In the digital age, education transcends the boundaries of traditional classrooms, and e-learning has emerged as the driving force reshaping how we acquire knowledge and skills. The past few years have witnessed an unprecedented acceleration in the adoption of online learning, driven by the global shift toward remote work, the pursuit of lifelong learning, and the demand for flexible, accessible education. Within this transformation, a select group of e-learning companies has distinguished itself as the leaders of this dynamic sector.
Our journey explores the top 20 e-learning companies of 2023, revealing the champions of this ever-evolving industry. These companies have not only weathered the storm of the pandemic but have thrived in its wake, generating impressive revenue while continually innovating to meet the demands of learners and businesses worldwide.
In this comprehensive guide, we'll delve into the world of e-learning, from traditional academic subjects to specialized training and upskilling for the modern workforce. We'll also explore the criteria that have propelled these companies to the pinnacle of e-learning excellence.
These e-learning titans are diverse, hailing from various corners of the globe and offering a broad spectrum of courses, from digital marketing and coding to language learning and leadership development. They cater to the needs of individual learners, educational institutions, and corporate entities alike. This article celebrates the giants that have not only weathered the digital learning revolution but have thrived as the architects of our educational future.
1. Harbinger Group ($5.2B)
Harbinger is a global technology company that develops products and solutions to revolutionize how people work and learn. For over three decades, Harbinger has been innovating with organizations in the people business, serving sectors such as Human Resources, eLearning, Digital Publishing, Education, and High-Tech.
2. Aptara ($1.6B)
Aptara is your gateway to content excellence, pioneering custom content development and publishing to redefine engagement possibilities. Serving diverse industries, Aptara excels in transforming content to drive revenue, empower training, and streamline back-office operations. As an unparalleled partner with deep-rooted expertise, Aptara collaborates with industry visionaries to offer fresh perspectives and a steadfast commitment to success. Discover a new era of content innovation and unlock your endeavors' full potential with Aptara by your side.
3. Skillsoft ($0.6B)
Skillsoft (NYSE: SKIL) is a global leader in corporate digital learning, dedicated to preparing today's workforce for tomorrow's economy. The company provides enterprise learning solutions designed to address critical skill gaps, drive behavioral change, and unlock the potential of employees. Skillsoft offers a comprehensive suite of premium, original, and authorized partner content, encompassing one of the largest libraries of leadership and business skills, technology and developer courses, and compliance curricula. With a diverse array of learning options—including video, audio, books, bootcamps, live events, and practice labs—organizations can significantly enhance learner engagement and retention. Skillsoft's offerings are delivered through Percipio, an award-winning, AI-driven, immersive learning platform that makes learning easier, more accessible, and more effective.
4. Udemy ($728M)
Udemy's mission is to transform lives through learning. Through its global marketplace platform, Udemy provides the tools that learners, instructors, and enterprises need to achieve their goals and reach their full potential. Committed to problem-solving and collaboration, Udemy believes in the transformative power of learning and teaching. The company's culture promotes inclusion, belonging, innovation, creativity, passion, and teamwork, celebrating milestones and supporting one another every day.
5. Blackboard ($700M)
As part of the Anthology ecosystem, Blackboard Learn is crafted to help students and educators achieve their goals through dynamic, data-informed experiences. Blackboard Learn by Anthology facilitates connections and engagement between students and faculty, driving better outcomes and supporting learner success.
6. Coursera ($636M)
Coursera, founded by Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng in 2012, aims to provide life-transforming learning experiences to learners globally. As a leading platform for online learning and career development, Coursera offers access to courses and degrees from top universities and companies worldwide. Achieving B Corp certification in February 2021, Coursera is committed to making a positive societal impact while serving its shareholders, continuing its mission to reduce barriers to world-class education for all.
7. Babbel ($270M)
Their focus extends beyond teaching languages, aiming to enable transformative experiences. Learning to understand and communicate in a new language fosters a profound sense of personal transformation and connection.
8. Docebo ($180M)
Docebo is the world's most powerful learning platform, designed for the business of learning. It enables organizations globally to deliver scalable, personalized learning to customers, partners, and employees, enhancing productivity, engagement, revenue, and growth.
9. Udacity ($100M)
With over a decade of experience in creating digital talent at scale, Udacity offers comprehensive solutions that address global talent shortages affecting growth, productivity, and innovation. Their exceptional curriculum, personalized mentor support, and measurable outcomes cultivate expertise in in-demand competencies, ensuring workplace relevance. Udacity is now part of Accenture.
10. Articulate ($84M)
Articulate is a company that develops e-learning software, content, and resources, revolutionizing the way the world learns. Through Articulate 360, e-learning developers gain access to a comprehensive suite of tools necessary to create courses for their learning management systems, which includes the award-winning authoring app Storyline 360.
11. CrossKnowledge ($75M)
CrossKnowledge assists global organizations in empowering a skilled workforce to navigate the future. They play a critical role in constructing effective learning environments for their clients, driving impact throughout their transformational journeys. CrossKnowledge believes that digital learning goes beyond just a platform or access to content. It entails the right blend of state-of-the-art technologies, seamless integration, expertly-designed learning content, and strategic guidance and governance—elements that only CrossKnowledge can provide.
12. ExecOnline ($50M)
They pioneered online leadership development to help leaders realize their future potential. In partnership with the world’s top business schools, they deliver career-enhancing programs for leaders and create meaningful impact for enterprises.
13. Khan Academy ($44.8M)
Khan Academy provides practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard, empowering learners to study at their own pace both in and outside of the classroom. Covering subjects like math, science, computing, history, art history, economics, and more—including K-14 and test preparation (SAT, Praxis, LSAT) content—Khan Academy focuses on skill mastery to help learners build strong foundations for continuous learning and growth.
14. ELB Learning ($40M)
ELB Learning provides an industry-leading suite of innovative software and professional services tailored to empower businesses in unlocking their people's greatest potential through customized learning experiences.
15. Learning Pool ($38M)
Learning Pool, a leading learning technology company, enhances employee performance through intelligent, data-driven experiences. With its enterprise portfolio, Learning Pool has developed learning journeys for numerous organizations and business units globally, enabling smarter compliance, onboarding, and upskilling. The company's commitment to creating business impact and continuous innovation is why customers such as Valvoline, Villeroy & Boch, and Royal Caribbean Group choose Learning Pool to improve the efficiency and productivity of their workforce.
16. Examity ($28M)
Examity, now a part of Meazure Learning, was established to offer flexible solutions through live, recorded, and automated online proctoring. The Examity proctoring platform remains operational and is utilized by test-takers until October 2024. Subsequently, all remotely proctored exams will transition to the ProctorU Platform.
17. Infopro Learning ($25.3M)
The company transforms individuals to drive business transformation by crafting engaging learning solutions. Thier solutions not only generate measurable performance impacts but also establish sustainable operational efficiencies.
18. Epignosis ($16M)
Epignosis is a workplace technology vendor. We help organizations, no matter their size or complexity, empower and manage their talent. The company develops a suite of premium products for corporate training and workforce management that are accessible and affordable.
19. Newsela ($10M)
Newsela is a rapidly expanding education technology startup driven by a singular ambitious objective: to deliver meaningful classroom learning experiences for every student. The company offers engaging and relevant instructional content for teachers, aiming to educate and inspire students. With nearly two million teachers enrolled, Newsela is dedicated to enhancing reading skills for students across all 50 states and over 150 countries. The company seeks passionate, creative individuals with sharp intellects and compassionate hearts. If you share the belief that all students deserve a more rigorous and personalized learning experience, Newsela encourages you to apply and join their team.
20. Bizlibrary ($8.3M)
BizLibrary stands as a leading provider of online learning solutions for expanding organizations. Their acclaimed microlearning video library captivates employees at every level, while their learning platform serves as a progressive catalyst for achievement. Supported by their expert Client Success and Technical Support teams, BizLibrary empowers clients to tackle business challenges and drive transformative change within their organizations.
