Starring SchooLinks, Blackboard, Canva, and more: ETIH rolls out the biggest education technology news stories of the week

Happy half term to those in the UK who are already enjoying a well-deserved break! And if you're not quite there yet, hang in there—the end is in sight. As we move through this week, we’re bringing you the latest updates from the world of educational technology to keep you informed and inspired. Here are the top stories from the past seven days:

SchooLinks secures $80 Million in Series B funding to expand College and Career Readiness platform

Austin-based SchooLinks has announced a $80 million Series B funding round led by Susquehanna Growth Equity (SGE). 

The investment will accelerate the development of its College and Career Readiness (CCR) platform, which provides essential resources for K-12 students across the U.S. The funds will be used to further enhance the platform’s suite of products, designed to link K-12 education with higher education and employers.

The company, founded by Katie Fang in 2015, has grown rapidly and now operates in 40 states. 

Anthology and Obrizum partner to launch AI-powered adaptive learning on Blackboard

Anthology has partnered with Obrizum, a Cambridge-based artificial intelligence and analytics company, to integrate Obrizum’s adaptive learning technology into the Blackboard learning management system. 

According to Dr. Chibeza Agley, Chief Executive Officer of Obrizum:

"We are incredibly proud to provide our unique adaptive learning solutions to Anthology, enabling the delivery of deeply personalized learning journeys and rich analytical insights built on strong foundations of high-quality data to millions of learners and instructors worldwide."

Canva launches AI-powered Dream Lab and expands Visual Suite to over 200 million monthly users worldwide

Canva, the all-in-one visual communication platform, has announced a range of new products and features aimed at transforming design in the workplace and beyond. 

Canva’s latest innovations include powerful new AI technology, following its recent acquisition of Leonardo.Ai. The introduction of Dream Lab, an AI-powered design tool, allows users across industries to create visuals from simple text descriptions. 

Global study reveals Generation Alpha's growing influence on digital economy

A new global study conducted by digital payments company Checkout.com has revealed the growing financial influence of Generation Alpha, defined as children born after 2010, on household spending in the digital economy. 

Rory O'Neill, Chief Marketing Officer at Checkout.com, stated: “It’s clear that Generation Alpha is playing a major role in the digital economy.

The younger generation is going beyond using social channels for discovery, but actually purchasing through these platforms. "

Stockpile launches family banking platform with kids debit card and tuition rewards for college savings

Stockpile, a company that provides fractional stock trading and gift cards redeemable for stock in the USA, has announced the launch of a new family banking platform. 

“We made investing easy and affordable for families, and now we're doing the same for banking while solving one of parents' top financial stressors — paying for college,” said Victor Wang, CEO of Stockpile.

Vector Space Biosciences launches student programme for space research with tardigrades and SBIO tokens

Vector Space Biosciences (VSB), a company specialising in space research and biotechnology, has introduced a programme that allows students to participate in space missions using SBIO tokens. 

SBIO tokens are a digital asset that grants holders access to VSB’s real-time data and images from biological satellite (CubeSat) launches.

With this programme, students who hold at least one SBIO token can follow the first of several planned launches, which will send Waterbears (Tardigrades) into space for research purposes.