Gizmo hits 13 million users, secures $22M for expansion

Gizmo, an AI-powered learning platform that transforms student notes into interactive study materials, announced on Tuesday that it has secured $22 million in Series A funding. A Series A round is an early-stage venture capital funding round. The investment follows a period of growth for the platform, which has attracted more than 13 million users across over 120 countries since its launch in 2021. This user base represents a significant increase from the more than 300,000 users the platform had when it was covered in 2023.

The company plans to use the new capital to expand its engineering and artificial-intelligence teams, and to grow its presence in the U.S. college market. According to CEO Petros Christodoulou, the company, which had just seven employees prior to the raise, plans to scale to around 30 employees. This expansion comes as academic performance in the U.S. has hit a historic low, according to the 2025 National Assessment of Educational Progress. Previous studies have noted excessive screen time and reduced attention spans as contributing factors to this decline.

To address these educational challenges, Gizmo is gamifying learning—applying game-design elements to educational materials—to compete for student attention against entertainment platforms like TikTok and YouTube. Designed for teenagers and young adults, the platform uses game mechanics such as leaderboards, streaks, limited daily lives for incorrect answers, and the ability to challenge friends to maintain engagement.

This approach places Gizmo in a competitive edtech (education technology) landscape alongside micro-learning platforms like Anki, Quizlet, and Nibble, as well as newer competitors. These platforms have all attempted to redirect screen-time habits into productive learning. However, Gizmo’s growth in just a few years is notable compared to its peers. For comparison, competitor Yuno has 1 million app downloads, while Knowt has more than 7 million users.

The Series A round was led by Shine Capital. The investor syndicate included:

• Shine Capital (lead)
• Ada Ventures
• Seek Investments
• GSV
• NFX (which previously led Gizmo’s $3.5 million seed round)

Why it matters

Gizmo’s rapid growth and funding highlight the ongoing struggle for edtech platforms to capture student attention amidst competition from entertainment apps like TikTok and YouTube.