Shruti Gandhi’s Post

Learning to slay the dragon? 🐉 Join us at the first Spinout Spark "Slaying the Dragon" at Norwich Research Park on November 6th. Spinout Spark: A range of of pre-spin out events to help motivate budding academic entrepreneurs and PGR students Supported by NR 4ward Co-created by Dr Soraya Jones and Fiona Nielsen ** Slaying the Dragon - 6 Nov, 10-5pm ** There’s a reason they call it the Dragons’ Den. From the moment you have your business idea onwards, there are traps along the way. With proper preparation you can spot these and avoid (at least some of) them. Mistakes will come back to bite you, usually just as you think everything is working out. We aim to equip founders of early-stage UK technology startups with essential knowledge to set up their business to secure investment. We cover critical topics such as IP ownership, company formation, fundraising strategies, and investor relations. We also address organisational and operational challenges, ensuring founders are prepared for growth, scaling and potential exit strategies. Emphasis is placed on understanding investor expectations, and real-world situations. We will work through the stages of a business lifecycle, from initial concept to maturity, identifying pitfalls to avoid, and allowing participants to plan ahead, so that at your meeting with the dragon, you will be prepared, and you will slay it. 📝 The deadline to register for this event is 1st November. Please email [email protected] to reserve yourself a space. 👀 Speakers for Nov 6th: Phil Claridge specialises in architecting large-scale, reliable software systems for development and deployment. He is a practical end-to-end software, systems, and data architect and product strategist. His areas of expertise include massive big-data telco and geolocation, with technical roles including CTO, Chief Architect, Research Labs Director, and Technical Evangelist. He has also engaged in technology licensing, IPR portfolio management, and numerous due diligence activities, supporting both buyers and sellers. Phil excels at discerning the real technological needs of a project as opposed to the latest technology fads. Mary-Ann Claridge is a mathematician and data scientist who has worked in multiple domains including: speech, education, healthcare, building management, retail supply-chain and international logistics. She has supported investors, VCs, and companies through in-depth technical reviews and due diligence. Her evaluations focus on functionality, technology, development, and quality, emphasising evidence-based analysis and fitness for purpose. Within Mandrel, both have recently focussed on pathfinder development and integration of AI into company processes. Either as insiders or advisers, Phil & Mary-Ann have been involved in sales totalling over £1bn. Lunch and refreshments will be provided. Places are offered on a first come served basis. This event is open to staff and PGR students from UEA and the NRP.

🎉 I know nowadays, many people are “thrilled” and “excited” here on LinkedIn, but how can I not be!? Today, Buddy.ai announced that we’ve closed an $11M Seed funding round, led by BITKRAFT Ventures and supported by Educapital, One Way Ventures, J Ventures, Point72 Ventures, and Goodwater. I want to thank our investors and, most importantly, our incredible colleagues working behind the scenes who have made Buddy into what it is today! Buddy began as a journey sparked by my daughter’s own experience as a young learner when we moved to the United States exactly 10 years ago, in October 2014. Seeing what it’s become now fills me with extreme pride. Our mission remains the same. We are making personalized 1X1 tutoring available to every child worldwide using AI. We figured it out years before the AI revolution. Almost no one believed it was possible back then, but we held our course.    With over 20 million students now learning with Buddy, we’re making strides in the face of global teacher shortages, language barriers, and accessibility challenges. As we look ahead, this funding allows us to deepen Buddy’s reach and impact: expanding the AI and gaming elements, bringing our world-building to life, and ensuring personalized, one-on-one tutoring is an accessible reality for all young learners. Thank you to our investors and the entire Buddy team for believing in this mission. Onward and upward! 🚀 Big thanks to Rebecca Szkutak and TechCrunch for sharing our story! https://lnkd.in/g4VQDiBg #Grateful #EdTech #FutureOfLearning #AI #EarlyLearning

We're thrilled to announce that Mediahuis Ventures has invested in Taskbase, a Swiss tech leader revolutionizing AI in education. With a successful $3.9 million Series A funding round, led by Mediahuis Ventures and Acrobator, and supported by Bloomhaus Ventures and other investors, Taskbase is set to expand its innovative solutions across Europe. 🌍 Taskbase's mission to transform education through technology is taking a giant leap forward. Their AI tools offer personalized feedback and create dynamic exercises, making learning more engaging and effective. Collaborations with esteemed publishers like Cornelsen and Klett have already made a mark, and their flagship app, Lernnavi, is empowering 25,000 Swiss students to excel. 📈 With this investment, Taskbase will enhance its product offerings and solidify its presence in the European market. A big thank you to the entire Mediahuis Ventures in making this happen. Cédric Cops Tea Elezi Levin Nuyken Ross Murray Colm Hughes ACA #EdTech #Innovation #AIinEducation #Taskbase #MediahuisVentures #EducationTechnology

At AIP Seed, we believe that investing in startups is not only about profit for investors, but also about fostering progress. Today, we're thrilled to announce our investment in a startup that embodies this vision – Stimy AI, a groundbreaking platform set to revolutionize math education for over a billion students worldwide. Stimy is not just another edtech tool; it's a paradigm shift in how students aged 10-18 learn and engage with mathematics: ↗ Advanced AI: Stimy AI provides instant, accurate solutions to complex problems in algebra, calculus, and arithmetic. ↗ Personalized Learning: The platform offers tailored feedback and guidance, fostering a self-paced, stress-free learning environment. ↗ 24/7 Accessibility: With its math chatbot and engaging puzzles, Stimy AI makes math support available round the clock, free of charge. In coinvestment with Simpact Ventures, AIP Seed has invested $337,000 in a pre-seed round to fuel Stimy AI's ambitious growth plans: 1. Global Expansion: Introducing new language versions to reach millions more users worldwide. 2. AI Enhancement: Accelerating the development of their proprietary AI system for math education. 3. Feature Innovation: Implementing new functionalities to boost user engagement and learning outcomes. We're immensely proud to support Mark Zollner, Wojciech Drezek, and their exceptional team. Your vision goes beyond revolutionizing math education – you're paving the way for a new era of accessible, high-quality learning for all. At AIP Seed, we're committed to backing visionaries who dare to reimagine entire industries. Stimy AI exemplifies this commitment, promising to transform not just how we learn math, but potentially how we approach education as a whole. Join us in celebrating this milestone. We invite our network to explore Stimy AI and share your thoughts on the future of AI-driven education. Read more in the Rzeczpospolita article — link in the comment. #AIinEducation #EdTechRevolution #VentureCapital #FutureOfLearning

Investment and M&A on its way back in education technology driven by AI’s real ability to personalize learning. 2025-26 will see a resurgence in earlier stage financings as well as acquisitions and acqui-hires.

📝💻 Perlego, often referred to as the ‘Netflix of textbooks,’ has rapidly emerged as a leading player in the UK’s #edtech industry after Euan Blair’s edtech firm Multiverse. 📈 Now the subscription-based digital library has raised $20M led by former Tesco CEO Sir Terry Leahy, bringing total funding to $75M to expand and develop AI-powered learning tools. This new round, also saw participation from ITHAKA (the organisation behind JSTOR), Mediahuis nv, Raine, KPN Ventures, and the founders of Kahoot!, making it one of the largest edtech businesses in the UK. 🤖 Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eZhM2QaQ Gauthier Van Malderen  Matt Davis Femi Kalejaiye Mariana Aristizábal Zuluaga #tech #funding #news #AI #UKtech #UKstartup #VC #startup #investment #technology #innovation

🟢 Anysphere Secures $60M Series A at $400M Valuation for AI Coding Assistant ➡️ Anysphere, a startup developing the AI-powered coding assistant Cursor, has reportedly raised over $60 million in a Series A funding round, achieving a post-money valuation of $400 million. The round was co-led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and Thrive Capital, with participation from Stripe CEO Patrick Collison. Founded just two years ago by MIT students, Anysphere has quickly gained traction in the competitive AI coding assistant market. This follows their $11 million seed round led by the OpenAI Startup Fund last year. 🟢 The investment highlights the growing interest in AI-powered coding tools, with GitHub Copilot's success serving as a benchmark for the industry's potential. Anysphere joins a crowded field of startups aiming to revolutionize software development efficiency. This substantial investment in Anysphere reflects the high expectations for AI-powered coding assistants in the tech industry. With GitHub Copilot's revenue reportedly surpassing $300 million annually, investors see significant potential in this market. As competition intensifies, Anysphere's ability to differentiate its Cursor product and capture market share will be crucial for justifying its high valuation and securing future growth. #VentureNews

Big news for second-level students in #Ireland and the #UK! SimpleStudy, a Cork-based e-learning startup, has just raised €750,000 in a pre-seed round, backed by none other than the co-founders of Intercom. Here's how SimpleStudy is set to revolutionize exam prep: 1. Focused Learning: Tailored to second-level students, making study sessions effective and efficient. 2. Expert Backing: Investment from Intercom co-founders Des Traynor and Ciaran Lee shows huge potential. 3. Ambitious Goals: Initially aimed for €200,000, but the overwhelming interest bumped it up to €750,000! SimpleStudy's Oisin Devoy, Phillip Mckenna, and Zac Dair are on a mission to become the Duolingo of exam preparation. How do you feel about a DuoLingo-style app for exam prep? Claire Revell, Pankaja Karnekar, Chris Pirie, Shai Reshef, Lee Rubenstein Adam Baetu 🦾, Kendra Prospero, leAnna Spencer, Tory Gattis, Ahsan Ali Shah https://lnkd.in/eWZtbp4c #EdTech #StartupSuccess #ElearningRevolution #MondayFunding

Building a great 1:1 AI mentor is really exciting but challenging work. We do model training, classifications, RAGs, work with lots-of-data labelling, custom-built OCR and more. But that's not it. We aim to build a 360 degree personalised ecosystem, so students can prepare with their full potential. A lot to put in, getting back to work ;) And.. we are doing referral-based hiring for Sr engineers (2-4yrs) in backend and AI. So, if you vouch for a friend who wants to make an impact in education, pls DM me. #hiring #backend #ai

Building POV - An EdTech Startup! I'm working on something BIG that could change the way students prepare for exams. 🎓 My startup, POV, will offer previous years' exam papers (for Class 10, 12, and more!) and a powerful AI tool to predict possible questions for upcoming exams! But that's not all—we're adding, Q&A Sessions ,MCQs in a fun, gamified way to help you study better and stay focused. As a business student, I'm passionate about this, but I need some help with programming and tech to bring this to life! If you’re interested in joining me on this journey or guiding me through, I’d love to connect. Let’s make education better together! DM me or comment if you're in. #EdTech #POVStartup #AIinEducation #StudySmart #JoinMe