Spotlight on Impact: Education

At Anthos, we view education through two lenses – as a societal imperative, and as a compelling area for impact-driven investment. Our approach focuses on identifying solutions that expand access, improve quality and enhance learning outcomes – while also supporting employability and economic participation.

We believe that both public and private sector players have a critical role to play in advancing education systems globally. Within this, education technology stands out as a particularly key enabler. By delivering high-quality content in scalable and cost-efficient ways, technology has the potential to reach individuals who might otherwise be excluded from formal education systems.

From adaptive learning platforms to digital education services, these innovations are transforming how education is delivered – making it more personalised, flexible and accessible across geographies and income groups.

A core element of our investment focus is directed towards underserved segments and those facing structural barriers to education, whether due to socioeconomic constraints, geographic isolation, or limited literacy and employment opportunities. By investing in solutions that specifically target these groups, we aim to contribute to reducing inequality in education access and outcomes. This includes supporting initiatives that promote literacy and numeracy, as well as broader pathways to skills development and employment.

Our education investments are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular SDG 4, which focuses on quality education for all. Within this, we prioritise sub-goals centred on access to primary and secondary education, as well as literacy and numeracy for both youth and adults.

This alignment helps to direct capital towards areas where the need – and potential for measurable impact – is greatest.

In practice, this translates into investments across a range of education-related products and services. These may include education technology platforms, publications and learning materials, as well as services that support both formal and informal learning pathways. Across these areas, we seek to back solutions that combine strong fundamentals with clear potential to deliver meaningful, measurable outcomes — recognising that education is not only a foundation for individual advancement, but also for sustained societal progress.

Education is widely recognised as a pivotal driver of individual opportunity and long-term economic development, yet access to quality education remains uneven across the globe. Progress towards SDG 4 has been slow, with large segments of the population still unable to achieve even basic learning outcomes, underscoring that access is not only about enrolment but also about quality and effectiveness.

According to the World Bank, 7 out of 10 children in low- and middle-income countries cannot read a simple text by age 10 – evidence of persistent gaps in foundational learning yet at the same time, reminding us of the disparities in access to education particularly in underserved and marginalised communities which continue to limit pathways to employment and economic participation. Private capital, when deployed with intention, can therefore play an important role in addressing these gaps.

By investing in scalable education solutions, particularly technology-enabled models, it is possible to expand access to high-quality learning while improving outcomes and relevance to labour market needs. Education technology, increasingly capable of delivering personalised and flexible learning at scale, offers a pathway to reach individuals who would otherwise remain excluded from formal systems.

In this context, investing in education is not only a response to systemic inequality – it is also a strategic opportunity. Evidence shows that each additional year of schooling can increase earnings by around 10%, reinforcing education as a cross-cutting theme linking education, productivity and economic growth. By supporting solutions that expand access and improve learning outcomes, investment in education helps unlock human potential, reduce inequality and contribute to more inclusive and resilient economies. [...]

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