AI tutor platform raises $8 million to ‘level playing field’

An artificial intelligence education platform aiming to make personal tutoring accessible to every student has raised $8 million to accelerate its UK and international growth.

Medly AI, founded by UCL medicine graduates Dr Paul Jung and Dr Kavi Samra, has secured the seed investment in a round led by Felix Capital, with backing from existing investors Eka Ventures and Ada Ventures.

The pair met at secondary school aged 11 and both grew up in low-income households where private tutoring was unaffordable.

Their experiences, combined with Paul’s PhD work in neuropsychiatry and Kavi’s role as an honorary teaching fellow at UCL Medical School, inspired them to develop a more accessible alternative.

Launched in February 2025, Medly has since attracted more than 400,000 UK users, with its user base growing almost 600 per cent.

Dr Paul Jung, left, chief executive and co-founder, and Dr Kavi Samra, chief operating officer and co-founder of Medly AI

The platform uses a combination of seven large language models alongside neuroscience and teaching theory to provide personalised exam preparation.

Its conversational AI gives students instant feedback on practice questions, identifies where additional marks could be gained and adapts its approach according to individual progress and learning styles.

Features also include handwriting recognition, allowing students to work directly on the platform with tablets and styluses.

Medly says 74 per cent of students who used the platform ahead of last summer’s GCSEs improved by at least one grade, with 41 per cent gaining two or more grades.

The company was also awarded a grant through the Department for Education’s AI Tutoring Tools Pioneers Programme in July, an initiative focused on improving attainment among disadvantaged pupils in England.

Paul and Kavi say they use the latest investment to grow its UK student community and expand internationally.

It has already launched SAT support in the US, with plans to add AP and ACT preparation by the end of the year.

Paul said: “Almost a third of 11–16-year-olds receive some form of private tutoring. 

“For those who can afford it, it’s a powerful advantage. 

“For those who can’t, it’s an equally powerful reinforcer of the status quo.

“We’ve built something to disrupt that. 

“Our custom AI gives every child access to a 24/7 personal tutor that adapts to how they learn and responds to their unique needs. 

“In just one exam season, the majority of students using Medly were able to improve by at least an entire grade – that’s a game-changer for young people. 

“This capital will enable us to support even more students and prove that tailored academic help can come without a premium price tag.”

Further investment will go towards developing proprietary models for educational tasks including marking and pedagogy, as well as building the evidence base around the technology.

Angela Chou, investor at Felix Capital, added: “Over recent years, we’ve seen technology creating positive changes in people’s lives in many ways. 

“Education, in particular, has the potential to fundamentally shape one’s life trajectory for the better, and even more so with marginal cost of content creation. 

“We are particularly excited by Medly’s mission and track record to provide effective exam prep, powered by AI, to hundreds of thousands of young people. 

“We are also deeply touched by Paul and Kavi’s personal stories, as well as impressed by their ability to build and scale Medly to a meaningful platform in such a short period of time!”

The company recently completed a randomised controlled trial involving more than 1000 UK students and has published research comparing its marking performance with human examiners.

Students preparing for exams currently spend an average of an hour a day using Medly, with almost one million messages exchanged between students and their AI tutors daily.

Check Warner, co-founding partner of Ada Ventures, added: “Paul and Kavi are true ‘Inclusive Alpha’ founders. 

“They are harnessing the power of AI to level the playing field of education and ensure every single student has the chance to reach their potential. 

“Medly is a living, breathing example of how you can build a scalable, revenue-generative business whilst also driving a positive impact for students and their families. 

“Already changing lives for thousands of students across the UK, we cannot wait to see the team replicate this impact at a global scale and build a category defining business.”

Jon Coker, general partner and founder of Eka Ventures, added: “We led Medly’s pre-seed last year and have been blown away by the speed of progress and quality of product Kavi and Paul have built. 

“They are on an incredibly important mission and we are delighted that Felix is leading this round of funding to support the next stage of growth and product.”

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