StuDocu

StuDocu is an edtech platform founded in 2013 in Amsterdam by three university students — Dorian van Rijsselberghe, Simon Bedford, and Stan Smulders — with a simple insight: students have already produced millions of high-quality notes, summaries, past exam questions, and study guides, but these resources remain trapped on personal laptops rather than being shared. StuDocu built a marketplace where students upload their study materials and access others' — creating a Google for peer-to-peer academic content. Growth has been impressive: StuDocu serves millions of students worldwide, with a focus on European and North American universities. The freemium model allows free access to basic materials, while a premium subscription unlocks advanced features such as unlimited downloads, priority access, and AI study tools. The marketplace has built a powerful network effect: the more students upload materials for a course, the more useful the platform is for all students on that course, creating a self-reinforcing flywheel. In recent years, StuDocu has integrated AI tools for personalised tutoring, quiz generation, and material summarisation — evolving from a passive repository to an active learning platform. The platform has raised capital from European investors and established itself as one of the reference European edtech companies for higher education.