Endeavor

6 4 Representing just 5% of the Endeavor Catalyst portfolio, all four of the fund's edtech investments took place in 2017, in parallel with a record-setting year of investment in the space. e education market is big—$5 trillion globally per year—and is ripe for digitalization and transformation. Edtech as a sector has taken time to prove attractive to investors as the world slowly adopts new ways of implementing technology to facilitate teaching. e trends, however, are positive, as investors are putting more money into edtech companies each year— hitting a high of $9.5 billion in 2017. Interestingly, all four Endeavor Catalyst investments in the space are based in Latin America. With over 600 million people, and an educational system that has lagged behind that of the developed world, Latin America is a hotbed for edtech companies. Also contributing to the boom is an ever- evolving workplace that is demanding more technical skills from employees, while the price of traditional degrees remains out of reach for most. Endeavor Catalyst company DIGITALHOUSE, founded in Argentina by Eduardo Bruchou and Nelson Dubosq, seeks to address this gap with its coding schools aimed at providing digital skills to Latin America's next generation in a blended learning environment. Similarly, PLATZI, founded in Colombia by Freddy Vega and Christian Van Der Henst, is an edtech platform that offers online courses in design, marketing and programming to help Hispanics develop professional technical skills. Because Platzi focuses on developing tangible skills, students collaborate by sharing class notes and working on assigned projects to produce a portfolio of work to show future employers. Its industry leading 70% completion rate is a product of human interaction between students and teachers, which promotes high engagement. Platzi also applies proprietary compression technology to its courses, enabling users in remote areas to stream them with low internet connectivity. With smartphone penetration increasing from about 25 percent in Latin America today to roughly 50 percent by 2018, and stark class differences based on educational backgrounds, many are viewing e-learning as the key to leveling the playing field. Endeavor Catalyst While the much- discussed fintech industry has fundamentally changed the way people bank, edtech is fundamentally changing the way they learn. E D T E C H : D E M O C R AT I Z I N G E D U C AT I O N T H R O U G H T E C H N O LO G Y, PA R T I C U L A R LY I N L AT I N A M E R I C A q Marco Fishben of Descomplica

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