Meet Eduten, the edtech startup with the potential to become a 'Blue Unicorn' that impacts the learning experiences of 100 million children

Before the pandemic more than half of 10-year-olds in low- and middle-income countries were unable to read or comprehend a simple story; now, that figure is estimated to be as high as 70 per cent. This has been exacerbated by two years of school closures, making digital platforms a new classroom reality. The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown children’s learning into an even sharper crisis, yet it has also created a systemic opportunity for reimagining how children learn.   

Under this vision, UNICEF and Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC) launched in 2022 the UNICEF EdTech Award with the goal to identify entrepreneurs across the globe who are working on game-changing digital learning solutions that show greatest potential to become “Blue Unicorns” – ventures that impact at least 100 million children’s learning experiences. 

This year the UNICEF EdTech Award goes to Eduten: a gamified math learning platform from Finland that reaches a million teachers and students in more than 50 countries bringing scientifically proven improvement to learning results. With a content library of 200,000 math problems, Eduten’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) engine helps teachers tailor content to each student’s learning pace and is adaptable to many cultures, languages, and curricula. 

Moreover, due to its potential and a 'future-facing' approach with technology, Cogniable from India was chosen for ‘Special Mention’ of the EdTech Award. Judges were highly impressed by its use of AI and machine learning for early detection and affordable intervention of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) among children. 

With a pool of 124 submissions from over 40 countries and a shortlist of 10 finalists representing Finland, Germany, India, Nigeria, South Korea, and Spain, judges were highly impressed by the novel use of diverse technologies.