AI/ML News & Innovations Hub

Feature request: Adjustable speed for Read Aloud

Hey @ shekharsahu ! Adjustable speed would make Read Aloud much more flexible, especially for language learning where being able to slow down pronunciation can make it easier to pick out individual words and phrases. We have seen similar requests for playback speed controls before, so the added context around Thai learning, pronunciation practice, and shadowing is really useful. I also like the idea of remembering a preferred speed instead of having to adjust it every time. That would make the feature much more practical for people who regularly listen at a different pace. I cannot promise a timeline for changes like this, but I will pass your feedback along internally. - Sunny

CcHUB, Mastercard Foundation select 12 startups for fourth EdTech Fellowship cohort

Co-creation HUB (CcHUB) has selected 12 Nigerian startups for the fourth cohort of the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship.

Why music and handwriting are the antidotes to AI in education

Digital literacy is as essential for children today as languages and maths, and it’s no secret that AI has changed how students approach their studies. But reliance on AI and other technology can affect the development of crucial soft skills in children. “The skills most under pressure are patience, sustained attention, critical thinking and contemplation,” says Ryan Stevenson, co-founder and director of Bright Heart Education, a UK-based tutoring agency. “These all require time, whereas AI can...

Seedance is making a fresh push into education with study app Gauth — starting with AI animated lessons

The app is partnering with the edtech app Gauth to create videos that explain concepts in stories. Both Gauth and Seedance are owned by ByteDance.

iHUB and Mastercard Foundation Back 12 Kenyan Startups Building AI and Assistive EdTech for Learners With Disabilities and Refugees

iHUB and the Mastercard Foundation have selected 12 early-stage Kenyan startups for an 18-month EdTech fellowship offering each company up to $100,000 in equity-free funding — with the cohort weighted toward assistive technologies and AI-supported learning products built for learners the education system has historically failed to reach. The fourth cohort marks a deliberate reversal [...]

Students, AI And The Fight For Original Thinking

South Africa’s conversation around AI in education is loud, contested, and far from settled. But while that debate plays out, students applying to international universities are navigating a more immediate concern. Unlike local applications, which do not require a personal essay, institutions in the United States, United Kingdom, and beyond, place significant weight on a [...]

Edtech platform raises $4.5M to help teach students how to vibe code

Imagi announced a $4.5 million seed round, with investors including Brighteye Ventures, Day One Capital, and artist Will.i.am.

Medtech startup Bioscan Research raises $1 Mn in seed round led by Unicorn India Ventures

Mumbai-based medtech startup Bioscan Research has raised $1 million in a seed funding round led by Unicorn India Ventures. The proceeds will be used for market expansion, securing additional regulatory approvals, upgrading its products and creating new intellectual property. Founded in 2017 by Anupam Lavania and Shilpa Malik, Bioscan Research develops non-invasive medical devices for the early detection of brain injuries. Its flagship product, CEREBO, uses near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and machine learning to detect intracranial injuries, enabling early diagnosis of traumatic brain injuries even before visible symptoms appear. According to the company, its technology is designed to help healthcare providers identify brain injuries during the critical treatment window and improve patient outcomes. Bioscan Research said it recorded 5x growth over the past 12 months. It aims to grow threefold over the next year by expanding its presence in India and overseas markets. Founded in 2016, Unicorn India Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on deeptech startups across sectors including semiconductors, spacetech, AI infrastructure and medical diagnostics.

5 FREE Resources on Agentic AI

Here are 5 curated resources to help you progress your agentic AI learning for FREE.

British Business Bank backs EQT Life Sciences with €25M commitment

EQT Life Sciences’ EQT Health Economics 3 Fund (EQT HE3), a multi-stage life sciences and medtech-dedicated fund has received €25 million from the British Business Bank. EQT Life Sciences backs compa...

PhysicsWallah acquires controlling stake in Sarrthi IAS with Rs 71.8 Cr investment

Edtech company PhysicsWallah (PW) has approved an investment of Rs 71.8 crore in UPSC coaching platform Sarrthi IAS. The transaction will increase its stake in the company from 40% to 51%, making Sarrthi IAS a subsidiary, according to a stock exchange filing. The investment is part of the second tranche of PW's acquisition of Guiding Light Education Technologies Private Limited , which operates under the Sarrthi IAS brand. The company's board also approved an addendum to the share purchase agreement to revise the valuation methodology and purchase consideration for the second tranche, while leaving the remaining terms of the transaction unchanged. As part of the transaction, PW will acquire 1,100 equity shares , representing an additional 11% stake , for an aggregate consideration of Rs 71.81 crore . Following the completion of the tranche, Sarrthi IAS will become a subsidiary of the listed edtech firm. The latest investment comes around 10 months after Entrackr exclusively reported that PhysicsWallah had acquired a 40% stake in Sarrthi IAS ahead of its public listing. The acquisition was disclosed in the company's IPO prospectus in November 2025, which stated that PW had signed share purchase and shareholders' agreements with Sarrthi IAS and its promoters in September 2025 to acquire up to 85% of the company in six tranches between FY26 and FY31 , with the valuation linked to an EBITDA based mechanism. Founded in 2023, Sarrthi IAS provides online and offline coaching for UP…

SuperCharger Ventures launches Fund I to back global edtech and future-of-work startups

Maltese investor SuperCharger Ventures today announced the launch of Fund I with a plan to invest in edtech and Future-of-Work companies worldwide, with a focus on pre-seed and seed-stage startups. In...

Senior executives abuse shadow AI twice as much as regular employees do

Shadow IT has long been a major problem for IT leaders, but the biggest problem may be coming from the executive suite’s hunger for unsanctioned AI. Nearly two-thirds of senior decision-makers admit to using unapproved AI tools , compared to just 31% of lower-level employees, according to a survey by Microsoft solutions partner TrustedTech. The use of shadow AI is prevalent among senior executives even though three in four employees acknowledge security or data privacy risks related to the practice. “Most shadow AI users are not ignorant of the risk,” TrustedTech says in a white paper. “They are deliberately choosing to use these tools anyway. This is not a training issue. It is a culture, incentives, and alternatives issue.” In many cases, the problem is driven by a lack of approved tools, the report adds. “People use shadow AI because what their employer hands them is worse than mainstream AI tools, or because nothing has been approved in the first place,” the report says. “That doesn’t change until the sanctioned tools are genuinely worth using.” A question of authority The use of shadow AI by CEOs and other C-suite executives can create major problems for CIOs, CISOs, and other IT executives because they may not have the authority to put the kibosh on it. It also presents a challenge for IT leaders to provide the AI tools that employees and executives want to use. When executives use shadow AI, CIOs are in a difficult position, because governance only works when it’s mod…

Technical feasibility of an AI tutoring assistant

This is definitely feasible with the current API stack, but I’d treat it as an orchestration problem rather than just a model selection problem. I’d keep the LLM focused on reasoning while using RAG for course materials, structured worksheet state, and a separate evaluation pipeline for answer checking. The biggest challenge isn’t generating explanations, it’s providing consistently accurate, pedagogically useful feedback. Strong prompt design, citations back to uploaded content, confidence checks, and human review for edge cases will go a long way. I’d also invest early in observability (logging, evals, and user feedback), since that’s usually what differentiates a demo from a production-ready tutoring assistant.

HTG Medical raises €450k and secures MDR certification to automate ICU urine monitoring

Czech medtech startup HTG Medical has raised €450,000 from angel and VC backers, and its proprietary device, the HTG Urogram, has successfully cleared the EU's Medical Device Regulation (MDR) certific...

From Dubai classrooms to Vienna's Golden Hall: Young Emirati musicians make history

Funding and acquisitions in Indian startups this week [July 06 - July 11]

This week, 18 Indian startups raised nearly $70.4 million across 3 growth-stage and 15 early-stage deals. The week also witnessed six acquisitions, three key leadership appointments, two departures, three fund launches, and 2 shutdowns. In contrast, 25 startups had collectively secured about $137 million in the previous week. [ Growth-stage deals ] Growth-stage startups raised a total of $30.7 million across three deals this week, led by edtech platform Elevate Education, which secured $17.7 million in its Series D round led by WestBridge Capital. Physical AI startup HakimoIncuspaze raised $12 million in a growth round from Bharat Value Fund, while workspace provider Stylework secured $1 million in a pre-Series B round led by Auxano Capital. [ Early-stage deals ] Early-stage startups raised $39.75 million across 15 deals this week, led by e-commerce brand Aukera, which secured $10 million in a funding round led by Alteria Capital with participation from InnoVent Capital and Lighthouse Canton. Among the other notable deals, e-commerce startup WizCommerce raised Rs 8.3 million in a Series A round led by Blume Ventures and others. Packaging firm Econovus Packaging secured $4 million in a pre-Series A round led by Rainmatter, while events tech startup thumpN raised $3.75 million in a pre-seed round from actors and singers. [ City and segment-wise deals ] Bengaluru continued to lead the funding charts with 10 startup deals during the week, followed by Pune Delhi-NCR with three de…

Fundamentum launches third Series B fund with target corpus of Rs 2,200 Cr

Series B focused investment firm The Fundamentum Partnership has launched Fundamentum Fund III with a target corpus of Rs 2,200 crore, including a Rs 400 crore greenshoe option. The firm said cofounder Nandan Nilekani has made his largest investment in any venture capital firm as the fund’s anchor limited partner. Fundamentum, which focuses exclusively on Series B investments in India, is launching its third fund after its 2017 and 2022 vintages. Fund III continues the firm’s thesis driven strategy of investing in early growth stage startups that have achieved product market fit and are preparing to scale. Over the past decade, Fundamentum has backed companies including Kuku, Spinny, PharmEasy, AppsForBharat (Sri Mandir), and Stable Money. Fund III will remain sector agnostic, with consumer technology, fintech, and AI native and AI enabled businesses as its primary focus areas. The fund plans to invest Rs 100 crore to Rs 150 crore per company on average. Within consumer technology, the firm will continue to invest across digital commerce, content, healthcare, edtech, and emerging sectors. In fintech, it will focus on credit, savings, wealth management, insurance, and financial infrastructure. The fund will also evaluate AI native and AI enabled businesses as standalone investment themes as well as capabilities transforming sectors such as financial services and consumer technology. Fund III will be led by Sanjeev Aggarwal, Prateek Jain, Mayank Kachhwaha, and CFO Sanjay Chatu…

Childhood and Education #20: Phones and Screens

We have a respite, so I thought I’d tackle various thoughts on children, phones and screens. GPT-5.6-Sol drops tomorrow, and the Fable agents are hard at work. I’ll start with the other screens, then finish with the phones. Table of Contents EdTech. NonEdTech. Do Not Ban Social Media Outright. Some Modern Kids Media Is Pretty Great. Ban Phones In Schools (1). Your Offer Is Acceptable. Ban Phones In Schools (2). Screen Time. Inappropriate Content. EdTech Increasingly, when you pick a school, you are picking EdTech. The school will put your child on a tablet or computer, and expect them to learn that way. In theory, with sufficient assistance and bespoke design and incentive structures, this is The Way. It sure seems way better than ‘sit and listen to a lecture.’ I am especially excited for Alpha School’s version of this, with its bespoke designs and high level of both expectations and continuous human support. Alas, most people are getting a much worse version, that is much worse than what you could easily improvise at home. I’m less concerned with ‘EdTech provider is bilking the system with its torment nexus’ and more concerned with ‘children assigned to spend their days in the torment nexus.’ Ryan Moulton : When you chose a school for your kids, you probably didn’t realize you were choosing educational software, but that choice of software might be more consequential for your kid than the choice of school. Kelsey Piper : A very well-written, very justifiably angry parental…

Voice AI platform Edysor.ai raises pre-seed round

Edysor.ai, a voice AI platform that deploys intelligent agents for enterprise lead conversion, has raised Rs 1.2 crore in a pre seed funding round led by angel investor Jasmine Sarupria. The fresh funds will be used to accelerate product development, enhance AI capabilities, expand the customer base, grow the team, and scale operations, Edysor.ai said in a press release. Co-founded in January 2020 by Atishaya Jain, Abhinav Jain, Gunjan Pancholi, and Fivos Radis, Edysor.ai is a voice AI platform that enables businesses to engage, qualify, follow up with, and convert leads through AI powered voice conversations. The Udaipur based startup pivoted to AI in 2024 and now offers voice AI agents to enterprises across sectors such as real estate, BPO, D2C, automotive, edtech, healthcare, and BFSI. The platform follows an outcome based pricing model, charging businesses based on results rather than runtime. According to the company, its voice AI agents are designed to reduce lead response time by calling potential customers within seconds of an inquiry, conducting adaptive conversations, qualifying prospects, handling objections, and moving leads through the sales funnel without human intervention. Edysor.ai said it has added 15 enterprise customers in the two months since launching the platform, with two to three new customers joining every week, and recorded a 300% month on month increase in voice minute consumption. It also claims customers have reported a 15 to 20 times return on…

CCI approves upGrad's acquisition of Unacademy

Ronnie Screwvala-led upGrad has received approval from the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for its proposed acquisition of edtech unicorn Unacademy. According to a release issued by the competition watchdog on Tuesday, the regulator approved the acquisition of certain shareholding in Sorting Hat Technologies Private Limited and its subsequent merger with and into upGrad Education Private Limited. The approval comes nearly two months after upGrad filed a merger application with the CCI for the proposed transaction. In March this year, the company signed a term sheet to acquire Unacademy in a deal valued at around Rs 2,055 crore (approximately $218 million). In May, upGrad was valued at around $1.73 billion after raising Rs 361 crore (around $38 million) in a funding round led by co-founder and chairman Ronnie Screwvala. Existing investors Temasek, International Finance Corporation (IFC), and 360 ONE Opportunities Fund also participated in the round. upGrad posted a provisional profit after tax of Rs 38.8 crore during the 11 month period ended February 2026, compared to a loss of Rs 273.7 crore in FY25. The company also turned EBITDA positive at Rs 56.9 crore from a negative Rs 65.4 crore in the previous fiscal, while revenue from operations stood at Rs 1,531.7 crore during the period. Founded in 2015, upGrad is a higher education and upskilling platform, while Unacademy is an online learning company focused on test preparation and professional education. The transaction…

Info Edge takes full control of Coding Ninjas after acquiring remaining 45.36% stake

Info Edge has approved the acquisition of the remaining 45.36% stake in Coding Ninjas from the edtech platform's founders for about Rs 39.91 crore, a move that will make the company a wholly owned subsidiary. The decision was approved by the board at its meeting held on July 6. The Naukri parent will acquire 74,741 equity shares of Sunrise Mentors Private Limited, which operates Coding Ninjas, at Rs 5,340.23 per share. The transaction is expected to close within 45 days. Info Edge will pay 25% of the consideration, or about Rs 9.98 crore, at the closing of the share purchase agreement, while the remaining Rs 29.93 crore will be paid in three equal tranches on March 31, 2027, March 31, 2028 and March 31, 2029. The company said that the acquisition is aimed at deepening synergies between Naukri and Coding Ninjas, while enabling Naukri to build mini AI course offerings for its users. As part of the arrangement, the founders of Coding Ninjas will join Info Edge and receive salary and performance linked incentives. In October 2022, the company invested Rs 135.4 crore (around $17 million) to increase its stake in the startup from 26% to 51%. It has subsequently raised its ownership through follow on transactions, and the current acquisition will take its holding to 100%. Founded in 2016, Coding Ninjas offers online coding and upskilling courses. The company reported revenue of Rs 97.43 crore in FY26 from Rs 67.15 crore in FY25 and Rs 53.31 crore in FY24. It posted a net loss of Rs…

My 11-year-old son used AI to build his own video game — I see it as a creativity boost, not a threat

An 11-year-old used AI to build his own video game. His mother supports AI learning for kids at home and school.

AI private schools sell wealthy US families on personalized learning over traditional education

Wealthy US families are increasingly sending their kids to AI schools like Alpha School, which combines two hours of AI tutoring with project-based workshops for up to $75,000 a year in tuition. The trend highlights a growing education gap in the AI era, where traditional schools are struggling to adopt the technology, which may do more harm than good if used without the right skills. The article AI private schools sell wealthy US families on personalized learning over traditional education appeared first on The Decoder .

Nigerian startup takes top prize at UNDP’s pan-African edtech accelerator

Twenty startups advanced to the final pitch, where 10 emerged as winners. Data Entry Academy took the top prize, followed by startups from Egypt and Senegal in second and third place, respectively.

Kenyan edtech Craydel expands into Ghana, its eighth African market

The expansion adds Ghana to Craydel's operations in Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Burundi, and Tanzania.

Edtech platform YoLearn ai raises pre-seed round

Voice-first AI tutoring platform YoLearn.ai has raised $500,000 in a pre-seed funding round at a valuation of $5 million , co-led by DataAlpha.ai and White Swan Global, with participation from a group of angel investors. The proceeds will be deployed to scale its AI tutoring products, including a voice-first audiovisual tutor with live sketchpad capabilities, and expand distribution across India's school and competitive exam ecosystem, YoLearn said in a press release. Launched in January 2025 by Kirti Prakash Mishra, YoLearn.ai operates a voice-first AI tutoring platform designed around real-time audio conversations and a live interactive sketchpad, allowing the AI tutor to draw diagrams and work through problems visually while explaining concepts aloud, similar to a teacher at a whiteboard. While the platform serves K-12 students across NCERT, CBSE, ICSE, and state board curricula, usage is concentrated among students in Grades 9 through 12, the segment juggling board exam preparation alongside competitive exams including JEE, NEET, and CUET. The company says its content is mapped with 100% syllabus accuracy across board and competitive exam curricula, with the AI tutor adapting explanations to each student's pace, language, and identified knowledge gaps. The platform supports voice interaction in 22 Indian languages, including Hindi and Hinglish, and offers AI tutor personas modelled on the teaching styles of popular educators, alongside "AI Avatar" versions of real school…

Microsoft’s New AI in Education Report highlights widespread adoption and increasing demand for support

The post Microsoft’s New AI in Education Report highlights widespread adoption and increasing demand for support appeared first on Source .

Wakeline lands €2.1M to bring continuous learning to AI

Düsseldorf-basedWakeline, a deeptech startup developing continuously adaptive AI systems, hasraised €2.1 million in pre-seed funding. The round was led by Aachen-basedTechVision Fonds (TVF), with part...

Teaching the foundations of AI in the classroom

AI is shaping the world young people are growing up in. But how do teachers confidently introduce AI and machine learning in the classroom? Experience AI is a free educational program from Google DeepMind and the Raspberry Pi Foundation that helps teachers introduce school-aged students to AI and machine learning. The program uses research-backed pedagogies to empower teachers to cover foundational AI and responsible, ethical use with their students—supporting learning even for educators without a computer science background. Experience AI provides free lessons, videos, worksheets, and training, designed to give young people the knowledge they need to understand how AI works and how it is changing the world. To date, it has been delivered by educators in over 165+ countries, expanding access to essential AI learning for students worldwide. Find the lessons @ experience-ai.org ___ Subscribe to our channel https://www.youtube.com/@googledeepmind Find us on X https://twitter.com/GoogleDeepMind Follow us on Instagram https://instagram.com/googledeepmind Add us on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/company/deepmind/

AI Singapore and the UNDP collaborate to close the AI literacy divide & transform communities in developing countries

AI Singapore (AISG) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to expand access to AI learning in six pilot countries from...

The Impact of AI in Education: Navigating the Imminent Future

What must be considered to build a safe but effective future for AI in education, and for children to be safe online?

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