Labster Hits Five Million Student Milestone in 10 Years of Purposeful Innovation in STEM Education

Rising digitalization in EdTech sector spurred by pandemic-related remote learning continues to fuel company growth in virtual training simulations

COPENHAGEN, Denmark--(BUSINESS WIRE)--#Edtech--Labster, the world's leading platform for virtual labs and interactive science, has achieved the five-million participation mark as it celebrates the tenth anniversary of its award-winning virtual science simulations.

Inspired by the flight simulators that pilots use to learn how to fly aircraft, Labster's founders Mads Bonde and Michael Bodekaer Jensen developed Labster to make learning more engaging and exciting for both students and teachers. Today, instructors using Labster virtual laboratory simulations can increase their students’ average final course grades by more than 16%, while also reducing the teaching workload and freeing up time for other activities.

“I have witnessed learning taking place with Labster. In my 30 years of teaching blood typing, I’ve found that my students understand the theoretical concepts from lectures, but get lost when they go into the laboratory. But once I started having them work through Labster virtual simulations as a pre-lab exercise, what they learned really clicked,” said Margaret Brady, associate professor at the North Dakota College of Science. “A colleague complimented me recently on what a great job I’d done in preparing my students for lab work. I give credit to Labster.”

"We’ve seen interest in Labster skyrocket in the last two years during the COVID-19 pandemic, as educators tested new remote and hybrid-learning teaching supplements. This has put the company on track to reaching 100 million learners with our global expansion and investments in new training verticals,” said Michael Bodekaer Jensen, Chief Executive Officer of Labster.

He added, “But our technology offers educators more than just a pandemic innovation. We don't aim to totally replace in-person labs, but rather help students prepare with pre- and post-lab training just as flight simulators do. Labster offers truly disruptive innovation in the virtual learning space because it encourages student participation, conceptual understanding, and accessibility, and it represents a shift toward more democracy in science education that should be embraced.”

For over a decade, Labster has provided scientists, professors, and students at more than 3,000 educational institutions around the world with the ability to digitally explore and enhance their offerings. Students benefit from Labster’s adaptive learning opportunities with instant feedback to conduct realistic experiments, study essential science topics, and practice their skills in a risk-free setting. Labster currently offers more than 200 STEM curriculum-aligned virtual lab simulations in biology, biochemistry, genetics, biotechnology, chemistry, physics and more.

The Labster Story

• 2022 - Rolled out free trial offering for educators.
• 2021 - Acquired virtual reality provider Ubisim to transform nursing education.
• 2021 - Secured $60M in series C funding led by Andreessen Horowitz.
• 2021 - Added new learning tools and supplements — including 60+ short-form simulations, 200+ lab manuals, lab reports, 60+ 3D animation videos, a library of thousands of 2D science images, and more.
• 2020 - Partnered with Google Search to create 3D augmented reality (AR) visualizations for chemistry education.
• 2020 - Implemented accessibility features including screen reader, keyboard navigation, and more to make science labs accessible to more students.
• 2019 - Partnered with the Danish Ministry of Education to provide access to virtual labs to over 300,000 high school students.
• 2014 - Became the basis of a research study that appeared in the Nature Biotechnology Engineering journal revealing a 76% increase in learning outcomes by using a gamified laboratory simulation alone, and a 101% increase in learning outcomes when used in combination with traditional teaching.
• 2012 - Launched first simulation for use by students at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU).

“Our vision continues to inspire and empower the next generation of scientists to solve major global challenges. We hear remarkable stories about students using Labster to come up with creative potential solutions for energy production or even possible cures for Parkinson’s disease,” said Michael Bodekaer Jensen. “It is incredibly rewarding and boosts our passion to accelerate our mission to provide equal access to science education on a global basis.”

About Labster

Labster is dedicated to developing fully interactive virtual training simulations that are designed to enhance traditional learning outcomes by stimulating students’ natural curiosity and reinforcing the connection between science and the real world. The simulations can be used in a variety of different ways, from a full lab replacement to a supplemental learning activity. Over 5 million students in high schools and universities have used Labster to perform realistic experiments, learn key science concepts, and practice their skills in a risk-free learning environment. Labster’s 350-plus team members from over 30 countries are passionate about improving science learning, resulting in collaborations with over 3,000 leading educational institutions. www.labster.com

Michelle Denny
Sterling Communications
+1 (408) 335-7331
labster@sterlingpr.com