Innovation is an indisputable necessity in all sectors, and education is no exception. Educational institutions—whether in K-12, vocational, or higher education—are realizing the urgency of adopting new technologies and strategies to remain competitive and relevant in a rapidly changing world. Everyone knows the importance of innovation and the impact it has on daily life; however, corporate innovation goes beyond simply acquiring platforms and colorful classrooms.

In a job market undergoing digital transformation, Industry 4.0, the bioeconomy, and the energy transition, professionals are being required to develop new skills.

According to the World Economic Forum, by 2027, six out of ten workers will need to retrain, and the 2025–2027 Industrial Labor Map, prepared by the Industry Observatory, found that Brazil will need to train 14 million professionals. Professions such as specialists in artificial intelligence, sustainability ,and machine learningare on the rise , andskills like critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, and the use of digital technologies will become increasingly important. In this context, a traditional approach is not sufficient for developing increasingly specialized skills.

Technology also plays a key role in inclusion. Tools such as artificial intelligence, adaptive platforms, and assistive technologies can personalize learning, ensuring that students with different needs or special needs receive the appropriate support. It is also a challenge to make technology accessible and available to everyone.

The “ICT in Education 2023” study found that only 55% of Brazilian schools use digital technologies for educational activities, with regional and socioeconomic disparities. UNESCO’s 2023 Global Education Monitoring Report states that significant advances in digital technology are rapidly transforming the world, but these changes are still unevenly distributed.

To address SDG 4 (Quality Education), the report indicates that technology must be used in an equitable, scalable, and sustainable manner, helping to achieve better learning outcomes and complementing an education based on human interaction.

Therefore, in schools, the focus must be on technology and the use of technology. Likewise, it must be on innovation and the use of innovation, since technology and innovation are not synonymous, and innovation does not always stem from technological advances.

Innovation as a process involves establishing a systematic approach and a genuine desire to explore the new, while recognizing that this can be done in many different ways and that experimentation and risk are involved. In an environment as regulated and complex as education, this space is often not well defined.

Incremental innovation—when we evolve and improve something that already exists—is the way to begin this journey, leveraging more mature solutions on the market and supporting their adaptation and implementation. In pursuit of disruption, we have bolder and completely new business models, opening the door to new products, services, and unexplored markets.

In particular, open innovation—a concept popularized by Professor Henry Chesbrough (2003)—suggests that organizations do not need to limit their innovation efforts to their own internal teams. Instead, they can collaborate with external sources, such as startups, universities, and other institutions, to develop new solutions. For the education sector, this approach can be extremely beneficial, especially when it comes to edtech companies—startups focused on solutions for education.

The global edtech market was valued at USD 144.60 billion in 2023 and is concentrated in North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. In Latin America, Brazil is the leading market, accounting for 42% of the region’s 100 most promising edtech companies, according to HolonIQ’s 2023 “Latin America Edtech 100” awards.

According to surveys conducted by the Brazilian Association of Startups (ABStartups) in 2022, edtech companies account for 14.5% of Brazilian startups and total 813 active companies in Brazil. These startups span various sectors, including learning platforms, school management, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and other emerging technologies. Approximately 80% of the edtech companies surveyed are already in the operational, traction, and scaling phases—that is, they have established solutions and are actively operating in the market, with some of them already beginning to expand internationally.

See also:

• Transforming Education—for what? For whom? And into what?
• Teacher: What is your role regarding technology in education?

That being said, although the term “startup” is often associated with solutions that are not yet fully developed, there are many examples of these new technology-based businesses experiencing significant growth and offering disruptive, mature, and relevant solutions.

To connect with and build a fruitful relationship with this ecosystem, many educational institutions have adopted hubs and open innovation programs as a strategy for addressing the challenges of modern education.

Organizations such as SENAI and SESI, along with NAV; FTD Educação, along with Órbita; and the Ânima group, along with Learning Village, have stood out in this landscape. These hubs connect institutions with edtech companies and cutting-edge technologies, fostering a fertile environment for the creation of innovative solutions that meet the needs of students and the market.

After approximately one year of operation, NAV—the education hub for SENAI and SESI—is already connected with more than 100 edtech companies in Brazil. Through programs, projects, and partnerships, these connections create opportunities for development and new solutions to advance basic, vocational, and higher education networks.

There are 48 projects involving various educational technologies, such as platforms, apps, and immersive systems, among others. As such, NAV positions itself as a partner in the effort to make innovative education the foundation for building the future of work and the country.

The rankings highlighting Brazil’s most innovative companies include sectors such as healthcare, pulp and paper, materials, energy, and technology, among others. In 2024, the MIT Technology Review Brazil ranking did not include any education companies among the top 20 most innovative. Similarly, in the Valor Inovação Brasil Award presented by the newspaper Valor Econômico, no education companies appeared among the top 10 most innovative, with the first education company ranking 27th (Cogna Educação). It is necessary to analyze the reasons behind this and, above all, to develop strategies to change this situation.

Open innovation is an effective way to accelerate progress and seek out strategic partners to bring about change. Through networking, joint efforts, and collaboration with edtech companies, for example, it is possible to quickly implement solutions that improve the learning experience, personalize content for each student, and make education more inclusive and accessible.

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*This text does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bett Brasil.

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