MyTutor: against COVID-19 Company
Entity: MyTutor
Category: EdTech
Description: MyTutor offers affordable 1-to-1 tutorials online by connecting tutors from the UK's best unis with pupils at home and in schools. MyTutor provides secondary school learners with online access to over 7,000 Russell Group university students, reducing the time, hassle and cost of finding a subject expert locally. Lessons take place in their innovative online lesson space, which allows parents to substitute expensive tutors coming to their house, for live, one-to-one sessions with young, bright and successful undergraduates. If the pupil forgets something, every session is recorded, so they can play it back after. They also partner with schools and universities to provide larger contracts for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. School teachers stay up-to-date with the programme through a personalised online dashboard.
Project: MyTutor against COVID-19.
Summary: MyTutor has developed content for parents around getting set-up for a home-schooling scenario. On the schools side, they’re supporting schools as they explore the impact of closures on their ability to deliver lessons. They’re increasing the number of pupils tutors are allowed to take on the Schools Programme to help this transition. The coronavirus pandemic and lockdown has had a significant and potentially lasting effect on education, with edtech seeing accelerated adoption on a mass scale. On a global level, edtech companies saw VC investment grow by 22% in Q1 2020. The UK is a leader in the field, with its startups attracting 41% of all European investment last year according to data from our Data Commons. Edtech investment climbed 91% from 2018 to 2019. In contrast, investment in the US actually fell by 12% and European investment only grew by 8%. Edtech companies in the UK are numerous but tend to be at an earlier stage in development than those in markets like the US. Companies have raised smaller sums of money than those in sectors such as AI, fintech and healthtech and are less well equipped to cope with the sudden demand from parents or schools. Edtech has huge potential around the world to democratise access to education, and UK companies are well-placed to provide services into the international market.
