AI tutoring startup SigIQ.ai emerges from stealth with $9.5M to democratize elite education
SigIQ.ai's AI tutor made history by achieving the highest score in India's UPSC civil service exam, surpassing 1.3 million human candidates in under 7 minutes. The Berkeley-based startup, which has been in stealth mode for 18 months, has secured $9.5 million in funding to revolutionize education through personalized AI tutoring. SigIQ.ai aims to provide elite-level instruction at the cost of computation rather than hundreds of dollars per hour.
Berkeley, April 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- When SigIQ.ai's AI tutor took India's notoriously difficult UPSC civil service exam last June, it didn't just pass – it achieved the highest score in the exam's history, beating 1.3 million human candidates in under 7 minutes. Today, the Berkeley-based startup emerges from 18 months of stealth with $9.5 million funding to transform education through personalized AI tutoring that delivers elite-level instruction at the cost of computation, not hundreds of dollars per hour.
Funding and Investors
The seed round was co-led by House Fund and GSV Ventures, with participation from Duolingo, General Catalyst India (Venture Highway), Peak XV Partners (formerly Sequoia India), Calibrate Ventures and angel investors, such as Andy Konwinski (Co-founder, Perplexity), Christian Storm (Co-founder & CTO, Turnitin), Prof. Trevor Darrell (Berkeley AI Research, UC Berkeley), Prof. Jitendra Malik (Berkeley AI Research, UC Berkeley), Prof. Srini Devadas (MIT), Prof. Sharad Malik (Princeton) and others. This investment will accelerate hiring top talent, enhancing AI models, and scaling platforms to educational systems worldwide.
Founders and Technology
SigIQ.ai founders are Professor Kurt Keutzer and Dr. Karttikeya Mangalam. SigIQ.ai's technology directly addresses "Bloom's Two-Sigma Problem" – the research finding that students receiving one-on-one tutoring perform two standard deviations better than those in traditional classrooms. This educational disparity has persisted for decades, with personalized tutoring remaining a luxury reserved for the privileged few. The company's revolutionary approach shifts the cost of personalization from human labor to AI computation, making world-class instruction accessible at unprecedented scale.
Mission and Vision
"We're at a pivotal moment in education where modern GenAI can provide a personal 1:1 tutor to every student and reduce the cost of one-on-one learning from hundreds of dollars an hour to the cost of computation," said Dr. Karttikeya Mangalam, CEO and co-founder of SigIQ.ai. "We've started by first creating a tutor that itself can ace the very exam students are preparing for. This is a necessary step to ensure accuracy and quality in teaching delivered and will set a new benchmark in personalized education, making the highest-quality education accessible to everyone, regardless of geography or socioeconomic status, at a fraction of the traditional cost."
Products and Achievements
SigIQ.ai latest product is EverTutor.ai, designed for GRE preparation in the US market, has already gained more than 10,000 users in just 3 months of launch. In just 18 months, SigIQ.ai has launched two products with remarkable traction. PadhAI, focused on UPSC exam preparation in India, has attracted over 200,000 learners in just six months.
Future Plans
Looking ahead, SigIQ.ai plans to expand its reach with EverTutor, supporting more GRE takers in the upcoming spring and fall. The company will be present at ASU+GSV to demonstrate the newest developments in both platforms. Beyond standardized tests, SigIQ.ai envisions a future where their technology transforms education broadly, creating a new era where high-quality learning isn't limited by geography, language, or economic status. Ultimately, the team is set on proving that elite education doesn't have to be scarce – it can and must be universal.
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About SigIQ.ai: Founded in 2023 by Dr. Karttikeya Mangalam, SigIQ.ai builds AI-powered learning tools that deliver personalized education at scale. With offices in Berkeley and Gurgaon, the company's flagship products PadhAI and EverTutor.ai serve hundreds of thousands of students globally. Recognized across India for its feat of achieving the top score on the UPSC 2024 live, SigIQ.ai is poised to transform the future of education.