Imagi closes $4.5M seed round to scale child‑safe AI literacy tools
Imagi, an education platform focused on AI literacy, has closed a $4.5 million seed round backed by high‑profile investors, including musician‑entrepreneur Will.i.am and the founders of Kahoot and ElevenLabs. The funding will help the startup expand access to secure AI tools designed for K‑12 students.
Imagi: origins, team and expansion
Founded by CEO Dora Palfi and CTO Beatrice Ionascu out of a research project at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Imagi is now headquartered in New York. The team operates across the US, the UK, Sweden and Finland. In 2024 the company sharpened its focus on the US K‑12 market. In November 2025 Imagi appointed Sari Hurme‑Mehtälä as Chief Growth Officer; Hurme‑Mehtälä previously sold Kide Science to Accelerate Learning, marking one of the first Nordic EdTech exits to the United States.
Making AI a core literacy
Co‑founder and CEO Dora Palfi argues that the current generation of students “will never know a world without AI,” and that AI education should be treated as a form of literacy comparable to computer science. She says this must be done with age‑appropriate safeguards and trusted pedagogical solutions to ensure safe, responsible classroom use and to prepare students for an AI‑driven future.
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