This Week in Edtech with Ben Kornell, 2/5/22

Send us Fan MailThis week, we sat down with Jonathan Finkelstein, CEO of Credly, which was acquired by Pearson this week for $200m, and with Rhys Spence, lead author of the recent Europe Edtech Funding Report 2022. HEADLINES:1. COVID beat Interesting linkedin post by a teacher caught our eye. There was also a series of articles on Edsurge and elsewhere about life as a COVID principal, pandemic brain science, and student mental health.  Big theme of ‘no way to go back’ . 2. Project Kitty Hawk takes off UNC’s $97M Plan to Reach Adult Online Learners hopes to become an alternative to traditional OPM providers and a way to create 120 online programs over the next years,. 3. New data shows Gen Z prefers alt pathways for higher edA Survey of American high schoolers found that:45% prefer programs they can complete in two years or less—a significant shift from pre-pandemic levels. Nearly 70% want on-the-job training like apprenticeships and internships during their college experience.86% of those surveyed say they feel pressure—from parents, teachers, and society at large—to pursue that specific pathway, even if it’s not the right choice for them4. Funding RoundsSpain-based Domestika, an online platform for creatives, received a $100m round at a $1.3b valuation, becoming the latest Edtech Unicorn.Fourthrev, a UK-based career accelerator program, announced an $8m Series A.Singapore-based college application platform Cialfo received a $40m funding round.Indian Upskilling platform Scaler Academy received a $55 million funding roundIndian edtech Wise raised $5mArabic “​​EdTech platform Playbook announces that it has closed pre-seed funding with $700,000. Post-Recording Updates:Studytube acquires Springest & closes $30m series BGoStudent acquires Seneca Learning & Tus Media Group