What Open Development & Education does

Open Development & Education (OpenDevEd) is a UK-incorporated private limited company (Open Development and Education Limited) specialised in education research, programme implementation, and strategy consulting for low- and middle-income countries. The firm partners with governments, multilateral donors, and NGOs, including the FCDO, World Bank, UNICEF, British Council, Room to Read, Qatar Ministry of Education, Jordanian Ministry of Education, OECS, Caribbean Development Bank, and GOVET. OpenDevEd reports active delivery across 30+ countries with 16 current programmes and 37 completed programmes to date, and operates as a member of the EdTech Hub consortium. Revenue is generated through project-based professional services contracts underpinned by referral networks and consortium-led bids, with no publicly disclosed pricing or contract values.

The company maintains a portfolio of proprietary technology built around two product lines. First, an open-source Android application called SharePlusCode, which provides offline GPS location via A-GPS and PlusCodes in 18 languages, targeted at remote rural environments without internet connectivity. Second, a suite of Google Workspace add-ons and Chrome extensions (bUtils, bFormatReport, bNumbers, bTranslate, bChatTogether, bZotBib, BCalendarSync, BUtils for Sheets, bCal2Sheet, What GD?, GDocs Creator) that integrate with Google Translate, DeepL, Anthropic Claude, and OpenAI ChatGPT to support research workflows, citation management, and cross-team collaboration. The firm also builds and hosts Evidence Libraries using the Kerko open-source platform for clients such as the FCDO Evidence Fund and Kaleidoscopio, and has piloted an LMS platform for educational delivery.

The organisation is led by Director Dr. Björn Haßler with a multinational team of approximately 19 analysts, consultants, and researchers. OpenDevEd is founder/management-led with no disclosed external institutional investors, private equity, or venture capital backing. The company is headquartered in London with a registered office in Cambridge, and is actively operating as of late 2025 based on website and programme activity.

Name

Open Development & Education

Legal name

Open Development and Education Limited

Website

https://opendeved.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Open Development & Education is a UK-based consultancy that delivers education research, programme implementation, and strategy services to governments, multilateral donors, and NGOs across 30+ low- and middle-income countries, complemented by a portfolio of open-source EdTech productivity tools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Consulting and Research Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Software Publishers (51321), Other Computer Related Services (541519)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

OER Repositories, Discovery & Metadata Services (EDAGAJAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Open Access Scholarly Journals & Monographs (EDAGAFAJ), OER Authoring, Remixing & Publishing Tools/Platforms (EDAGAJAM), Open-Source & Developer Communities (BPAMABAM)

Keywords

• Education consulting services
• EdTech research
• Programme implementation
• Evidence synthesis
• Education strategy advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consulting and Advisory Services: Provides education research, programme implementation, and strategy consulting services to governments, donors, aid agencies, and educational institutions. Revenue is generated through project-based contracts and consultancy engagements.
2. Programme Implementation Contracts: Delivers end-to-end education programmes for clients including Room to Read, FCDO, government ministries, and international development organisations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

OpenDevEd provides education research, programme implementation, and strategy consulting services to governments, donors, aid agencies, and educational institutions in low- and middle-income countries. The company produces rigorous evidence bases and delivers agile programme management. Alongside consulting, it publishes a portfolio of standalone productivity tools including Google Workspace add-ons, Chrome extensions, the SharePlusCode Android app for offline GPS location, and evidence library platforms built on Kerko.

Product overview

Open Development & Education (OpenDevEd) offers a suite of evidence-driven education services complemented by a portfolio of productivity tools. The core educational offerings include Evidence Libraries for organizing research, LMS platforms for educational delivery, and consulting services spanning education research, programme implementation, and strategy management. The product suite includes Google Workspace add-ons (bUtils, bFormatReport, bNumbers, bTranslate, bStyles, bChatTogether, bZotBib for Docs/Slides, BUtils for Sheets, bCal2Sheet, BCalendarSync), Chrome extensions (What GD?, GDocs Creator), and the SharePlusCode Android app for GPS location in offline areas. Key integrations include Google Workspace applications, translation services (Google Translate, DeepL), AI LLMs (Anthropic Claude, OpenAI ChatGPT), and Zotero reference management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SharePlusCode: A multilingual Android app for increased GPS location accuracy in areas without internet connectivity, designed for use in rural and remote locations

Products and services

• Education Research Services Producing reliable, actionable bases of evidence that inform effective education strategy and programming, particularly in the fast-changing EdTech sector.
• Programme Implementation Services Bridging the gap between producing evidence and putting it into practice across all education levels through agile project management focused on the learner as the ultimate end-user.
• Education Strategy and Management Consulting Working with governments, donors, and institutions to develop effective education strategies and policies, informed by the best available evidence and iterative agile methodologies.
• Evidence Libraries in Education Online evidence libraries built using the Kerko open-source platform that organisations and institutions can use to organise and access educational research and evidence syntheses.
• SharePlusCode Android App Multilingual Android app for increased GPS location accuracy in remote rural areas without internet connectivity, using A-GPS and PlusCodes compatible with Google Maps and Maps.Me, with audio instructions for users with visual disabilities.
• bUtils for Docs Google Docs add-on providing utility functions including table text extraction, paragraph-to-table conversion, regexp-based text formatting, and UK/US spelling markers.
• bFormatReport Google Docs add-on providing coherent document styling beyond native Google Docs formatting, including functions for headers, footers, and tables.
• BNumbers for Docs Google Docs add-on providing heading numbering styles and automatic updating of heading link numbers when headings are inserted using native linking function.
• bTranslate for Google Docs Google Docs add-on for translating selected paragraphs while keeping original text as additional paragraphs or footnotes, using Google Translate or DeepL.
• bTranslate for Docs/Sheets/Slides Multi-platform add-on for Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides providing translation via Google Translate, DeepL, Anthropic LLMs, or OpenAI LLMs.
• bStyles Google Docs add-on for faster formatting of paragraphs, footnotes, and tables.
• bChatTogether Google Docs add-on that sends selected paragraphs as requests to Claude (Anthropic) and ChatGPT (OpenAI) AI assistants and inserts their replies as new paragraphs for multi-LLM collaboration.
• bZotBib Merged Google Docs and Slides add-on that embeds Zotero links pointing to sites built with the Kerko app for citation management.
• BUtils for Sheets Google Sheets add-on providing utility functions including default styling and cropping of rows and columns.
• bCal2Sheet Google Sheets add-on that imports event information from Google Calendars including title, location, start and end times, description, and other characteristics into appropriate columns.
• BCalendarSync Google Calendar extension for synchronizing events between different calendars owned by the user, useful for consortia and embedded team collaborations.
• What GD? Chrome Extension Google Chrome extension for accessing recent files from Google Docs, Sheets, Forms, Slides, and diagrams.net, providing recent history up to 10 days and extended history up to 90 days.
• GDocs Creator Chrome extension for one-click downloads and one-click creation of new Google Drive files (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Drawings) in specific folders.

Quantifiable outcome

• Active in over 30 countries impacting millions of learners worldwide
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 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

Integration15 records

AI capability5 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• EdTech HubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEdTech Hub is a consortium-led programme aimed at increasing the use of evidence to inform decision-making about education technology. OpenDevEd is a key consortium partner providing research and implementation expertise.
• World BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for education development programmes and research initiatives across low- and middle-income countries.
• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative work on education initiatives including personalised learning landscape analysis and UNICEF OGIP Academic programmes.
• British CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in education and skills development initiatives across various programmes.
• Mott MacDonaldmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational development consultancy partnership for education programmes.
• Results for DevelopmentmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for education research and development programmes.
• eKitabumajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Scaling Inclusive Early Learning with Deaf Children, collaborating on accessible educational content.
• Royal KentalismajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpert partner for deaf education programmes, providing specialised knowledge in inclusive education for deaf children.
• Busara Center for Behavioural EconomicsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner for behavioural economics aspects of education programmes including deaf education initiatives.
• Learning EqualitymajorTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for digital learning content and Kolibri platform evaluation, supporting offline education technology.
• UNESCO IIEPmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical support for Kerko-based evidence library development and UNESCO IIEP Educational Policy Toolbox website.
• GOVETmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTwo-year study on TVET in Sub-Saharan Africa for German Office for International Cooperation in Education and Training.
• Narola InfotechsupportingTechnology or IntegrationDevelopment partner for SharePlusCode Android app, providing technical development support.
• Caribbean Development BankmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Model Learning Recovery Strategy for Caribbean schools (Let's REAP).
• Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic Recovery Programme development and LMS policy guidance for OECS Education Sector.
• SightSaverssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for inclusive education programmes.
• BracsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLarge NGO partner for development programmes.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Education Development Trust: UK-based international education charity delivering school improvement, teacher training and system reform programmes for governments and donors. Direct peer to OpenDevEd's consulting and programme implementation work in low- and middle-income education systems.
• RTI International: Large non-profit research institute delivering education research, monitoring and evaluation for USAID, FCDO and bilateral donors. Direct peer on the evidence generation and programme evaluation work that anchors OpenDevEd's value proposition.
• NORRAG: Global network for research and policy on education and skills in LMICs, hosted by the Graduate Institute Geneva. Comparable to OpenDevEd in producing evidence synthesis and policy-relevant research for international donors and ministries.
• EdTech Hub: Consortium programme aimed at increasing the use of evidence to inform decision-making about education technology. Direct consortium partner and closest operational peer to OpenDevEd, sharing FCDO funding, research methodology and LMIC focus.
• Results for Development (R4D): Global development organisation focused on health, education and nutrition research and implementation. Comparable to OpenDevEd in combining policy advisory, programme implementation, and donor-funded evidence work in LMICs; listed as a strategic partner of OpenDevEd.

Broad incumbents

• FHI 360: Large international development organisation delivering education, health and youth programmes with deep USAID and FCDO relationships. Broader incumbent with overlapping programme implementation, research and EdTech integration capabilities relevant to OpenDevEd's work.
• American Institutes for Research (AIR): Large US-based behavioural and social science research organisation with a substantial international education practice. Direct competitor for donor-funded education research, EdTech evaluation and programme implementation contracts.
• Mott MacDonald Education Practice: Global engineering and development consultancy with a substantial education and skills practice serving FCDO, World Bank and bilateral clients. Listed as a partner of OpenDevEd and competes for overlapping donor education mandates at greater scale.
• UNESCO IIEP (International Institute for Educational Planning): UN-affiliated policy and planning institute supporting ministries of education on strategy, planning and capacity development. Named partner of OpenDevEd on the Kerko-based Educational Policy Toolbox and overlapping on EdTech strategy mandates.

Emerging players

• Learning Equality: Non-profit developer of Kolibri, an offline-first digital learning platform for low-bandwidth environments in LMICs. Listed as a partner of OpenDevEd; emerging player in the same evidence-and-EdTech-in-LMICs category, focused on learning content delivery rather than research consulting.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/OpenDevEd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/opendeved

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Open Development & Education