Buddy.ai secures $11M to boost AI tutoring for kids, tackling global education gaps

Buddy.ai, an AI-powered tutoring platform for young learners, has raised $11 million in a seed funding round led by BITKRAFT Ventures, with support from Educapital and others.

 The funding, which brings Buddy.ai’s total to $13 million, will support the company’s mission to bridge educational gaps through affordable, AI-based tutoring solutions designed for children.

The company’s primary offering, Buddy, is an interactive AI tutor that helps children under 12 learn English through conversation-based, animated lessons.

“The traditional 1-on-1 teacher-to-child education model is unaffordable for many families and not scalable for teachers,” explained Jasper Brand, Partner at BITKRAFT Ventures. “Buddy.ai is uniquely positioned with a threefold combination of technical depth, expertise in Early Learning, and a knack for positively engaging content.”

Expanding AI solutions for young learners

Buddy.ai’s AI platform features proprietary Speech Recognition (BSR) technology specifically designed to recognise and understand children’s voices. With a database of over 25,000 hours of children’s speech and developed over four years, BSR is optimised for younger users and adheres to COPPA regulations.

Since its launch, Buddy.ai has seen rapid adoption, with over 50 million app downloads and a growing global user base, especially in Latin America and English-speaking countries. In 2023 alone, the platform achieved 92% year-over-year growth in monthly active users and a 93% increase in monthly recurring revenue. Buddy.ai’s recent launch of an Early Learning Course in the US market saw further growth, with a 350% increase in users aged 4-7.

Reflecting on the development of Buddy.ai, Co-founder and CEO Ivan Crewkov said, “Buddy.ai was inspired by watching my daughter’s struggles as an immigrant learning a new language in a new country. The Buddy.ai team believes that personalized education is a right and not a privilege, and every child deserves a personal tutor, so when we look towards the future of the platform, we see every child in the world as a potential student.”