Matters Graph Sector Coverage

Education and workforce development span a broad continuum—from foundational learning in early childhood to lifelong upskilling and credentialing in professional and industry settings. This breadth has consistently attracted investor interest, given its societal importance, scale, and resilience across cycles. However, the sector faces unique exposure to volatility, as policy shifts, demographic changes, and evolving pedagogical models can all introduce uncertainty. Funding mechanisms—whether public, private, or hybrid—are often complex, fragmented, and subject to political and economic cycles, making predictability a challenge.

Commercial Due Diligence (CDD) in the education space must go beyond surface-level metrics. A robust Diligence effort should integrate both qualitative and quantitative insights across multiple stakeholder groups and structural layers, and requires a deep understanding of:

1. The funding and regulatory environment, including federal, state, and local flows; grant structures; subsidy programs; and how these frameworks shape curriculum standards, credentialing, and delivery models.
2. Preferences and behaviors of learners, educators, administrators, and employers—each of whom may have distinct priorities depending on geography, age group, and modality (in-person, hybrid, online).
3. The role of implementation partners and channel participants—such as school districts, edtech integrators, LMS providers, and professional associations—who influence adoption, scale, and long-term viability.
4. Technology disruptors, which are reshaping every layer of education—from adaptive learning platforms and AI tutors to blockchain-based credentialing and immersive AR/VR learning environments.

Critical Diligence topics include credibility, satisfaction, differentiation, and the measurable impact of products and services. It's also essential to understand potential technical integration points—whether software, curriculum, products, processes, or programs—and how these interact with existing systems, such as SIS, LMS, or district-level infrastructure.

Voice of Customer research is indispensable in navigating this complexity. It must be structured to capture the nuances of decision-making across various buyer categories, including school districts, university departments, HR teams, and individual learners. Key questions include: Does the offering demonstrably improve career outcomes? How do institutions evaluate alternatives? What are the switching costs—technical, cultural, and financial? Which budget lines are used (e.g., professional development, technology, curriculum), and how stable are those budgets over time?

Matters Graph has deep experience across a wide range of asset types, including edtech for early childhood education, K–12 curriculum and textbook support, higher education media platforms, and workforce development and management solutions. Our work spans both traditional and emerging models—from legacy publishers and accreditation bodies to AI-powered tutoring platforms and skills-based hiring tools. We've supported Diligence across various learning formats, including synchronous and asynchronous learning, credentialing platforms, boot camps, and employer-sponsored learning ecosystems. This breadth allows us to contextualize each asset within its operational, regulatory, and learner environment—ensuring that our clients have a clear, evidence-based view of opportunity and risk.

Recent Matters Graph Education and Workforce Development project examples include (for details on Matters Graph Diligence exercises covered in PitchBook, click on the PitchBook icons below to view deal details):