While artificial intelligence can’t replace the expertise and creativity of educators, it’s proving to be a transformative tool to enhance teaching and learning experiences worldwide. Google’s Growth Academy: AI for Education program supports startups leveraging AI to create more personalized, accessible, and engaging educational solutions. Through mentorship, resources, and Google’s cutting-edge technology, these startups are tackling some of the most pressing challenges in education.
This International Day of Education, we feature three standout startups from across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa that are using AI to redefine learning.
SignLab: Uses AI to make sign language learning accessible to all
Location: Oslo, Norway
Founder: Endre Olsvik elvestad
More than 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents, yet only 20% of families with deaf children use sign language regularly, largely due to the cost and inaccessibility of sign language education.
SignLab is a digital platform using AI for education. This edtech startup is making sign language learning effective, accessible and affordable. This international startup consisting of engineers, teachers, designers and entrepreneurs has won the global edtech startup ward 2023 for social impact.
This edtech startup is transforming how people learn sign language using Google AI technologies like LearnLM and Isolated Sign Language Recognition. SignLab’s platform integrates videos to teach hand shapes, body language and spatial representation. The platform supports both online and offline learning, complementing classroom instruction.
“Google’s commitment to accessibility and inclusion in AI continues to push boundaries,” says Endre Olsvik Elvestad, CEO of SignLab.
With over 3 million users and 10 million signs taught globally, SignLab is breaking down barriers and making it easy to learn sign language.
Jotit: Reviving handwriting in the digital age
Location: Tel Aviv, Israel
Founders: David Bleicher, Yuval Chomski and Dr. Aric Katz
No matter how far the digital revolution goes, handwriting will remain essential for comprehension, retention, and creativity—skills challenged during the COVID-19 pandemic as traditional classroom practices disappeared. Jotit, an all-in-1 learning platform incorporating AI for education, aims to bridge this gap by integrating the best of digital and analogue learning.
Built on Google Cloud Platform and Vertex AI, Jotit offers advanced handwriting recognition, real-time collaboration tools, and customisable workflows.
“All of the proven learning methods like handwriting and group reading mostly disappeared throughout COVID, so the idea behind Jotit was to take all those simple things and bring them into the 21st century,” says CEO David Bleicher.
Backed by a US$10 million seed round led by Owl Ventures, Jotit is expanding its reach in the U.S. and Israel, helping students and teachers alike rediscover the joys of handwriting through AI.
MOONHUB: Reinventing workplace training with VR
Location: London, UK
Founder: Dami Hastrup
Traditional workplace training often struggles to deliver long-term knowledge retention. Research shows that employees forget up to 90% of what they learn within a month. MOONHUB addresses this issue with an immersive virtual reality platform powered by Google Gemini.
Cofounders Dami Hastrup and Hannah Sutcliffe designed MOONHUB to immerse learners in gamified training scenarios tailored to their roles. These scenarios improve knowledge retention by up to 40%, compared to conventional e-learning methods.
“AI can be a fantastic co-pilot in advancing edtech’s impact on education,” says Dami Hastrup, CEO of MOONHUB. We at Moonhub are enjoying seeing our output increase and the quality of our solution increase, too.”
MOONHUB is redefining corporate training, equipping employees with skills they retain and apply effectively.
AI for Education has a promising future
These startups demonstrate the immense potential of AI to enhance learning experiences, from classrooms to corporate training. With Google’s mentorship and tools, they’re creating a future where education is more inclusive, personalized and impactful than ever.
On this year’s International Day of Education, these innovative solutions reminded us of AI’s power to support educators and learners. The future of learning is here—and it’s AI-powered.
