About K-12 EdTech sector in China
The K-12 EdTech sector in China comprises 1.09K companies, including 467 funded companies having collectively raised $15.5B in venture capital money and private equity. Out of these, 137 are Series A+ funded, and 9 have achieved unicorn status.
K-12 EdTech sector in China has seen 9 acquisitions and 16 IPOs.
This sector includes companies providing online courses, educational resources, learning platforms, management solutions, teaching resources, and other services for K-12 students, teachers, parents and administrators.
K-12 EdTech sector is also known as K-12 Education Technology.
All companies that provide courses, resources, games, mobile apps, and interactive devices for online learning for school students and teachers. Also, contains adaptive learning platforms, learning management system, administrative management system, collaborative platforms, smart classroom solutions, and other support services for schools. Includes courses and resources for professional development, curriculum management, collaboration, lesson planning, and other tools for teachers. Marketplace for products such as stationery items, school bags, and books for kids; Educational loan providers, traditional brick-n-mortar schools, after-school programs, tutoring agencies; Services companies are excluded.
Top K-12 EdTech Companies in China
There are 1,093 K-12 EdTech startups in China which include 51Talk, 17Zuoye, Squirrel Ai Learning, Yuanfudao, New Oriental. Out of these, 467 startups are funded, with 137 having secured Series A+ funding, and 9 achieving unicorn status.
2026 has seen the creation of 1 K-12 EdTech startup in China. Over the past 10 years, an average of 33 new companies have been launched annually. Notably, several of these startups have been founded by alumni of University of Cambridge, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University.
Here is the list of top K-12 EdTech startups in China
1. 51Talk
51Talk is an online English school providing one-to-one foreign language teacher service. 51Talk offers e-learning courses at affordable prices, with teachers mainly from southeast Asian countries who speak English as their native language. 51talk is also trying to diversify its user experience by setting up offline experience centers, following a similar initiative by major competitor Hujiang. In addition to building such centers in first-tier cities like Beijing and Shanghai.
Key facts about 51Talk
- Founded Year: 2011
- Location: Beijing (China)
- Stage: Public
- Total Funding till date: $90M
- Investors: DCM Ventures, Shunwei Capital and 2 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series D, 2015, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 76/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 2 of 1,229 Competitors
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2. 17Zuoye
Provider of virtual classroom platform for students, teachers, and parents. It provides a virtual classroom to serve as a nexus for all three groups to facilitate the educational experience, focusing on English and Math classes. For students, one of the services it offers is an automated system that allows the students to record English sentences and get instant feedback on pronunciation. Teachers can then listen to the recordings at any time. Parents can get real-time reports on the kids via WeChat.
Key facts about 17Zuoye
- Founded Year: 2011
- Location: Beijing (China)
- Stage: Public
- Total Funding till date: $385M
- Investors: Shunwei Capital, H Capital Advance and 6 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series E, Mar 20, 2018, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 67/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 10 of 2,709 Competitors
SquirrelAI provides an AI-based tutoring platform for students. It provides tutoring platform with personalized feedbacks for students using AI-technology.
Key facts about Squirrel Ai Learning
- Founded Year: 2014
- Location: Shanghai (China)
- Stage: Series C
- Total Funding till date: $194M
- Investors: NGP Capital, Tiantu Capital and 3 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series C, Jul 03, 2021, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 59/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 12 of 1,831 Competitors
4. Yuanfudao
Yuanfudao provides an online school-based test preparation platform. It enables students to improve test scores. The platform connects students with tutors and live streams through the app. The students can choose one-on-one tutoring services or join a group class.
Key facts about Yuanfudao
- Founded Year: 2012
- Location: Chaoyang (China)
- Stage: Series G
- Total Funding till date: $4.04B
- Investors: IDG Capital, Tencent and 16 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series G, Dec 24, 2020, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 59/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 14 of 2,402 Competitors
5. New Oriental
New oriental provides educational services to students. The company operates through seven segments, which include language training & test preparation, primary & secondary school education, online education, content development & distribution, pre-school education, overseas study consulting services, and study tours. It offers educational programs, services, and products, consisting of English & other foreign language training, test preparation courses for admissions and assessment tests. It also provides solutions for the development and distribution of educational content, software and other technology.
Key facts about New Oriental
- Founded Year: 1993
- Location: Beijing (China)
- Stage: Public
- Tracxn Score: 58/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 14 of 4,823 Competitors
Companies founded year-on-year in the K-12 EdTech sector in China
1 new startup has been founded so far in 2026 in the K-12 EdTech sector in China. 87 K-12 EdTech startups in China were founded in 2017 - this is the most number of startups founded in any year in the last 10 years.
- Total Number of Companies
Year | No. of companies |
|---|---|
2026 | 1 |
2025 | 11 |
2024 | 11 |
2023 | 22 |
2022 | 18 |
2021 | 34 |
2020 | 43 |
2019 | 46 |
2018 | 64 |
2017 | 87 |
Stage-wise distribution of K-12 EdTech sector companies in China
Out of the total 1,093 K-12 EdTech companies in China, 467 have secured funding. Among them, 137 have reached Series A or higher, and 80 to Series B or beyond.
Founded - 1,093
Funded - 467
Series A+ - 137
Series B+ - 80
Series C+ - 57
Company Stage | No. of companies |
|---|---|
Founded | 1,093 |
Funded | 467 |
Series A+ | 137 |
Series B+ | 80 |
Series C+ | 57 |
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Funding Trends in the K-12 EdTech sector in China
Total funding year-on-year in the K-12 EdTech sector in China
The K-12 EdTech sector in China saw a total funding of more than $14.3B in the last 10 years. The most amount of funding was in 2020 at more than $9.02B.
- Total Funding
Year | Total Funding |
|---|---|
2026 | - |
2024 | $42.6M |
2023 | - |
2022 | $45.8M |
2021 | $452M |
2020 | $9.02B |
2019 | $1.22B |
2018 | $2.14B |
2017 | $939M |
Recent Funding Rounds in K-12 EdTech in China
In the year 2026, till March 2026, K-12 EdTech companies in China have raised equity funding across 1 round.
Here are some recent, important funding rounds in K-12 EdTech companies in China:
Company | Round Raised | Amount Raised | Funding Date | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Series A | 6363 | Mar 25, 2026 | and 1 more | |
Series A | 2479 | Nov 17, 2024 | ||
Series B | 6848 | May 29, 2024 | ||
Series A | 6945 | Apr 19, 2024 | - | |
Series C | 1081 | Aug 24, 2023 | and 1 more |
Top Investors in K-12 EdTech in China
Tencent is the top investor in K-12 EdTech companies in China based on number of companies invested.
Here are some top investors in K-12 EdTech companies in China:
Investor | Location | Top Portfolio Companies |
|---|---|---|
Shenzhen (China) | ||
Hong Kong (China) | ||
Beijing (China) | ||
Beijing (China) | ||
Beijing (China) |
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M&A activity in K-12 EdTech sector in China
In the year 2023, till September 2023, 1 acquisition happened in K-12 EdTech sector in China. Last year, in 2022, a total of 2 acquisitions happened in K-12 EdTech sector in China.
Here are some recent, important acquisitions in K-12 EdTech sector in China:
Company | Acquisition Type | Acquisition Date | Acquirers |
|---|---|---|---|
Business Acquisition | Sep 18, 2023 | ||
Business Acquisition | Sep 2022 | ||
Acqui-Hired | Apr 11, 2022 | ||
Business Acquisition | Apr 23, 2021 | ||
Business Acquisition | Jan 13, 2020 |
Acquisition trends in K-12 EdTech sector in China
Here are the acquisition trends in K-12 EdTech sector in China:
- Total Number of Acquisitions
Year | No. of companies |
|---|---|
2026 | - |
2025 | - |
2024 | - |
2023 | 1 |
2022 | 2 |
2021 | 1 |
2020 | 2 |
2019 | - |
2018 | 1 |
2017 | - |
IPOs in K-12 EdTech in China
In the year 2024, till December 2024, 1 IPO happened in K-12 EdTech sector in China.
Here are some recent, important IPOs in K-12 EdTech sector in China:
Company | IPO Date | Exchange Symbol |
|---|---|---|
Dec 06, 2024 | National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ) | |
Dec 23, 2022 | National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ) | |
Jun 08, 2021 | New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) | |
Dec 07, 2020 | New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) | |
Dec 04, 2020 | National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ) |
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Colleges which produce the most K-12 EdTech companies in China
Companies founded by alumni from top colleges in the K-12 EdTech in China
Most number of K-12 EdTech startups in China have been founded by alumni from University of Cambridge, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University.
College | No. of companies |
|---|---|
University of Cambridge | 6 |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 4 |
Stanford University | 4 |
Harvard University | 2 |
National University of Singapore (NUS) | 2 |
Tsinghua University | 2 |
University of California (Los Angeles) | 2 |
Aalto University | 1 |
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) | 1 |
IIM Ahmedabad | 1 |
Total funding in K-12 EdTech companies founded by alumni from top colleges in China
In the last 10 years, Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduates' K-12 EdTech companies in China have raised the most funding among top colleges. University of Cambridge alumni are second, and Aalto University alumni are third.
College | Total Funding |
|---|---|
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | $432M |
University of Cambridge | $416M |
Aalto University | $359M |
Tsinghua University | $89M |
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) | $41.8M |
The University of Hong Kong | $41.8M |
National University of Singapore (NUS) | $2.95M |
Harvard University | - |
IIM Ahmedabad | - |
IIT Bombay | - |
Top News in K-12 EdTech in China
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Promethean and MAXHUB Launch Microsoft Teams-Certified Meeting RoomsUC Today•Dec 16, 2025•Promethean World, Maxhub
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MAXHUB Commercial Displays Earn Crestron Connected® CertificationPR Newswire•Jun 13, 2025•Maxhub, Crestron Electronics
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Baijiayun Upgrades BRTC HarmonyOS SDK to Promote the Development of HarmonyOS EcosystemPR Newswire•Dec 11, 2024•Baijiayun
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