Finnish edtech companies make global impact

The latest news comes from GraphoGame, which recently received the EdTech Breakthrough Award 2024 for Learning Analytics Innovation for its educational game for early literacy. The award celebrates companies, products and solutions that demonstrate innovative approaches to using data and analytics to enhance the learning experience. 

“This recognition underscores the importance of our work and the significance of devising solutions that include those who might otherwise be left behind in education,” says Mervi Palander, founder and CEO of GraphoGame. “We have seen firsthand the profound impact literacy has on people’s lives.”

GraphoGame’s learning game, available as a mobile app, was developed to help children over three years old learn to read. It has been downloaded over seven million times and adapted to several languages through collaboration with research institutions in different countries, such as the University of Cambridge, Yale, University of Stavanger, and Aix-Marseille.

The game gained attention also after receiving UNESCO’s prestigious King Sejong Literacy Prize in 2023. 

Breakthrough in Bhutan

GraphoGame isn’t not the only Finnish edtech company to receive recognition from UNESCO. In 2022, Eduten was awarded the UNESCO King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize for the Use of ICT in Education for its collaborative learning platform. The University of Turku spinoff reached another significant milestone in May by signing an agreement with the Ministry of Education and Skills Development of Bhutan to implement its digital maths learning platform nationally. The platform, which combines educational expertise with gamification and artificial intelligence (AI), is targeted at grades K–12 and above.

The agreement follows Eduten’s successful 10-week pilot study in Bhutan, which showed a significant improvement in maths learning results. The nationwide rollout will be completed in August, bringing Eduten’s platforms to schools across the country.

"We are delighted to work with the experts at the Ministry of Education and Skills Development to help teachers and students across Bhutan,” commented Henri Muurimaa, CEO of Eduten. “This expansion from our pilot to national implementation is a testament to the Eduten platform's efficacy and suitability with the Bhutanese education system.”

Launched in 2011, Eduten’s platform has attracted over two million users in 50 countries.

Another Finnish edtech startup, Helsinki-based TinyApp, was recently selected as one of only eight companies for the EU’s Digital Education Accelerator programme. The six-month intensive training and testing programme drew 46 applications from 20 EU countries. 

TinyApp made the cut with Elina, its AI-powered tool for early-childhood education. It supports children’s development by providing educators with personalised information on age-appropriate activities and enhancing interaction skills and guardian co-operation.