Edtech Platform Raises $4.5M to Revolutionize Coding Education

Dora Palfi, the co-founder of Imagi, comes from a family of teachers. Growing up, she was instilled with a deep understanding of the transformative power of education, which can completely alter the trajectory of one’s life. This understanding has driven Palfi to create a platform that provides K-12 students and teachers with the tools to teach and build curriculum around coding, basic computer skills, and AI literacy.

In 2018, Palfi and her co-founder, Beatrice Ionascu, launched Imagi. Since then, the company has worked with over 700,000 students across 140 countries. Imagi’s mission is to provide a safe and accessible environment for students to learn how to code, build, and create with AI. The company has made significant strides in achieving this mission, particularly with the launch of its partnership with Lovable, a vibe coding tool that allows teachers to create lessons and provide students with controlled access to the platform.

A Partnership Born from a Shared Vision

The partnership between Imagi and Lovable was a natural fit, as both companies share a common goal of providing students with a comprehensive and engaging coding education. The partnership has resulted in the development of a platform that allows teachers to create lessons and provide students with controlled access to the Lovable tool. This platform has been made possible through the generous support of OpenAI, which has provided $1 million in credits to schools to access the Imagi x Lovable tool for free.

Thanks to this partnership, Imagi has been able to provide free trials and freemium access to its platform. This has allowed teachers and students to experience the benefits of coding education firsthand. The impact of this partnership has been significant, with students creating a range of innovative projects, from apps to websites. For example, a teacher built an app that translated her curriculum into 15 different languages spoken in her classroom. Another student created a digital wardrobe app inspired by the movie Clueless. A student even built a website to promote his lawn-mowing business, complete with a calendar for booking appointments.

A Safe and Responsible Approach to AI Education

Imagi has taken a safe and responsible approach to AI education, ensuring that every prompt and response generated by the platform is screened, with any violations removed before they reach the student. The company is also in compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This means that there is zero data retention, and Imagi’s partners are not training on student data and activity.

Palfi believes that education systems need to adjust to the reality of AI’s impact on the job market. She argues that most kids already use AI, but we need to teach children to build with AI rather than just passively consume it. This is particularly important given AI’s impact on the job markets that young students will eventually enter. By teaching students how to code, build, and create with AI, Imagi aims to provide them with the skills they need to succeed in an increasingly AI-driven world.

The $4.5 million seed round announced by Imagi will be used to scale into more K-12 schools, invest in district sales, hiring, and building out new product features. The company will also launch a new platform next month, which will further expand its reach and impact.