Top Higher Education Startups in 2026

Freshman year abroad + Admission to partner colleges = College, but better. Verto is on a mission to transform Higher Education in positive, student-focused ways. We offer Freshman year abroad with direct transfer to our partner schools. Our focus is on student outcomes, helping students get the most out of their college experience and set them on a path for a successful and fulfilling life and career.

Neighborly Software was founded on the belief that the administration of housing, economic and community development programs is evolving. Forward-thinking communities want their staff to spend more time maximizing community investment outcomes and less time on administration, compliance, and reporting. Neighborly Software's cloud software provides a turnkey solution for the enrollment, administration and reporting of housing, economic and community development programs. Neighborly Software is the only provider in the market that incorporates all the functionality required to administer these programs, including grant management, customer relationship management, loan processing and construction and rehab management. With a single integrated solution, housing, economic and community development departments can drive operational efficiency, improve their compliance and maximize community investment outcomes.

EAB is seeking an innovative, results-oriented Product Marketing Manager to execute and develop outbound, multi-channel marketing campaigns for a suite of technology and enrollment products aimed at helping universities graduate more students. In this role, you will work cross-functionally with Sales, Content Marketing, and Research to accomplish marketing goals and objectives. You will craft the messaging and the positioning for your product(s) across channels. You will report on campaign ROI and make data-driven adjustments to campaigns to maximize conversions. This role is based in Washington, D.C.

Higher education runs on fragmented data — across the SIS, LMS, CRM, and many others. Straia unifies it all.We’re building the AI-native intelligence layer for colleges and university systems, allowing administrators and leaders to ask questions in plain English and receive instant, decision-ready insights, visualizations, and reports without relying on manual queries or lengthy reporting cycles.By connecting siloed data sources and embedding intelligent agents into decision workflows, Straia helps institutions improve student success, optimize operations, and build a much more resilient higher education ecosystem.

Kalvi is an ed-tech company to transform the future of higher education.

Ad Astra Information Systems is based in Overland Park, Kansas, and serves higher education institutions and systems worldwide. They offer data-informed software solutions and professional services to effectively allocate space and faculty resources, forecast student demand, and accelerate student completions.Ad Astra has collaborated with more than 1,000 higher education campuses and state systems that prioritize the stewardship of instructional resources and improved student outcomes.

Element451 offers the first ever higher-education all-in-one CRM and admissions marketing platform (AMP), at a fraction of the cost of other industry solutions. Eight modules built on one platform optimize for data management and analytics, so as to help colleges focus on the students most likely to deposit. The modules include an online application, landing page builder, two-way email and texting, application reader and event management system. API integration, a unified database, behavioral analytics and emphasis on the student experience enables colleges to beautifully and intelligently engage potential students.

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