Blackboard
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
Blackboard firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Blackboard
- Legal name
- Blackboard LLC
- Website
- https://blackboard.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Blackboard industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Learning Management Systems
- NAICS
- Educational Services (611), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Learning Management Systems (LMS) & Academic Application Support (EDALAMAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Learning Management Systems (LMS) & Digital Classrooms (EDAJAMAA), Corporate/L&D Course Licensing from Creators (B2B Upskilling) (MPACALAH)
Keywords
Where Blackboard is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Blackboard business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- LMS Subscriptions: Subscription-based licensing of Blackboard LMS to educational institutions, government agencies, and corporations. The company operates on a SaaS model with per-seat or site licensing.
- Accessibility Solutions (Ally): Subscription revenue from Blackboard Ally accessibility solution, available as an integrated LMS add-on or for websites and CMS platforms
- Analytics and Intelligence Solutions: Revenue from Blackboard Illuminate data analytics platform and related institutional intelligence solutions
- Assessment and Evaluation Solutions: Revenue from Blackboard Evaluate (course evaluations) and Outcomes assessment management solutions
- Credentialing and Badging Solutions: Revenue from Blackboard Milestone skills and badging/micro-credentialing platform
- Professional Services: Implementation, adoption, and professional development services including onboarding, training, and strategic consulting
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise site licensing for institutions |
| Per seat | Annual | Per-seat/user licensing |
| Subscription | Annual | SaaS-based corporate training licensing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Blackboard product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Blackboard provides an AI-powered Learning Management System (LMS) and integrated teaching and learning solutions for higher education institutions, government agencies, and corporations. The platform is delivered as a SaaS subscription on AWS cloud infrastructure and includes built-in generative AI capabilities for course design and student interaction, along with complementary modules for accessibility compliance, data analytics, course evaluation, accreditation, and credentialing.
Product overview
Blackboard is a platform-plus-modules architecture providing an AI-powered digital learning environment for transformational teaching and learning. The core offering is the Blackboard LMS, a market-leading learning management system with built-in generative AI capabilities. The platform is complemented by specialized modules including Blackboard Ally (accessibility), Blackboard Illuminate (data analytics), Blackboard Evaluate (course evaluation), and Blackboard Institutional Effectiveness solutions (Accreditation, Outcomes, Planning, Program Review). Additional products include Blackboard Milestone (skills and badging), Blackboard LMS: Adopt (student engagement analytics powered by Pendo), and dedicated solutions for Government and Business sectors. All offerings are supported by implementation and professional development services, and the platform serves thousands of institutions globally with an emphasis on AI innovation, accessibility, and usability.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Blackboard LMS: Market-leading learning management system with AI capabilities for higher education, government, and business sectors
- Blackboard Ally
- Blackboard Illuminate
- Blackboard Evaluate
- Blackboard Milestone
- Blackboard Accreditation
- Blackboard Outcomes
Products and services
- Blackboard LMS Market-leading Learning Management System with built-in generative AI capabilities, designed to save instructors time and enable collaborative, personalized learning experiences. Features include course building tools, plagiarism detection, customizable grading interface, accessibility integrations, and AI Design Assistant.
- Blackboard Ally Accessibility solution that dynamically enhances digital course content to meet individual learner needs, challenges, and preferences. Automatically generates alternative formats (audio, translations in 100+ languages), provides feedback for instructors, and includes comprehensive reporting for institutions to meet Title II requirements.
- Blackboard Illuminate Comprehensive data and reporting platform that incorporates data from Blackboard products and other sources (LMS, SIS, CRM) to deliver actionable insights for student and institutional success. Features include Data Q&A using Generative BI, custom reports, and visualization capabilities.
- Blackboard Evaluate Course evaluation and feedback solution that streamlines the evaluation process from survey delivery to reporting. Provides timely, meaningful feedback for faculty and administrators to improve learning outcomes, featuring nationally normed evaluation instruments (IDEA System).
- Blackboard Institutional Effectiveness Suite of assessment management solutions spanning outcomes measurement, strategic planning, program review, and accreditation to help institutions learn from their own data and act on it.
- Blackboard Accreditation Collaborative accreditation platform that helps institutions gather evidence for external stakeholders, navigate accreditation complexities, and support continuous improvement processes.
- Blackboard Outcomes Unified, evidence-based approach to measuring learning with embedded outcomes measurement in the LMS. Provides real-time visibility into student learning and skill mastery for accreditation reporting and institutional planning.
- Blackboard Milestone Skills and badging platform enabling learners to certify and showcase skills through badging and micro-credentialing, competency assessment, career goal setting, and guided skill progression with Open Badge 2.0 compliance.
- Blackboard LMS for Government Learning Management System for government agencies providing secure and scalable workforce skills and regulatory training programs. Features FedRAMP, IL4, and GovRAMP certifications for government cloud deployment via AWS GovCloud.
- Blackboard LMS for Business Learning management solutions for corporate training and professional development, enabling flexible employee development, training, and online learning with SaaS model and HR software integration.
- Blackboard LMS: Adopt Powered by Pendo, provides insight and outreach capabilities to streamline learning adoption and track feature utilization to help identify disengaged or struggling learners for early intervention.
- Blackboard Professional Development Implementation, adoption, and training services to configure, deploy, and support Blackboard solutions, align them to institutional goals, and ensure ongoing success.
- Blackboard Planning Learning assessment tool designed for higher education to make institutional planning second nature with data-driven decision making.
- Blackboard Program Review Internal program review solution that collects evidence of program effectiveness and identifies areas for improvement through a centralized process.
Quantifiable outcome
- 2.92 million AI Conversation messages from 209,000 students across 575 institutions globally
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Blackboard
Customer profileNamed customers26 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Blackboard technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration10 records
AI capability11 records
Feature10 records
Blackboard partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
26 partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, standard, premier, gold, silver, bronze, core, innovation and regional.
- ViaPath TechnologiesstrategicViaPath Technologies partnered with Blackboard to integrate Blackboard Learn into its secure digital education platform for corrections facilities nationwide. Collaboration expands educational offerings for incarcerated learners including GED preparation, vocational training, and accredited college courses, building on ViaPath's existing delivery of 55.4 million hours of e-learning.
- EnfluxstandardEnflux announced integration with Blackboard allowing institutions to import and analyze Blackboard data within the Enflux platform to improve student performance monitoring and intervention strategies.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)premierBlackboard utilizes AWS as its cloud infrastructure platform, being an AWS Advanced Tier Services Partner with both AWS Education Competency and AWS Government Competency recognitions. AWS GovCloud deployment provides secure foundation for government clients with IL4 and FedRAMP certifications.
- RespondusgoldRespondus develops assessment applications for education, training and certification markets. Over 100 million assessments are created, delivered, proctored or analyzed using Respondus technology annually. Partnership enables deep integration with Blackboard LMS for academic integrity solutions.
- VitalSourcesilverVitalSource is a leading global learning technology company powering a secure, scalable Learning Delivery Network. Partnership provides digital content, accessibility, student engagement, and curriculum management integrations with Blackboard.
- KalturabronzeKaltura provides live and on-demand video SaaS solutions to thousands of organizations globally. Partnership enables multimedia integration within Blackboard LMS for video-based learning experiences.
- PanoptocorePanopto is designed for asynchronous video communication, enabling creation and sharing of on-demand videos and screen recordings. Integration with Blackboard enables seamless video content delivery within the LMS.
- Cengage LearningcoreOne of the largest education technology companies globally, Cengage provides digital products to millions of students. Partnership streamlines access to Cengage MindTap and WebAssign within Blackboard Learn courses.
- Turnitin LLCcoreTurnitin provides academic integrity and plagiarism detection solutions. Partnership enables text similarity matching and academic integrity features within Blackboard LMS.
- Qwickly LLCstandardQwickly Attendance Pro offers attendance tracking options for instructors and institutional reporting. Integration provides seamless attendance management within Blackboard.
- ObrizuminnovationPartnership with Obrizum to revolutionize AI-powered learning for Blackboard users worldwide. Obrizum provides adaptive learning technology that personalizes content delivery based on learner performance.
- CognosOnlineregionalChannel partner serving Latin America (Mexico, Colombia, Panama, Ecuador, Chile, Peru, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina) with 23+ years of partnership history with Blackboard.
- eLearning MediaregionalChannel partner for Spain and Portugal with deeply integrated partnership providing local expertise complementing Blackboard software and support.
- BMEregionalChannel partner for Middle East region with over two decades of trusted partnership. BME has been Blackboard partner for 20+ years.
- MegaTEXTSregionalChannel partner serving Philippines with partnership valued for business growth and education community service.
- CGI Federal Inc.regionalChannel partner based in Fairfax, VA serving North America with federal government IT services.
- DLT SolutionsregionalChannel partner based in Herndon, VA specializing in government technology solutions for North America.
- Four Inc.regionalChannel partner providing technology solutions and services for North America market.
- Eastech ConsultingregionalChannel partner based in Hong Kong serving Asia-Pacific region.
- TalismaregionalChannel partner serving India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka with education technology solutions.
- Knowmad MoodregionalChannel partner serving Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland with implementation and support services.
- SeidorregionalChannel partner based in Barcelona serving Italy and Spain markets.
- Sybven LLCregionalChannel partner serving extensive Latin American and Caribbean markets including Venezuela, Peru, Mexico, and Caribbean nations.
- Dynamics Africa ServicesregionalChannel partner serving 23 African nations including Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, and Ethiopia.
- EvanzaregionalChannel partner serving Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, and Brazil.
- HonorlockcorePartnership with Honorlock for remote proctoring integration enabling transparent, accessible, and engaging assessment design within Blackboard LMS.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Blackboard competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Open edX: Open edX is the open-source LMS platform stewarded by 2U/edX, widely used in higher education and corporate training as a customizable alternative to proprietary LMS like Blackboard.
- Docebo: Docebo is an AI-native corporate LMS competing directly with Blackboard LMS for Business, with strong growth in enterprise workforce learning and a comparable SaaS pricing model.
Direct peers
- Instructure (Canvas): Instructure's Canvas is the most direct competitor to Blackboard LMS in higher education, offering a comparable cloud-based LMS with similar AI features and integrations, serving many of the same university customers.
- D2L (Brightspace): D2L's Brightspace is a direct LMS competitor in higher education and K-12, offering cloud-based learning management with similar analytics, accessibility, and AI capabilities, frequently shortlisted alongside Blackboard in institutional evaluations.
- Moodle: Moodle is the leading open-source LMS, widely adopted in higher education and K-12 globally. While Blackboard historically acquired Moodlerooms, Moodle continues to compete as a low-cost alternative particularly in EMEA and APAC.
- Cornerstone OnDemand: Cornerstone OnDemand is a leading corporate LMS and talent management platform, directly comparable to Blackboard LMS for Business in serving enterprise workforce training customers like the ones in Blackboard's AT&T, Kaiser Permanente, and Westinghouse accounts.
Broad incumbents
- Google Classroom: Google Classroom, bundled free with Google Workspace for Education, is the dominant LMS-like platform in K-12 and increasingly used in higher education. Its incumbency in education IT creates a major competitive constraint on Blackboard's pricing and adoption.
- Microsoft Education (Teams for Education): Microsoft Teams for Education combined with Microsoft 365 is a broad incumbent in the education productivity space, competing directly with Blackboard LMS in higher education and K-12 through bundled classroom, communication, and assignment tools.
- PowerSchool: PowerSchool is the dominant K-12 student information and learning platform in North America, overlapping with Blackboard's K-12 segment through its unified classroom and Schoology LMS products.
- Workday Learning: Workday Learning, bundled with Workday HCM, is a major incumbent in enterprise learning management, competing with Blackboard LMS for Business for corporate customers that already standardize on Workday HR systems.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Blackboard social profiles
Digital presenceBlackboard compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Blackboard financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Blackboard leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Blackboard funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors19 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Blackboard M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A21 records
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Blackboard
What does Blackboard do?
Blackboard provides an AI-powered Learning Management System (LMS) and integrated teaching and learning solutions for higher education institutions, government agencies, and corporations. The platform is delivered as a SaaS subscription on AWS cloud infrastructure and includes built-in generative AI capabilities for course design and student interaction, along with complementary modules for accessibility compliance, data analytics, course evaluation, accreditation, and credentialing.
Is Blackboard a public or private company?
Blackboard is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was Blackboard founded?
Blackboard was founded in 1997. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Blackboard based?
Blackboard is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does Blackboard make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. LMS Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are accessibility Solutions (Ally), analytics and Intelligence Solutions, assessment and Evaluation Solutions, credentialing and Badging Solutions and professional Services.
Who are Blackboard's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Open edX and Docebo. Direct peers are Instructure (Canvas), D2L (Brightspace), Moodle and Cornerstone OnDemand. Broad incumbents are Google Classroom, Microsoft Education (Teams for Education), PowerSchool and Workday Learning.
Does Blackboard have an API?
Yes. Blackboard's platform supports LTI (Learning Tools Interoperability) and API-based integrations, enabling deep connections between Blackboard and partner products for a seamless user experience. The platform is described as a standards-first company with LTI- and API-based integrations that are reliable, supported, and scalable. Developer documentation is available through the Blackboard developer community portal. Developer documentation is at docs.anthology.com/docs/community/getting-involved.
What industry is Blackboard in?
Blackboard's product category is Learning Management Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDALAMAC, Learning Management Systems (LMS) & Academic Application Support, with a secondary code of EDAJAMAA, Learning Management Systems (LMS) & Digital Classrooms. Its NAICS code is 611 and its SIC code is 8200.