Atom Learning, a London-based online learning platform for primary school children, has raised $25 million in a Series A round led by SoftBank via its Vision Fund 2.
The investment will allow the company to accelerate growth in the UK and expand into the US. The company also plans to double its team over the next 12 months, bringing onboard more teachers and technology professionals to its London office, remotely.
Founded in 2018 by Jake O’Keeffe and Alexander Hatvany, Atom Learning helps the child to thrive in school, master key subjects, and excel in grammar and independent school exams. The platform offers customized learning plans, tens of thousands of practice questions, unlimited, full-length practice tests, granular progress reports, live teaching and review courses among others.
Atom Learning is on a mission to reduce inequality in the education experience for families across the country by increasing standards across the education ecosystem. Its AI technology predicts the probability a student has of answering a question correctly, allowing teachers and parents to structure lessons in a format where every topic and question is challenging and interactive for children.
Speaking about the platform and its partnership with SoftBank, Jake O’Keeffe, Co-founder of Atom Learning, said,
“We are delighted to partner with SoftBank as we scale in the UK and internationally. They’re a natural partner due to their ambition and their commitment to EdTech in Europe and globally. Our mission is to provide all children wherever they are and whatever their background with an affordable, high-quality education. We are doing this by combining exceptional teacher-made content with industry-defining technology.”
Atom Learning offers two products – Atom Prime for teachers and Atom Nucleus for parents of children between 7 and 11 years of age. Atom Nucleus is a fully automated alternative to private tuition that parents can access for their children through a monthly subscription. Atom Prime is used by teachers in more than 500 primary schools in the UK.
Commenting on the investment, Yanni Pipilis, Managing Partner of SoftBank Investment Advisers, said,
“The utilization of EdTech and adaptive learning within established curricula has accelerated rapidly both in school and the home. Atom’s proprietary technology enables each child to progress at their optimal learning pace and provides parents and teachers with real-time feedback on areas of strength and development. We’re excited to partner with the team in its vision to improve learning outcomes for every student.”
Atom’s online platform is free and allows teachers to develop lesson plans and manage mixed-ability classes through adaptive learning. In the near future, the company is planning to bring private tutors into the mix.
