Edtech is having a moment, and it’s not just about flashy platforms or artificial intelligence (AI) hype. What we’re seeing right now in the UK is a real shift in how large language model (LLM) technology is being used, both in and out of the classroom, to solve meaningful problems for teachers and students alike.
The numbers tell the story. The UK edtech market was worth £5.4bn in 2023 and is forecast to grow more than fivefold by 2035. That growth is being driven by advances in AI and a clear need within the education system.
AI in the classroom
What makes this space so interesting right now is how AI is starting to reshape both the learner and teacher experience at the same time. Among teachers, AI use jumped from 31% to nearly 48% in the space of a year, mainly to cut down planning time, generate ideas, personalise materials and reduce admin.
On the learner side, we’re seeing a surge in tutoring-style apps that give students on-demand support. These can fill gaps in understanding, offer revision help and give personalised answers. Around 35% of UK students aged 10 to 16 now use AI tools to support their learning.
The investment opportunity
But the question we ask as investors is: where are the businesses that can make this technology useful and impactful for the people who matter?
One company we’ve backed recently that is doing exactly that is called Chalkie. The premise behind Chalkie is simple: teachers are overstretched. They’re spending more time planning lessons, preparing materials and doing admin, and less time actually working with pupils. For many schools, teacher workload remains a significant challenge.
The founders of Chalkie saw an opportunity to give teachers some of that time back. They previously ran a company in the tutoring space, so they know the sector. With this new venture, they’ve focused on helping teachers generate classroom materials quickly, easily and in line with the curriculum.
Say you’re a Year 4 teacher covering a history topic. You go into Chalkie, choose the subject and topic, and it creates a ready-to-use teaching pack. That can include slides, images and worksheets, all aligned to the National Curriculum but still editable to suit the class.
What’s powerful here is how the tech can also help with personalisation. If some pupils need extra support and others are flying ahead, teachers can instantly create differentiated worksheets rather than building separate resources from scratch.
This is the kind of product that doesn’t just talk about AI but uses it to fix a real day-to-day problem. It’s not trying to replace the teacher. It’s about enabling them to focus on what they do best. For us, the combination of strong adoption, clear utility and real-world impact makes it such a promising business.
Investing in edtech
There’s another broad trend we’re watching, which is the evolution of the classroom itself. With the government’s EdTech Strategy continuing to push digital innovation, schools are investing more in Learning Management Systems and other tech infrastructure. This creates an environment where new tools can be introduced more easily and integrated more widely.
Government backing is helping. For example, in 2025 the Department for Education dedicated £45m to improve connectivity, covering both wireless and fibre upgrades. And over the past few years, more than £400m in funding has been directed toward broader digital education projects, helping schools adopt edtech solutions. This could make it easier for new products to be adopted and integrated across schools.
Of course, the social impact side matters too. Education is one of those sectors where good products can genuinely change lives. Helping teachers spend more time with pupils instead of creating resources on weekends could make the profession more sustainable and improve outcomes for students.
As always, the lens we bring as investors is not just about where the market is going, but where real problems are being solved. The edtech space is full of promise, but it’s also full of noise.
What we look for are the teams that understand their users, build products that work and can scale with the right support. This is a sector that’s growing fast, changing quickly and touching millions of lives. And we think there’s much more to come.
Sam Stone is an investment manager at Triple Point Ventures. The views expressed above should not be taken as investment advice.