INSTRUCTURE Holdings, Inc., a US-based education technology company, has set up its headquarters in the Philippines as part of its expansion in Asia.
“This is the first significant investment that we’ve made in the Asian region in terms of an office,” Harrison Kelly, managing director for APAC at Instructure, told BusinessWorld last week.
“We have a rich customer network here and a bold global expansion plan. The company wanted to look at culturally relevant and geographically focused ways that we could deliver an authentic experience to the Philippines and our broader Asia market,” he added.
Instructure opened its Philippine office in Quezon City on Aug. 12, with over 150 employees. The company is known for developing the learning management system Canvas, which has millions of users across 19 Asian countries.
In the last five years, the company has reported 100% growth in the Philippine market, as many schools relied on Canvas for distance learning during the coronavirus pandemic.
“If we continue to grow and our intent is to grow at the same, if not a faster rate than we have over the last five years, that will unlock immense opportunity across the Philippines,” Mr. Kelly said.
Instructure’s expansion also aligns with the Department of Education and Commission on Higher Education’s push to adopt lifelong learning and credentialing, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital learning in the education sector.
The company is also looking to help more educational institutions adopt AI, citing equity challenges in the country.
“We’ve had a lot of institutes come to us and lean on us for support through what responsible adoption of AI looks like,” Mr. Kelly said.
“What we’re trying to do is work with universities, schools, and government to be able to say, ‘Here are the goals that you’re looking at, here is the AI as a partner, and how it helps achieve those goals,’” he added.
To address digital learning challenges, Instructure also ensures offline access, consistent user experience across devices, and rich integrations to increase student engagement, Mr. Kelly said.
Instructure is also banking on the increased number of Canvas users in the Philippines to help unlock market opportunities in the region, he added.
“We’re seeing a generation of Canvas natives,” he said. “A lot of the employees that we look to hire, invest, and create these opportunities for are Canvas natives and that is a really strong point for us as a company.”
About 66% of Filipino students said they are fairly or very likely to consider more flexible learning options, Instructure said in its 2025 State of Higher Education Report. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz