Investors give tutoring app Studeo full marks with $1.2m investment including SEIS funding

Edtech startup seeks to tackle the school curriculum with short video learning format

Studeo, the tutoring app developed in line with students adapting to remote learning during the pandemic, has received a $1.2m investment from both sides of the Atlantic. The company secured the capital from investors including UK startup investor Jenson Funding Partners and US VC firm Sequoia.

Traditional tutoring presents an accessibility gap – both in terms of high cost barriers and physically locating private tuition. This makes extra studies out of reach for lower income households.

Leveraging the familiarity pupils now have with remote learning, Studeo recreates the tutoring experience in an affordable, digital format that’s accessible at any time. Users can choose a tutor based on their credentials, which are given within the platform.

And while some studies have noted a disconnect with home learners, with just 34% of UK students claiming they felt motivated to learn remotely, Studeo has factored this into its offering. To improve engagement among students, the platform has summarised subjects into short videos (up to five minutes long). Each lesson also comes with in-video exercises and questioning included.

The company currently focuses on maths but plans to use the investment to support expansion into sciences, with physics, biology, chemistry and computer science all in the pipeline. Studeo intends to go beyond its current UK and France markets as the product develops to meet the needs of its growing user base, and has set its sights on emerging markets.

Nicolas Levandowsky, Studeo founder and CEO, says: “There’s a serious gap in the quality of education that is available to students. Tutoring costs between £50 and £150 per session, so a huge portion of the population simply can’t afford tutors in the traditional format. This is why we’ve created an affordable model with a digital design. Having the full support of Jenson, and now joining the Sequoia accelerator, we’re excited about the road ahead.”

Jeffrey Faustin, CIO and partner at Jenson Funding Partners, adds: “We’ve seen an incredible amount of innovation take place in direct response to the pandemic, especially where education is concerned. We’re proud to get behind Nicolas, Antonin and the Studeo team as they set out to democratise tutoring and make a positive societal impact.”