Navigating the EdTech Landscape:
Turning Market Intelligence into Strategic Insight

Grounding Decisions in Market Data
Whether the customer is a college, technology vendor, or private equity firm, Ménard’s goal is to reduce uncertainty by grounding decisions in reliable market data. “When someone asks for a broad data set, I immediately wonder what’s driving the request. If they want all the LMS data, I’m thinking, ‘There are probably a handful of companies they’re evaluating, which one is it?’ Ultimately, they’re trying to understand where the market is headed, who’s gaining or losing market share, and whether those trends will continue. You can have a theory, but when you support it with data, you have much more confidence in your decisions.”

“Private equity now owns much of the edtech market,” adds Hill. “Many universities still think about venture capital and startups, but much of the market—even for relatively small companies—is driven by private equity dynamics. Ten or fifteen years ago, venture capital was focused on vision and growth potential. Today, private equity is asking different questions: Can a company become profitable? Is there room to grow contract value? Is the business model sustainable? Around 2021, there was an enormous amount of interest in edtech because capital was plentiful. When interest rates increased, that changed almost overnight. Companies that had been counting on another funding round or an acquisition suddenly faced a very different environment.”

While investors use data to reduce uncertainty around acquisitions and market opportunities, institutions respond differently. “Institutions do not react that quickly to policy, they react to periods of change,” says Ménard. “When that happens, technology decisions tend to slow down. Institutions pause, ask more questions, and look for signals before moving forward. We can show what similar colleges are evaluating, what their technology stacks look like, and where they’re headed. When a school announces a new technology, they often reference other institutions that have made the same decision. They don’t want to feel like they’re making that decision alone.”

Creating a Foundation for Strategic Decisions
Market data and policy analysis each provide valuable insights, but together they give institutions a more objective foundation for making strategic decisions. “Ten years ago, decision-making was often driven by marketing claims,” says Hill. “Schools would talk to peer institutions, but were still reacting to what vendors were telling them. Justin’s data and policy analysis give institutions something objective to anchor those conversations. Instead of starting with a marketing claim, you can start with the data, the policy implications, and other measurable criteria. Ultimately, it empowers institutions to take a more active role in their own decision-making.”

“When we first started working together, I had all this data and was confident in what I was seeing,” adds Ménard. “Phil would look at the same trends and explain what was driving them from a completely different perspective. For example, when we saw Campus Management’s SIS market share decline by 5% or 10%, I wondered why they were losing so much ground. Then someone asked, ‘Did you look at school closures?’ I went back to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) data and found that many of those institutions had simply closed. They weren’t switching products; they were no longer operating. Phil brings that extra layer of context that explains what’s really happening. The data tells you what happened, but understanding why it happened makes all the difference.”

Combining Insight with Market Intelligence
The strongest technology decisions come from combining strategic insight with market intelligence to better understand not only what solutions are available, but how they perform in real-world institutional environments. “Our role is to provide the evidence,” says Ménard. “We can show the technology stack, and if you change one product, we can show that there are very few institutions using that combination of systems. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad product; it just provides another data point to consider. We focus on the evidence, and Phil brings the context around that decision, including the strategy, the market dynamics, and the different perspectives that influence the outcome. He sees the story behind the data.”

“If an institution only works with us for advice on a vendor selection, but they’re not looking at implementation data and market trends, they’re missing a lot of the nuance that Justin’s data provides,” adds Hill. “A decision isn’t just about whether one system looks like the right fit, but also understanding how that system fits into the larger landscape. It’s important to ask questions like: What other institutions like yours are using this product? Are they using it alongside other systems you already have or are considering? Are there examples of these systems working together, or are you going to be the first one trying to make that connection? A holistic approach allows you to see those additional layers and make a more informed decision—one that considers not just the technology itself, but how it supports your institution’s goals, integrates with existing systems, and helps position you for what comes next.”