Breaking through in edtech: Proven tools to help startups thrive

How companies can leverage Lexile & Quantile frameworks to tackle funding, growth, and market penetration

Growing an edtech company is both exciting and daunting. Take it from us–over 40 years ago, our founders, Malbert Smith, and Jackson Stenner, were bootstrapping in a makeshift basement office. Today, we are an established, influential, and innovative education company, led by CEO Chris Minnich, an education policy and systems-level leader with decades of experience advancing literacy, assessment, and accountability at the national level. Why is getting to this point so challenging? Sure, you’re working to disrupt a sector that’s ripe for innovation–Edtech startups today are navigating a post-ESSER environment defined by tighter budgets, renewed accountability pressures, and increasing demand for proof of impact. Long sales cycles, heightened procurement scrutiny, and a crowded marketplace mean that innovation alone is no longer enough. Solutions must demonstrate measurable outcomes, integrate seamlessly into existing systems, and scale efficiently. But what if there were a way to fast-track growth, gain credibility, and offer proven solutions that scale with your business?

MetaMetrics, the creators of the globally recognized Lexile Framework for Reading and Quantile Framework for Mathematics, can help. We’ve been where you are. We understand what it takes to grow. And we really, really want you to! Why? Well, honestly, because we stand to grow too. There’s another, bigger reason, however. Written into the DNA of this company is a mission to improve learning for students and we can expand our impact through partnerships with bright, rising stars like you. Because of this, we have developed the Lexile & Quantile Accelerator Kit—a powerful, cost-effective solution designed specifically to help edtech startups overcome their biggest obstacles. We bundled high-impact tools into an affordable package that grows with your company. Here’s how we can help solve some of the biggest pain points in the edtech startup space.

Feeling alone? Partnerships are key to growth!

The road from idea to proof of concept to commercialization can be lonely. Often, edtech pioneers are out there in the marketplace trying to take a pulse by talking to potential customers. It’s easy to overthink, second-guess, and question yourself. How can you circumvent this common, often self-defeating pitfall? According to Adrian Ridner, CEO and Co-Founder, Study.com, who spoke on the panel Bring the Heat: EDtech CEOs on Scaling and Student Success at ASU+GSV Summit 2024, it’s about listening to your customers and embracing them as true partners with a shared mission.

“You have to be solving a problem you care about and you’re passionate about. You have to be able to have a solution or product that delivers outcomes. You have to be really listening to your customer, listening to the data, so you know when to double down and when to cut your losses,” explained Ridner.

In 2025, partnerships increasingly hinge on interoperability and ecosystem fit. Districts and institutions favor solutions that integrate smoothly with the tools they already trust, minimizing adoption friction and maximizing instructional continuity.

Partnering with complementary solution providers can reduce risk, accelerate market entry, and expand reach. The Lexile and Quantile Frameworks are already embedded across state assessments, commercial testing programs, and global learning platforms. More than two-thirds of K–12 students receive a Lexile or Quantile measure, making them a natural foundation for collaboration.

Struggling to stand out in a crowded market? Differentiate with proven, trusted tools

The edtech landscape is packed with startups, all vying for the attention of teachers, schools, and investors. So how do you differentiate your platform in a sea of competitors? By offering meaningful, research-backed measurement that saves teachers time and makes all those assessment scores truly actionable for parents.

The Lexile and Quantile Frameworks are trusted by over 35 million students and used by state education departments, commercial testing partners, and global language learning companies. By embedding Lexile and Quantile measures into your platform, you move beyond reporting scores to delivering decision-ready insights that educators, families, and systems already understand and trust. When you integrate these assessments into your platform, you immediately boost your credibility. This credibility helps schools quickly see how your solution fits into existing instructional models and long-term learning goals. Which leads us to…

Need to prove effectiveness? Show immediate and long-term learning growth

Proving that your product improves student learning is essential. In many cases, evidence of impact is written directly into RFPs, renewal criteria, and procurement decisions.

This is where the Lexile & Quantile Accelerator Kit excels. Lexile and Quantile measures are true growth scales, enabling companies to track progress over time, forecast future performance, and support early intervention.

The kit includes new K-12 locator tests, which ensure students start at the optimal level. From there, they’re funneled into Express Tests for ongoing assessment, allowing you to provide precise, data-driven results. This makes it easy to prove that your platform delivers measurable outcomes, a crucial factor when pitching to both potential customers and investors. Growth data increasingly supports not only classroom instruction, but also MTSS frameworks, program evaluation, and district-level planning. This positions your platform as a strategic asset, not just an instructional tool.

Expanding beyond K–12: Career readiness and lifelong learning

Career readiness, upskilling, and talent pipeline development have become central priorities for education systems. The momentum seen in workforce learning tracks at recent ASU+GSV Summits reflects a broader shift toward connecting academic skills with real-world pathways. Lexile and Quantile measures provide a common language for tracking readiness from K–12 through postsecondary education and into workforce development. This continuity helps platforms support earlier guidance, clearer pathways, and more equitable access to opportunity.

Funding challenges? The struggle is real, we know

One of the most significant hurdles for any startup is funding. In a post-ESSER landscape, every investment must justify its return. Whether you’re bootstrapping like Malbert and Jack did (before it was cool) or working through private equity lifecycles, every dollar matters. The Lexile & Quantile Accelerator Kit is designed with this in mind. It offers a budget-friendly entry point that delivers maximum value from day one, without the need for a major upfront investment. Even better, the solutions are scalable. As your company grows and you expand your product offerings, the kit can grow with you—bridging you to more advanced features like custom assessment design and career readiness solutions.

And you don’t have to sacrifice quality for affordability. You’re getting the same trusted assessment tools used by millions of students worldwide—at a price that aligns with the lean realities of a startup.

Long sales cycles slowing you down? Deploy solutions quickly and see results

Selling into education markets remains notoriously complex. Schools and districts often work on annual budget cycles, and decision-making can involve multiple stakeholders. The evaporation of pandemic-related federal and state funding (like ESSER) over the last couple years compounds the problem. Schools and districts have less money to spend or a grappling with how to fill budget gaps. When they do pin down their budget, it sometimes leaves little time for rollout. The Accelerator Kit can help you move quickly with ready-to-implement solutions. Whether it’s the Lexile and Quantile Express Tests or the Score Interpreter API, these tools are easy to integrate into your existing platform, enabling quick deployment and immediate results.

Once your platform is live, you can start showing positive learning outcomes almost instantly. And when you can demonstrate value quickly, it’s much easier to shorten those long sales cycles and secure more early adopters.

Looking to build a long-term customer base? Deliver continuous value

In the world of edtech, it’s not just about acquiring customers, it’s about keeping them. The Lexile & Quantile Accelerator Kit includes unlimited testing for each student license, giving educators the ability to track growth over time. This ensures your platform remains an essential tool in the classroom year after year, reducing churn and keeping users engaged.

But it’s not just about the tools. Teachers can also access the Lexile and Quantile Educator Academy, offering educators ongoing professional development, and the newly redesigned Lexile and Quantile Hub, which provides tools and resources that make differentiating instruction faster and easier. When teachers and administrators are equipped with the latest educational strategies, they’re more likely to remain loyal to your platform.

Buckle up, growing an edtech startup is a wild ride

For edtech startups, growing can feel like a wild ride on a shaky rollercoaster. But we aren’t here to lament the challenges. We are optimists. Which is why we designed the Lexile & Quantile Accelerator Kit so you’re not just getting a bundle of assessment tools, you’re gaining a strategic partner in MetaMetrics. From helping you overcome funding limitations to accelerating your market entry and proving your platform’s efficacy, the Accelerator Kit provides a cost-effective, scalable, and proven solution designed to help you grow.

Whether you serve K–12 learners, global language programs, or career-connected pathways, building on trusted, growth-oriented measurement frameworks positions your company for long-term success.

Ready to unlock the measures that inspire?

Learn more about the Lexile & Quantile Accelerator Kit.