21st Century Learning International

What 21st Century Learning International does

21st Century Learning International (legal entity: 21st Century Learning International Limited / 21C Learning Limited) is a privately held Hong Kong-based education organization, registered at 1st Floor, Hing Lung Commercial Building, 68 Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan, that builds and operates a portfolio of professional learning products and communities for international K-12 schools across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. Co-founded by Justin Hardman (formerly Director of Technology at Hong Kong International School, Google Certified Trainer, Apple Distinguished Educator) and Graeme Deuchars (former Vice Principal at West Island School, Hong Kong), the company runs the annual flagship 21CLHK conference in Hong Kong (700+ attendees from 30 countries at the 2017 edition), the PHASE conference for Physical Education / Health & Wellness / Athletics / Sports / Experiential Learning (rebranded from APPEC in 2018 and expanded to the UAE in 2019), the GELS Global Education Leadership Summit, Lead to Succeed (L2S), regional TeachMeets across Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Singapore and Beijing, and the ISTE Certified Educator program delivered in partnership with ISTE.

The company's technology stack is primarily a content, community and event platform rather than a single unified software product. It operates WordPress-based websites (21c-learning.com, 21clconf.org, phase.community, leadtosucceed.community, digitallifeandlearning.org), a separate online courses portal (courses.21c-learning.com), a self-serve event registration and booking system with bank transfer and PCI-DSS Level 1 certified card payments, the 21CL Radio / Education Vanguard podcast network distributed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and Buzzsprout (100+ episodes since 2015), the 21CL Blog with a public submission pipeline, and the proprietary 21C Survey research instrument that produces ~100-chart benchmark reports per school. Privacy is GDPR-aligned with EEA-hosted data and Hong Kong PDPO compliance.

Revenue is generated through multiple streams: event and course registration fees (with tiered 100%/50%/25%/0% cancellation policies anchored 60/45/30 days out), corporate sponsorship (historically Pearson 2013-2015; Steelcase for 5+ consecutive years), direct consulting engagements with international schools (e.g., Kaohsiung American School technology infrastructure design), commissioned 21C Survey research projects, the 21CLI School Pass membership, and ISTE Certified Educator course delivery. Go-to-market is hybrid: event- and community-led (conferences, podcast, blog, TeachMeets) for top- and mid-funnel demand generation, and enterprise consulting-led for direct school engagements. Customer segments include international K-12 school leadership and administrators (primary), classroom teachers and instructional coaches, PE/athletics/wellness educators, and EdTech/STEAM sponsors. No public funding rounds or revenue figures are disclosed; ownership appears founder-led with a strategic combination with 407 Learning announced in June 2025.

Name

21st Century Learning International

Legal name

21st Century Learning International Limited

Website

https://21c-learning.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

21st Century Learning International is a Hong Kong-based private education organization that runs conferences (21CLHK, PHASE, GELS, L2S), TeachMeets, the ISTE Certified Educator program, the Education Vanguard podcast, and consulting and 21C Survey research services for international K-12 schools across the Asia-Pacific region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Education Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education & Instructional Practice Professional Development (EDAGANAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Online Learning Content & Course Publishing Platforms (BPAMAJAL), Teacher Training, Professional Development & Education Leadership (BPADAKAC)

Keywords

• Professional development services
• Education consulting
• International school conferences
• Educator certification programs
• Educational technology research

Headquarters

HQ city

Hong Kong

HQ country

Hong Kong SAR China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Event and Course Registration Fees: Revenue from attendee registration for 21CL conferences (21CLHK, PHASE, GELS, L2S), workshops, TeachMeets, certification cohorts and online courses. Bookings are made through the 21CLI online booking system and require payment in full seven days prior to the event, with tiered refund policies (100% at 60 days, 50% at 45 days, 25% at 30 days).
2. Event Sponsorship: Revenue from corporate sponsors and partners that sponsor 21CLI events, including past sponsorship from Pearson (Global Patron Sponsor 2013-2015) and ongoing Maker/STEAM Symposium partnerships with technology educational resource companies.
3. Consulting Services: Revenue from consulting engagements with international schools on technology integration, leadership, strategy and infrastructure design (e.g., Kaohsiung American School technology infrastructure personalization).
4. Research Services (21C Survey): Revenue from commissioning the proprietary 21C Survey research service to benchmark stakeholder attitudes and inform school strategic decisions around educational technology.
5. School Pass Memberships and Certifications: Revenue from the 21CLI School Pass program and the ISTE Certified Educator program (delivered in partnership with ISTE).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

21st Century Learning International provides professional learning and consulting services for international K-13 schools through a portfolio of paid conferences (21CLHK, PHASE, GELS, L2S, TeachMeets, Maker and STEAM Symposium), the ISTE Certified Educator program delivered in partnership with ISTE, the proprietary 21C Survey research instrument that benchmarks stakeholder attitudes toward educational technology, and direct consulting engagements on technology strategy and learning-space infrastructure design. The portfolio is anchored by community content including the Education Vanguard podcast (21CL Radio) and the open-submission 21CL Blog, and is structured around a Hong Kong headquarters serving schools across Asia-Pacific and beyond.

Product overview

21st Century Learning International operates as a multi-faceted education platform built around an annual conference business and accompanying community programs rather than a single unified software product. The portfolio centers on the flagship 21CLHK Annual Conference in Hong Kong, complemented by satellite conferences (PHASE for Physical Education/Health/Wellness/Athletics/Sports/Experiential Learning, GELS Global Education Leadership Summit, L2S Lead to Succeed), regional TeachMeet events, and the ISTE Certified Educator program. Surrounding content and community offerings include the Education Vanguard podcast (21CL Radio), the open-submission 21CL Blog, and consulting engagements supporting school technology strategy. Backed by the 21C Survey research service that benchmarks parent, student, and staff attitudes toward technology in international schools, the portfolio is positioned as a comprehensive professional learning ecosystem for international educators and school leaders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 21CLHK: Annual flagship conference of 21st Century Learning held in Hong Kong.
• PHASE
• 21CL Radio (Education Vanguard podcast)
• GELS (Global Education Leadership Summit)
• TeachMeet (21CL TeachMeet)
• 21CLI School Pass
• 21C Schools Workshop Series

Products and services

• 21CLHK Annual Conference Flagship annual conference held in Hong Kong for international K-13 educators, administrators and technology leaders to discuss integration of technology in the classroom. Features keynotes, workshops and student panels and attracts attendees from 30+ countries; pivoted to virtual delivery in 2020.
• PHASE Conference Conference covering Physical Education, Health & Wellness, Athletics, Sports, and Experiential Learning for international-school educators, serving multiple regions including Hong Kong and the UAE. Successor to the Asia Pacific Physical Education Conference (APPEC).
• GELS (Global Education Leadership Summit) Global Education Leadership Summit targeted at international-school leadership audiences, focused on educational leadership topics and pivoted to virtual delivery in 2020.
• L2S (Lead to Succeed) Lead to Succeed conference program aimed at education leadership development for international-school leaders, accepting presentation submissions from the community.
• TeachMeet Event Series Regional TeachMeet events held across Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Singapore and Beijing. Smaller-scale collaborative gatherings where educators share innovative tools, projects and teaching strategies.
• ISTE Certified Educator Program Professional certification course delivered in partnership with ISTE, including a fully online delivery option launched in April 2020, helping international-school educators meet ISTE Standards.
• 21C Survey Research Service Survey-based research service capturing attitudes, readiness and beliefs of parents, students and staff in schools about the use of technology to support learning. Each report typically contains around 100 charts with insights unique to the surveyed school.
• Consulting Services Consulting services supporting international schools in technology strategy, leadership, planning for systemic change and personalized design of technology infrastructure.
• 21C Schools Workshop Series Online symposium series covering diverse education topics, hosted virtually throughout the year with support from virtual event hosts.
• 21CLI School Pass School-level pass product offering access to 21CL events and programming for institutional subscribers as a membership/subscription.
• Maker and STEAM Symposium Maker/STEAM-focused symposium hosted in partnership with sponsors, focused on maker education and STEAM topics for international-school educators.
• Global Innovation Awards Annual international awards program recognizing excellence in 21st-century learning, with categories for Innovative Leadership, Innovative Educational Coaching, Innovative Teaching and Innovative Learning Program, judged against ISTE Standards criteria and sponsored by Pearson from 2013 to 2015.

Quantifiable outcome

• 700+ attendees from 30 countries at the 9th Annual 21CLHK Conference (March 2017)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education): ISTE is the global standards body for educational technology and operates the ISTE Certification program that 21CL delivers in partnership with it. It is directly comparable as the upstream certification, conference (ISTE Conference & Expo), and standards organization that defines 21CL's professional-learning framework.
• Bett Asia / Hyve Group: Bett Asia is the regional edition of the Bett global EdTech exhibition, run by Hyve Group, drawing international-school decision makers across Asia-Pacific — comparable as a large-scale EdTech exhibition competing for the same sponsor and attendee budgets that 21CL's 21CLHK and PHASE conferences monetize.
• Council of International Schools (CIS): CIS is a global membership and accreditation body for international schools, hosting leadership conferences and university counseling events — comparable as a broader incumbent serving the same international-school administrator community that 21CL targets with its consulting and conference work.
• ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development): ASCD is a large US-headquartered educator association running conferences, publications and PD programs for school leaders and teachers — comparable as a broad incumbent offering leadership and curriculum professional learning that overlaps with 21CL's GELS leadership programming.
• Learning Forward (formerly National Staff Development Council): Learning Forward is a major professional learning association for educators, offering conferences, certification and standards-aligned programming — comparable as a larger, standards-based professional learning incumbent whose programming overlaps with 21CL's ISTE-aligned offerings.
• ECIS (Educational Collaborative for International Schools): ECIS is a membership organization serving international schools worldwide with conferences, professional learning, and leadership programs — directly overlapping with 21CL's target audience of international K-12 leaders across Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Direct peers

• EdTechTeam: EdTechTeam runs Google-certified professional learning events, summits and certification cohorts for educators worldwide — directly comparable as a community-led, conference-and-certification-driven EdTech professional learning operator serving similar K-12 customers.
• EARCOS (East Asia Regional Council of Schools): EARCOS serves international schools across East Asia with annual conferences, workshops and professional development — a near-direct competitor for the same international-school educator audience 21CL targets in Hong Kong, China and Southeast Asia.
• ACAMIS (Association of China and Mongolia International Schools): ACAMIS is a China-and-Mongolia-focused international schools network that runs professional learning events and conferences for school leaders — comparable as a regional peer competing for the same Greater China educator community that 21CL reaches through its TeachMeets and conferences.

Emerging players

• EdSurge: EdSurge operates the EdSurge Con conference, a product-neutral EdTech community and news platform reaching educators and EdTech vendors — comparable as a community-and-events-driven EdTech operator that overlaps with 21CL's content, podcast, and conference activity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/21cli
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@21clradio
• Facebookfacebook.com/21clearning
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/21st-century-learning-international
• Instagraminstagram.com/21cllearning

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 21st Century Learning International