Parish-based edtech startup Lalilo, a platform that provides online literacy program for kids, has raised €5 million in a pre-Series A funding round from Partech Partners, EduCapital and Citizen Capital.
Founded in 2016, Lalilo aims to address the challenge of supporting a growing number of struggling readers with the use of technology. It offers online literacy program focused on helping K-2 students develop phonics, word recognition and reading comprehension skills through a series of online personalized exercises and stories. While some exercises involve multiple-choice questions, others ask children to read words and passages in order to assess their oral fluency.
Built by teachers for teachers and their students, Lalilo’s online literacy program supports student growth in the classroom and at home. As students work through the program, the platform uses their data to continually refine and train its machine learning model. It allows teachers to track whole class and individual progress and also assign specific lessons.
With offices in Paris and San Francisco, Lalilo says its platform is being used by thousands of students in the US and France. It claims to have reached 2,000 schools in France and 4,000 in the US, with more than 5,000 teachers and 90,000 students using it every month.
Lalilo operates its platform on a freemium model where its basic product is free for kindergarten, first and second grade teachers and students. However, additional features, including reports, are offered with an annual licensing fee.
Commenting on the funding, excited Amine Mezzour, CEO and Co-founder, Lalilo, said,
“We are proud to have raised with three funds which reflect Lalilo’s dynamics: international ambition with Partech, education with EduCapital, and social impact with Citizen Capital.”
While Lalilo is already helping French students in their literacy journey, the company is now expanding to other markets beyond its border. The company said that the latest cash infusion will help expand its footprint in the US.
Lalilo has recently formed a prestigious partnership with France’s Ministry of Education. It won a request for proposal from the government to develop an AI-powered teaching assistant for STEM and literacy. As part of the partnership, the government will cover the cost of Lalilo licenses.
Meanwhile, with the funding, Lalilo also plans to more than double its team within the next two years. The company also plans to expand its content to cover literacy topics for older grades.
