Imagi, an edtech company targeting K-12 schools, has raised $4.5 million in seed funding from Brighteye Ventures, Day One Capital, and musician will.i.am. The company stated that the funds will be used to expand school sales, hire a team, develop new features, and launch a new platform next month.

It has covered 140 countries.

Founded in 2018 by Dora Palfi and Beatrice Ionascu, Imagi initially offered programming and basic computer skills courses and tools, and began adding AI literacy content last year. Palfi stated that the company has served over 700,000 students in 140 countries to date.

The company's current focus is on bringing AI tools more systematically into the classroom, rather than just using them as supplementary software. Palfi believes that many students are already using AI, and schools need to teach them how to use AI creatively, rather than just passively using it.

Launching classroom tools with Lovable

Last November, Imgi announced a partnership with AI programming tool Lovable, allowing teachers to create courses and provide students with controlled access, enabling them to learn so-called "vibe coding" in a restricted environment. OpenAI also provided a $1 million credit line, allowing schools to use the combined tools of Imgi and Lovable for free.

Palfi stated that the goal of this collaboration is to provide clearer teaching and management methods for cutting-edge AI tools when they are introduced into schools. The company will continue to offer free trials and freemium versions to lower the barrier to entry for schools.

Classroom use emphasizes screening and privacy.

Regarding product design, Imgi stated that the platform screens every prompt and generated result, and any inappropriate content is removed before reaching students. The company claims its system complies with the U.S. Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, and the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

According to the company, the platform does not retain student data, and partners will not use student data or activity records to train models. In addition to providing tools to students, Imgi is also training teachers on how to use AI, programming, and computational thinking tools to conduct teaching more consistently in the classroom.

As AI's impact on the job market continues to expand, schools are becoming the primary entry point for more students to access these tools. Following this funding round, Imagi will continue to expand into more K-12 schools and refine its AI-powered classroom teaching products.