Learning platform Kahoot sets up Singapore office amid growing corporate demand in S-E Asia

SINGAPORE – With its bright visuals, upbeat music and live quizzes, gamified learning platform Kahoot has long energised classrooms across the world, keeping students on the edge of their seats as they race to answer teachers’ questions in the shortest time.

And as its use extends beyond education into corporate and event settings, the Norwegian company is deepening its footprint in the Asia-Pacific (Apac) with a Singapore office serving as a strategic hub.

The move comes at a time when Kahoot sees faster growth among enterprise users in South-east Asia, including Singapore, where the platform is used for corporate training, internal communication and audience interaction at large-scale events.

This shift is significant for the company’s business model, which allows educators and students free access to its most basic tier, while charging enterprise users anywhere from $160 a year for the entry-level plan to thousands of dollars for enterprise packages that include multi-user licences and advanced features like AI-assisted question generators.

The school segment is growing at a very healthy rate, but enterprise growth is faster in this region, Mr Ahteram Uddin, Kahoot’s vice-president commercial, for Apac, told The Straits Times after the company’s launch event at the Guoco Midtown Network Hub on June 30.

Smaller enterprises in Singapore with 30 to 50 people are also paying for Kahoot licences to bond their teams and keep them engaged, he said. “This is a very positive thing for us.”

Mr Uddin said Singapore is an ideal gateway for regional growth, and also “one of the most forward-looking markets in the world when it comes to lifelong learning and digital transformation”.

“With strong national investment in upskilling and a rapidly growing demand for flexible, measurable learning solutions, it’s a natural fit for Kahoot.”

Kahoot’s other offices in Apac are in Australia’s Melbourne and Japan’s Tokyo.

Founded in 2012 and launched for public use in 2013, Kahoot has hosted over 12 billion non-unique participants and now supports more than 25 million active users worldwide.

Once backed by the likes of SoftBank, Microsoft and Disney, the company saw its fortunes surge on the back of exponential demand for remote learning during the Covid-19 pandemic.

It made a leap from the Euronext Growth market for smaller companies to the main Oslo Stock Exchange in March 2021, with its market capitalisation exceeding US$6 billion (S$7.6 billion) at its peak. In January 2024, it went private after being acquired by a consortium led by Goldman Sachs Asset Management in a US$1.72 billion deal.

After the pandemic waned, Mr Uddin said Kahoot has “stabilised at high engagement levels”, with its usage continuing to grow.

The US remains its biggest market, but Apac has emerged as a growth driver, with over 250 million non-unique participants in the same period. For Singapore, the number stood at over eight million – “a very decent number in a country with just over six million people”, Mr Uddin said.

Kahoot declined to disclose its number of paid subscribers, but said its global revenue reached close to US$200 million in 2024. It is also banking on its AI features – first introduced in 2023 – to entice more users to upgrade to its paid services.

Teachers and corporate presenters can now use Kahoot’s AI generator to create slides and questions based on a topic, an uploaded pdf file or a URL. Students can use its smart note scanning feature to turn their study notes into interactive flashcards or practice tests.

Ms Sabina Mammadova, a science teacher from One World International School who was present at the launch event, said she uses Kahoot’s AI generator frequently to help her create engaging content quickly, as well as Kahootopia, a feature that fosters collaborative learning among her students. Mr Billy Yip, a Singapore-based HR professional, said he often uses Kahoot to help his colleagues maintain focus and to encourage interactions during internal meetings.

While Kahoot remains a prominent leader in the interactive learning and engagement space, other strong contenders like Mentimeter to Quizizz are also vying for market share.

To up its game, Kahoot has partnered content providers such as Sanrio, Disney, Peanuts and Nickelodeon, bringing their iconic characters into its collection of education games for young users and their families. It has also expanded its language offerings, with Vietnamese being the latest addition.

Mr Uddin said he is not overly concerned about the competition at the moment. What’s more important, to him, is to focus on deepening localisation efforts, giving users the language support they need, and delivering a best-in-class experience.

“Whether in schools, workplaces, or through government initiatives like SkillsFuture, we see a huge opportunity to support learners and organisations in achieving their goals,” he added.