Unowhy
UNOWHY is a French digital education company that delivers the SQOOL all-in-one ecosystem — purpose-built hardware, MDM and classroom software, and support services — to 400+ local authorities and 2,000 schools, serving 1M+ students and teachers across France.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Unowhy does
UNOWHY is a French digital education company that designs, manufactures, and distributes the SQOOL all-in-one ecosystem for schools and public-sector education buyers. Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Neuilly-sur-Seine, the company pivoted from consumer technology (the QOOQ culinary tablet launched in 2009) to education in 2012 and launched SQOOL in 2015. The offering bundles purpose-built hardware (tablets, PCs including the Y13 Gen 2 and Family Design lines, touchscreen PCs, battery dispensers) with a software suite comprising SQOOL MDM (device management), SQOOL Extend (virtual PC), SQOOL Protect (parental controls), SQOOL Classe (classroom management), and a catalogue of 660+ pedagogical applications. Supporting services include deployment, training via SQOOL Academy, and the SQOOL TV educational media channel.
The business model combines hardware sales, recurring software licensing, professional services, and training revenue. Pricing is quote-based and delivered through direct enterprise sales, a certified integrator partner network, and a 10-year partnership with UGAP, France's central public procurement organization. The target customer is the French public education ecosystem: local authorities (regions, departments, municipalities), IT and education directors (DSI, DEJ), elected officials, teachers, and indirectly students and parents. UNOWHY serves 400+ local authorities, 2,000 schools, and 1M+ users across France and overseas territories, with notable reference deployments including nearly 200,000 devices for the Île-de-France region.
UNOWHY employs 200+ people and emphasizes digital sovereignty (100% French data hosting, GDPR/CNIL compliance), eco-design (8.3/10 repairability score on the Y13 Gen 2 PC, ISO 14001 in progress), and a French assembly line launched in 2025 with capacity for 15,000 units per year. The company maintains active industry associations (EdTech France, Numeum, Cap Digital, EdTech Grand Ouest) and pursues inclusive education initiatives through partnerships with Canopé, CLEMI, ESAT organizations, and Rocket School.
Unowhy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Unowhy
- Legal name
- UNOWHY
- Website
- https://unowhy.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- UNOWHY is a French digital education company that delivers the SQOOL all-in-one ecosystem — purpose-built hardware, MDM and classroom software, and support services — to 400+ local authorities and 2,000 schools, serving 1M+ students and teachers across France.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Unowhy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Educational Technology
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Services-Educational Services (8200), Electronic Computers (3571)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Learning Device Ecosystems & 1:1 Program Solutions (Devices, MDM, Charging) (EDAJAMAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Learning Management Systems (LMS) & Digital Classrooms (EDAJAMAA), Interactive Multimedia Learning Content (Video, Audio, Interactive Lessons) (EDAFACAG)
Keywords
Where Unowhy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
Unowhy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Hardware Sales: Sale of educational equipment including tablets, PCs, hybrid computers, and battery distributors. Equipment is sold to local authorities and educational institutions, often as part of comprehensive digital transformation projects.
- Software Licensing: Licensing of SQOOL software suite including MDM, virtual PC solutions, parental controls, and classroom management tools. Software is integrated into the hardware ecosystem.
- Professional Services: Comprehensive implementation and support services including technical auditing, deployment assistance, staff training, communication support, and ongoing technical assistance. Provided through dedicated project managers and SQOOL Academy.
- Training Services: Teacher training programs through SQOOL Academy offering starter programs, IA training, and continuing education. Includes pedagogical support and usage development services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Premium equipment range with comprehensive software and services |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Unowhy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
UNOWHY develops and sells SQOOL, an all-in-one digital education ecosystem combining purpose-built hardware (tablets, PCs assembled in France), a software suite (MDM, virtual PCs, parental controls, classroom management tools, and a curated catalogue of 660+ pedagogical apps), and professional services (deployment, training, ongoing support). The company sells these integrated solutions primarily to French local authorities and educational institutions to equip schools and modernize digital pedagogy.
Product overview
UNOWHY's product offering is centred on SQOOL, an all-in-one digital education ecosystem designed in France. The portfolio spans purpose-built hardware (tablets, PCs including the Y13 Gen 2 and Family Design ranges, touchscreen PCs, battery dispensers, virtual PCs) and a modular software suite comprising SQOOL MDM (device management console), SQOOL Extend (virtual PC for hardware lifecycle extension), SQOOL Protect (parental control with web filtering), SQOOL Classe (classroom management), and SQOOL Applications (catalogue of 660+ pedagogical apps). These are complemented by SQOOL TV (a French educational TV channel) and La SQOOL Académie (teacher and student training). UNOWHY also provides structured implementation and support services covering audit, deployment, communication, skills development, and technical assistance.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SQOOL: All-in-one digital education solution including hardware (tablets, PCs), software suite (MDM, virtual PCs, parental controls, class management), and services (training, deployment, support).
- SQOOL TV
- SQOOL Academy
- SQOOL Extend
- SQOOL Protect
- QOOQ
Products and services
- SQOOL All-in-one digital education ecosystem combining purpose-built hardware (tablets, PCs), a software suite (MDM, virtual PCs, parental controls, classroom management), and human support services for pedagogical deployment, sold to French local authorities and educational institutions.
- SQOOL MDM Device management (MDM) console for centralized control of digital equipment fleets (tablets, PCs, mobile classrooms), enabling updates, security configuration, and usage supervision from a single interface.
- SQOOL Extend Virtual PC solution that extends the useful life of existing school computers by providing high-performance, secure virtual machines accessible from any device, reducing hardware costs and electronic waste.
- SQOOL Protect Parental control application designed for school contexts, providing web filtering based on the Toulouse blocklist, screen time management, and application access control for student devices used at home, GDPR compliant with French hosting.
- SQOOL Classe Classroom management software that enables teachers to share content, adapt materials, and guide student activities, helping to prepare and animate pedagogical sessions.
- SQOOL Applications Curated catalogue of over 660 pedagogical applications for Android and Windows devices, managed within a secured environment compliant with school usage requirements, with accessibility features.
- SQOOL TV First French television channel dedicated to digital education, reaching 655,000 monthly viewers and over 2 million views per month on social media, broadcasting content on pedagogy, digital citizenship, and educational innovation.
- La SQOOL Académie
Quantifiable outcome
- 23% of students lack sufficient digital resources (34% in rural areas)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Unowhy
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Unowhy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature7 records
Unowhy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Ouest-FrancecoreMedia partnership between SQOOL TV and Ouest-France focused on educational issues. SQOOL TV covered the Salon des Maires with dedicated interview platform.
- NaoticminorPartnership for educational digital auto-diagnostic services, supporting municipalities in assessing their digital readiness.
- SistechminorPartnership to welcome and support refugee women towards tech careers. UNOWHY contributes to diversity and inclusion in technology.
- CanopécoreJoint workshops to support digital education in Pyrénées-Orientales department (66). Collaboration to advance educational innovation and teacher support.
- EdTech FranceminorMember of EdTech France, the French EdTech industry association supporting educational technology ecosystem development.
- NumeumminorMember of Numeum, the French digital sector organization providing market analysis and industry representation.
- Cap DigitalminorMember of Cap Digital, the Paris region digital innovation cluster supporting technology ecosystem development.
- EdTech Grand OuestminorMember of EdTech Grand Ouest regional EdTech association supporting digital education innovation.
- CLEMIminorPartnership with CLEMI (Centre pour l'Éducation aux Médias et à l'Information) for media literacy and responsible digital use education, including joint emissions on SQOOL TV.
- ESAT OrganizationsminorPartnerships with ESAT (establishments providing sheltered employment) for local repairs and support services, creating jobs and improving responsiveness.
- Rocket SchoolminorPartnership with Rocket School to make digital technology accessible to everyone and support training initiatives.
- UGAP (Union des groupements d'achats publics)core10-year partnership with France's central public procurement organization. UGAP enables public institutions to purchase SQOOL solutions through established government purchasing frameworks. The partnership focuses on digital sovereignty, equipment longevity, and national economic support.
Scale indicators16 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Unowhy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Microsoft Education: Provides Windows devices, Microsoft 365 Education, and Teams for Education; competes with UNOWHY on both hardware (PC tenders) and software (classroom management), and is already a UNOWHY demo partner at Educatech 2025.
- HP Education: Global PC and Chromebook vendor with a substantial K-12 education business; competes with UNOWHY on device specifications, price, and bundled services for school districts.
- Google for Education: Bundles Chromebooks with Google Workspace for Education and Classroom at no incremental cost; an indirect but powerful competitor whose free software stack can undermine UNOWHY's SQOOL software value proposition.
- Lenovo Education: One of the largest PC and tablet vendors with a dedicated K-12 education portfolio; directly competes with UNOWHY on device tenders in French schools and globally, often with broader catalogs but less pedagogy-specific software.
- Apple Education: Sells iPads and Macs into schools with a managed Apple ID/classroom ecosystem; competes with UNOWHY's tablets and PCs at the premium end of K-12 deployments.
Direct peers
- BenQ Education: Provides purpose-built educational hardware (interactive displays, projectors) and classroom software; competes head-on with UNOWHY in K-12 device-led classroom deployments, especially in European public-sector tenders.
- SMART Technologies: Provider of interactive whiteboards, displays, and learning software for K-12; competes with UNOWHY in equipping classrooms with integrated hardware-and-software learning solutions.
- ViewSonic: Sells interactive flat panels, projectors, and myViewBoard classroom software for education; another integrated device-plus-software peer targeting K-12 institutions.
- Acer for Education: Sells ruggedized Chromebooks, notebooks, and tablets marketed specifically at schools; directly comparable to UNOWHY's premium tablet and PC ranges for K-12 deployments.
- Promethean: Specialist in interactive classroom displays and ActivPanel hardware plus ActivInspire/ClassFlow software; comparable in targeting K-12 pedagogy workflows and European public-sector buyers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Unowhy social profiles
Digital presenceUnowhy compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Unowhy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Unowhy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Unowhy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Unowhy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Unowhy
What does Unowhy do?
UNOWHY develops and sells SQOOL, an all-in-one digital education ecosystem combining purpose-built hardware (tablets, PCs assembled in France), a software suite (MDM, virtual PCs, parental controls, classroom management tools, and a curated catalogue of 660+ pedagogical apps), and professional services (deployment, training, ongoing support). The company sells these integrated solutions primarily to French local authorities and educational institutions to equip schools and modernize digital pedagogy.
Is Unowhy a public or private company?
Unowhy is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Unowhy founded?
Unowhy was founded in 2007. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Unowhy based?
Unowhy is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
How does Unowhy make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Hardware Sales are the primary driver. The others are software Licensing, professional Services and training Services.
Who are Unowhy's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Microsoft Education, HP Education, Google for Education, Lenovo Education and Apple Education. Direct peers are BenQ Education, SMART Technologies, ViewSonic, Acer for Education and Promethean.
Does Unowhy have an API?
No public API is recorded for Unowhy.
What industry is Unowhy in?
Unowhy's product category is Educational Technology. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJAMAL, Learning Device Ecosystems & 1:1 Program Solutions (Devices, MDM, Charging), with a secondary code of EDAJAMAA, Learning Management Systems (LMS) & Digital Classrooms. Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7373.