Avallain, an innovative and impactful education technology firm, recently announced the acquisition of TeacherMatic, one of Europe’s fastest-growing generative AI toolsets for educators. The acquisition aligns with Avallain’s broader AI strategy, which includes remediation and copyright protection, both of which were developed for its industry-leading content creation platform, Avallain Author.
The Avallain product suite allows publishers to use the complete range of the best generative AI while adhering to educational, regulatory, and commercial standards. Over the last year, TeacherMatic has developed and organized one of the most comprehensive AI toolsets to support educators worldwide, allowing anything from lesson plans and flashcards to schemes of work and multiple choice quizzes – all curriculum-aligned – to be accessed with a few clicks. The agreement between TeacherMatic and Avallain serves as the foundation for a solid cooperation of cutting-edge and ethical generative AI applications in education.
Avallain, which began in 2002, immediately positioned itself as a pioneer in digital education. Headquartered in Switzerland’s canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, this was an excellent starting place for what lay ahead. Since its inception into digital education, the company has evolved into an international premium supplier and is happy to partner with some of the world’s most ambitious brands. It serves some of the most well-known educational brands, including Oxford University Press, Cengage National Geographic Learning, Cambridge University Press, Santillana, Klett, and Cornelsen, which serve millions of students worldwide. Avallain has recently raised 8 million euros from Round2 Capital Partners and is advised by i5invest. The Avallain Foundation also makes the technology available to others, extending access to quality education.
Speaking on the deal, Ursula Suter, Co-founder & Executive Chairwoman of Avallain, said:
We see this joining of forces with TeacherMatic as a crucial step to counter the main risks from generative AI while also benefiting educators and education, in general, in a manner that will cater to high-quality educational publishing and learning outcomes. For many years, we have been delivering grounded and considered educational innovation. We will continue to do that and more with TeacherMatic. Our product suite achieves both high-quality education and commercial viability with success for all parties involved.
In an additional announcement, Professor Rose Luckin has been appointed to the advisory board of Avallain. Rosemary (Rose) Luckin is a Professor at University College London and Founder of Educate Ventures Research (EVR) who has spent over 30 years developing and studying AI for Education. She is renowned for her research into the design and evaluation of educational technology and AI.
Rose added:
For many years, Avallain has been the quality engine of education for publishers and content providers. I am delighted to support them and provide guidance and direction for Avallain’s products as we step forward into this exciting era of AI within education.
Avallain also officially announced the Avallain Lab, with John Traxler as Academic Director. Traxler holds Chairs from the Commonwealth of Learning for innovations in higher education and from UNESCO for Innovative Informal Digital Learning in Disadvantaged and Development Contexts. The Avallain Lab was incubated in 2023 with a remit to provide research and rigour around product development for partners covering everything from learner analytics and accessibility to ethical AI applicability for learners. The lab will support Avallain’s current partners and operate commercially in partnership with other institutions exploring innovation in educational contexts. It also welcomes global collaborators.
Peter Kilcoyne, MD at TeacherMatic, commented:
TeacherMatic was formed by lifelong educators to make generative AI available and accessible to all teaching staff to help reduce workloads and improve creativity. We are delighted to have been acquired by Avalllain, whose expertise and experience in education and technology will significantly enhance our future developments, improve TeacherMatic as a platform, and engage with new markets worldwide. The ethical, technical, and educational principles that drive both Avallain and TeacherMatic make this a partnership that will benefit both organizations, our customers, and all teachers and students in the organizations that we support.
Avallain’s recent announcements build on its long-standing commitment to ethical generative AI, already available in Avallain Author, its market-leading content creation tool, and its newly launched SaaS Learning Management System (LMS), Avallain Magnet. Current clients can take advantage of new solutions that can automate aspects of the editorial workflow while keeping editors and learning designers in complete control.
TeacherMatic was founded in 2022 as Innovative Learning Technologies Limited and developed a suite of generative AI solutions for educators. The company aims to help teachers reduce their workload, increase productivity, and achieve a better work-life balance. The platform believes that providing teachers with the resources they need to succeed will make them more productive in the classroom and fulfilled in their personal lives. TeacherMatics has been adopted in FE colleges in the United Kingdom, universities, and schools, and they have recently joined OpenLMS.
