CoSector - University of London

What CoSector - University of London does

CoSector - University of London is a wholly-owned EdTech services unit of the University of London, established in 2015 with roots tracing back to the 1968 University of London Computer Centre (ULCC). The company provides managed cloud hosting, learning management system (LMS) services, assessment tooling, and digital repository solutions to more than 100 UK education institutions serving over one million learners. Its technology stack centres on the SCALAR Cloud Platform (built on Microsoft Azure and AWS with AI-enhanced scaling), the Assessment+ Moodle plugin suite, and hosted repositories on Samvera and EPrints, with deep two-way integrations into student records systems (SITS), Turnitin, Panopto, and timetabling/library platforms.

The company's product portfolio includes SCALAR (managed cloud infrastructure), Assessment+ (a comprehensive Moodle plugin suite covering submission, marking, moderation, mitigation, and analytics), Digital Repository Solutions (Samvera Hyrax/Hyku and EPrints with DataCite and ORCID integration), Flexible VLE Procurement (offering both Moodle and Instructure Canvas with migration flexibility), and DNS Hosting for .uk and ac.uk domains. CoSector operates a technology-agnostic model designed to avoid vendor lock-in for institutions, with the ability to host or migrate between multiple LMS platforms under long-term contracts.

CoSector generates revenue primarily through multi-year managed services contracts (hosting, support, and maintenance) and professional services (strategy, implementation, migration, configuration, and customisation). It holds the #1 ranking on the APUC procurement framework (ITS1040) for Moodle VLE services, providing direct award access to UK higher education regional purchasing consortia. Its go-to-market combines enterprise field sales targeting UK universities with a community-led model, anchored by active participation in sector bodies including Jisc, ALT, UCISA, 1EdTech, COAR, Samvera, and ORCID. Pricing is not publicly disclosed but is positioned around long-term contract price stability and 'exceptional value for money' reflecting the company's university-owned cost structure.

Name

CoSector - University of London

Legal name

CoSector - University of London

Website

https://cosector.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

CoSector - University of London is a wholly-owned EdTech services unit of the University of London providing managed cloud hosting, LMS (Moodle/Canvas), assessment tooling, and digital repository solutions to over 100 UK education institutions serving more than one million learners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education IT Services

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182), Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Course Authoring, Hosting & Delivery Tools (LMS for Creators) (MPACALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Open Educational Resources (OER) & Curriculum Repositories (EDAFACAJ)

Keywords

• Managed cloud hosting
• Learning management systems
• Digital assessment tools
• Digital repository services
• Higher education IT

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Managed Services and Hosting: Long-term contracts for hosting and managing LMS platforms (Moodle and Canvas), cloud infrastructure (SCALAR), and digital repositories. Customers benefit from price stability through multi-year contracts with flexibility to migrate between VLEs.
2. Professional Services: Strategic consultancy, system implementation, migration support, configuration, customisation and development services. Includes vision setting, ecosystem development, data integration, and roadmap creation services.
3. VLE Services via Procurement Frameworks: Services available through direct award on APUC framework covering system implementation, migration support, support and maintenance, hosting, and configuration. Available to UK higher education regional purchasing consortia members.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CoSector designs, hosts and supports cloud-based digital learning ecosystems for UK universities and education providers. Its core offering covers managed hosting of learning platforms (Moodle and Canvas) on the proprietary SCALAR cloud infrastructure, the Assessment+ assessment lifecycle suite, hosted digital repositories (Samvera and EPrints), data integration with student records, and DNS hosting for the academic domain estate.

Product overview

CoSector provides an integrated EdTech ecosystem built around its SCALAR Cloud Platform as the core infrastructure, complemented by specialized modules and services. The main products include Assessment+ (a comprehensive suite of Moodle plugins for coursework submission, marking, moderation, and analytics), Digital Repository Solutions (supporting both Samvera/Hyku and EPrints platforms), Flexible VLE Procurement (offering both Moodle and Canvas LMS with migration flexibility), and DNS Hosting services. The company serves over 100 higher education, further education, and professional learning institutions, reaching more than 1 million learners across the sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Assessment+: A comprehensive toolkit for Moodle supporting the management of assessment and grading dedicated to and integrated with UK HE requirements and systems, featuring plugins for submission, marking, moderation, and analytics.
• SCALAR Cloud Platform

Products and services

• SCALAR Cloud Platform AI-enhanced managed cloud service on Microsoft Azure and AWS providing near-limitless auto-scaling, security and resilience for learning experience platforms and assessment workloads, designed to handle demand peaks such as simultaneous high-stakes examination logins.
• Assessment+ A comprehensive Moodle plugin suite for the UK Higher Education assessment lifecycle covering submission, marking, moderation, mitigation, grade transfer and analytics; processes around 250,000 coursework submissions, 8,000 submission points, 18,000 extension requests and 270,000 grades annually and is validated by Jisc.
• Digital Repository Solutions (Samvera) Hosted repository services on Samvera (Hyrax and Hyku) for scholarly communication, archiving and preservation, including setup, maintenance, updates, user support and DataCite DOI/ORCID PID integration; underpins the British Library multi-tenant shared repository for Independent Research Organisations.
• Digital Repository Solutions (EPrints) Hosted EPrints repository services with around 10 years of experience, including Material Design interface upgrades, UN SDG tracking plugins, COAR Notify integration and Research Excellence Framework features, with CoSector represented on the EPrints steering committee.
• Flexible VLE Procurement Managed procurement service offering both Moodle and Instructure Canvas LMS with long-term price stability, allowing institutions to run either or both platforms and migrate between them without re-procurement.
• DNS Hosting DNS hosting for .uk and ac.uk domains with a 99.9% target availability SLA, plus domain registration, transfer and renewal services delivered in partnership with Nominet and Janet(UK) for the UK academic network.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 90% student satisfaction with online learning at Oxford Brookes University
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Moodle HQcoreTechnology or IntegrationCoSector is ranked #1 on APUC for Moodle services and works closely with Moodle HQ on development roadmap, new Moodle MarketPlace, and wider LMS ecosystem. Dave Kenworthy discusses Moodle partnership at annual Festival events with Moodle HQ executives.
• Instructure (Canvas)coreTechnology or IntegrationCoSector has added Instructure Canvas LMS to their VLE solutions alongside Moodle, offering customers flexible LMS procurement options with the ability to run both platforms or migrate between them.
• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partnership for cloud infrastructure (Azure) and learning tool integration. SCALAR Cloud Platform built on Microsoft Azure and AWS foundations.
• AWS (Amazon Web Services)coreTechnology or IntegrationCloud infrastructure partnership alongside Microsoft Azure for SCALAR Cloud Platform, providing scalable hosting for learning and assessment platforms.
• JiscflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive sector body engagement through membership and collaboration. CoSector contributed to JISC's national guidance on electronic management of assessment, and assessment lifecycle model development with Manchester Metropolitan University was validated and adopted by Jisc.
• 1EdTechcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoSector is an active member contributing to international integration standards development through 1EdTech, working on Edu-API and Asset Processor specifications.
• SamveracoreTechnology or IntegrationCoSector delivers hosted repository solutions built on Samvera (Hyrax and Hyku), actively participates in community, and contributes platform enhancements back to the open-source community.
• EPrintscoreTechnology or IntegrationCoSector has worked with EPrints for around 10 years, sits on the steering committee for community development, and is a registered service provider with DataCite and ORCID for DOI and PID integration.
• Manchester Metropolitan UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to develop the assessment lifecycle model which was later validated and adopted by JISC nationally. This collaboration led to the Assessment+ toolkit development.
• UCISAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive membership in UCISA (Universities and Colleges Information Systems Association) for sector collaboration and standards development.
• ALT (Association for Learning Technology)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive engagement with ALT, the professional body for learning technology in UK higher education.
• Brickfield Education LabsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for accessibility-first approach webinar and collaboration on LMS accessibility best practices.
• DataCitecoreTechnology or IntegrationRegistered service provider for DOI integration, enabling digital object identifier management for research repositories.
• ORCIDcoreTechnology or IntegrationRegistered service provider for persistent identifier integration supporting researcher identity management.
• COARcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive engagement with COAR (Confederation of Open Access Repositories) on repository standards and_notify protocol implementation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Turnitin: Assessment integrity and feedback platform widely used in UK higher education and already integrated with CoSector's Assessment+ toolkit at institutions like University of Exeter. Comparable as an assessment technology incumbent that overlaps with CoSector's assessment lifecycle focus.
• Ex Libris (Clarivate): Library and research infrastructure provider (Alma, Esploro, DigiTool) serving academic and research institutions globally. Comparable as a competitor in the research repository and scholarly communications space where CoSector offers its Samvera/EPrints hosted solutions.
• Instructure (Canvas): Global LMS provider whose Canvas platform CoSector now offers alongside Moodle. Comparable as a strategic partner and potential competitor for UK HE managed services contracts, with broader global scale but weaker UK-specific sector positioning than CoSector.
• Moodle HQ: The vendor behind the Moodle LMS platform that CoSector's #1 APUC ranking and Assessment+ toolkit are built upon. Comparable as both a core technology partner and an emerging channel competitor as Moodle HQ expands commercial services and the Moodle Marketplace.

Emerging players

• D2L (Brightspace): Cloud-based LMS provider with growing UK higher education presence. Comparable as an alternative LMS vendor competing for the same institutional customers CoSector serves through its vendor-agnostic VLE procurement offering.

Direct peers

• Jisc: UK's digital, data and technology agency for higher education and research. Directly comparable as both serve UK HE institutions with digital infrastructure, advisory, and shared service offerings, and CoSector actively partners with Jisc on assessment lifecycle standards.
• Tribal Group: Education management systems and services provider focused on UK and international education. Comparable as a long-standing UK-headquartered EdTech services company serving higher and further education with software, data, and managed services.
• Unit4: Enterprise software provider with strong UK higher education presence (Unit4 Student Management / SITS — the system CoSector integrates with). Comparable as a vendor serving UK HE institutions with mission-critical administrative and student information systems.
• CloudSource: UK Moodle partner providing hosting, support, and development for education institutions. Direct competitor in the UK Moodle services market where CoSector holds the #1 APUC ranking, offering similar managed Moodle hosting and integration services.
• Kallidus (Learning Technologies Group): UK-based learning and talent management software provider serving enterprise and education customers. Comparable as a UK EdTech services and platform provider with similar geographic focus and overlapping customer segments in education and professional learning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cosector
• Xx.com/cosectordigital

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 CoSector - University of London