parents opting to homeschool their children, the demand for tools to create the best home-based education experience has never been higher. In fact, roughly 6% of school-aged children in the US are homeschooled. Building impactful software for this community, whether it be software for managing education modules or an elearning platform, can help them to expand their home-based education. 

Ebooks are an emerging market for aspiring authors looking to grow their readership and diversify their market strategies. With more and more people staying home, the market for easily downloadable ebooks is stronger than ever. If you’ve got a knack for writing, an ebook startup is a great way to share educational resources without the cost of going to print.

If you’ve learned a foreign language, you know it’s difficult, especially for adults. However, knowing a second language is not only a fun pastime, but it opens up job opportunities and helps people connect with other communities. A language learning startup can be any product or service that helps people learn a new language, such as an app, instructional website, or written guides.

This is a growing industry with a projected compound annual growth rate of 12.67% from 2024 to 2030. To make your startup stand out, focus on making learning a new language fun for users so that they want to reach for your product or resources again and again.

Crowdfunding isn’t just for nonprofits or helping your friends travel the world. An education crowdfunding platform can serve as a platform to help people and their communities around the world access better educational resources.

Whether it is raising funds to pay for college or for a school to buy much-needed supplies, this startup idea holds a lot of opportunity for entrepreneurs that want to make education more accessible for everyone.

Explore More Startup Ideas