MagicSchool raises $15M to explore if AI can excel in edtech

These days, discussions about students and generative AI often delve into the debate over the adoption of tools like ChatGPT. Are they beneficial? (Yay! Great for research! Fast!) Or are they detrimental? (Boo! Misinfo! Cheating!). Despite these concerns, some startups view the advent of generative AI in educational settings positively, seeing it as an inevitable development. They are actively developing products to meet what they believe is a burgeoning market opportunity.

One such startup, MagicSchool AI, focused on building generative AI tools for educational environments, recently secured $15 million in a Series A funding round led by Bain Capital Ventures. Based in Denver, MagicSchool initially provided tools for educators. CEO Adeel Khan explained in an interview that the company now serves over 2 million teachers and more than 3,000 schools and districts. Their products assist in lesson planning, test creation, and the development of other learning materials.

Recently, MagicSchool has expanded its offerings to include tools for students, delivered through their educational institutions. The funding will enable MagicSchool to further enhance both educator and student tools, expand their customer base, hire additional talent, and more.

The latest funding round also attracted support from notable investors, including Adobe Ventures (with Adobe’s strong focus on AI), and Common Sense Media (known for age-based tech reviews and its involvement in AI guidelines with OpenAI and chatbot ratings). Individual investors in this round include Amjad Masad from Replit, Tyler Bosmeny and Rafael Garcia from Clever, and Amir Nathoo from OutSchool, some of whom were initial seed investors in the company, which had previously raised $2.4 million.