Chapter 2 maps the complex EdTech ecosystem and identifies the conditions required for technology to genuinely improve children’s learning. It outlines three essential enablers - robust school infrastructure, teacher readiness, and strong community buy-in -showing how weaknesses in any of these areas undermine even the most promising tools. The chapter examines how misaligned incentives, particularly the long-standing prioritization of scale over educational impact, distort product design and procurement decisions. It highlights why meaningful partnerships between researchers and industry are crucial for redirecting innovation toward evidence-based outcomes, illustrating this through the developmental story of the Our Story app. Building on these insights, the chapter offers a pathway for cultivating effective and sustainable academia–industry collaborations, emphasizing precise matchmaking, shared goals, and long-term commitment. Ultimately, it argues that a healthy EdTech ecosystem depends on aligning all stakeholders around a collective mandate to improve learning.