From the schoolyard to a European EdTech champion

Interview with Daniel Zacharias, CEO and co-founder of Seven Education

What happens when two school pupils build an app for their own school – and it grows into one of Europe’s most ambitious EdTech companies? Daniel Zacharias lived exactly that story. In 2019, HTGF invested in Sdui, then a young startup from Koblenz aiming to bring digital infrastructure to schools. Today, the company operates under the name Seven Education and is active in over 20,000 schools across DACH and Spain — with a clear expansion trajectory. In this interview, Daniel talks about the origin of the idea, the strategy behind the buy-and-build expansion, what the “7 hours” are all about — and what advice he has for founders just starting out.

You started out as high school students with a ‘Jugend forscht’ project. Could you have imagined back then that you’d be building a European tech champion?

No, absolutely not. If someone had told me at 17 that we’d one day have even more than 10 employees, I would have thought that was completely crazy. You’re excited about building software that changes the lives of students, teachers, and parents at your own school. You don’t think that far ahead. You don’t think about it becoming a company or growing huge. You enjoy the process of building and founding without that in mind. And the dream grows over the years. Today we say we are an Education OS — the operating system for European educational institutions: from kindergarten to school to continuing professional education.

HTGF invested in 2019. What brought you together, and what did that partnership mean for you beyond the capital?

A huge compliment is due to HTGF: Maurice Kügler and Markus Kreßmann discovered us very early and saw our potential even before the pandemic. It was very bold to invest back then in an EdTech startup laying digital infrastructure in schools. We’re from Koblenz, not far from HTGF’s Bonn office. Maurice approached us. The first phase was relationship building, and then we realized: we want to raise capital to leverage the potential and grow faster. Since we already had a good relationship, concrete conversations started quickly. The time right after the investment was very valuable for us. Until then, we were good at building technology that solves problems. But we needed support: how do you turn this into a truly scalable company? That starts with structure, hiring, reporting structures — I’d say we laid a very solid foundation there for the scaling that followed in the years after.

You recently announced that you’ll be operating under the name Seven Education. What does the new name stand for?

It’s a fresh start. I’ve drafted a letter to the whole company – entitled ‘Day One’. We’d made seven acquisitions leading up to the rebranding, but that’s not the reason for the name. We wanted a new identity as a group. We are no longer a German startup, but a European platform. Yet at the very heart of this champion lies what connects all the companies we’ve brought into the group: we want to give time back to teachers, administrators and everyone who works hard in the education system – so that they have more time for what really matters.

What’s the significance of the number seven?

There’s a study from the 1960s that found schools in Europe back then had seven more hours per week available for teaching. Back then, you would have had to come to Koblenz by car or train for our interview instead of talking over Teams — that alone would have easily cost two extra hours. Think about it: despite all technological progress, the situation in schools has reversed — administrative systems cost educators more time today, not less. We want to change that. Giving back those seven hours per week — that’s our heartbeat.

What was your strategy for your acquisitions?

It’s a mix of everything, including technology – and the synergies of it all working together. We were a German company and wanted to expand into Europe. If you try to tap into markets entirely organically, it takes a very long time, especially in the education sector. You have to build up a track record, put together a local team – that’s tough. By expanding into new countries through M&As, we’ve received a massive boost there. But this is also closely tied to talent: through the acquisitions, we’ve brought incredibly good managers into the company – people I now see as co-founders, because we’re creating something new together.

Where do you still see opportunities for growth, and which technological innovations do you want to tackle next?

Firstly: Many people say you have to go to America and Asia to build large companies. But I believe Europe has incredible potential, and we’re very committed to it. We’re currently active in the DACH region and Spain, and we want to reach further countries – we’re staying firmly on course for expansion.

And secondly: I believe AI will change the way teachers work on a day-to-day basis. Education usually adopts technology much more slowly than other sectors. We want to be the partner for schools that helps them move forward into this AI era: both those who are enthusiastically leading the way and those who find it more challenging.

What’s your first impression when comparing markets – specifically Germany and the rest of Europe?

Schools across Europe are at similar stages, but have different priorities – what I call the ‘top-of-mind problem’. Their focus varies because they are shaped by different cultures. We’re seeing a trend where smaller countries are making faster progress. Switzerland is an absolute pioneer. But we want to meet every country where it stands.

What is your vision for the future?

I’m hoping for two things: firstly, that we get as close as possible to the seven-hour mark – five or six is realistic. Secondly, that we reach significantly more schools. Today there are more than 20,000 – we want to double that figure in 3–4 years. And I hope, for the whole start-up scene, that we can show: you can build a great company in Europe, in a challenging market. As young founders straight out of school, without any rational reasons why it should work – and still build a European champion. That’s very important to me personally.

What advice would you give to founders who are just starting out?

I used to always say: ‘Be brave.’ I still stand by that. But I also believe that starting a business is brutally tough. The journey has many ups and downs. That’s why I wish every founder a great deal of resilience. Everyone draws it from different sources – from their mission, but also from their surroundings. Not losing sight of the joy just because you’re working on an exciting idea: that’s important. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. There will be deep valleys – but in the end, resilience makes all the difference. If you work disciplined and focused on the right things for long enough, your chances of success are significantly higher.

Thank you so much for your time and the great insights!