StudyStash, an adaptive study platform used by universities, has been acquired by edtech group Kortext a year after its two founders graduated from the University of Birmingham. Financial details of the deal are not being disclosed. Ben Ward and Jonathan Graham remain as chief executive and chief technology officer respectively, and will continue to lead StudyStash as a distinct brand.
Built from the founders' own course notes, the platform turns existing university material into personalised flashcards, practice tests and podcasts that adapt as a student learns. StudyStash plugs directly into the learning systems universities already run, including Canvas, Blackboard and Moodle, and gives lecturers and student success teams a view of how learning is happening across an entire student body rather than one cohort at a time.
Since launching with the University of Birmingham, StudyStash has reached tens of thousands of students at more than 160 institutions across the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States and Africa. North American users include California State University, Minnesota State and Colorado State, alongside a partnership with California's 2.2 million-student community college system. Other partners include Finland's University of Oulu and the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, where the platform has supported the training of 1,000 surgeons across 15 African countries. At one university in Washington state, drop-out rates among StudyStash users fell to zero, against 16% among non-users.
Founded in 2013, Kortext works with thousands of universities worldwide on digital content, analytics and AI-powered workflow tools, and was recognised in 2026 as one of the first Microsoft Solutions Partners with certified software for Education AI. Adding StudyStash extends that portfolio further into teaching and learning workflows. With half of StudyStash customers already based in the United States, Ward and Graham are relocating to Silicon Valley as expansion in the region continues.
Ward and Graham met while studying computer science at the University of Birmingham and working together on PwC's technology degree apprenticeship. Both had run businesses before, Graham through Nucleus Consulting and Ward through Silicon Square, and built StudyStash in their spare time, moving it from side project to company through Birmingham's Elevate incubator programme. The university became its first customer, before the platform expanded to institutions including St Mary's University, Loughborough University and City St George's.
We started StudyStash to solve our own problem but quickly realised we'd created a tool that could make a real difference to thousands of learners. We had so much traction that it was an easy decision to turn this into our first venture, and StudyStash was born. Since launch, we've raised equity finance, scaled to 160+ institutions on three continents, broken into the US market and now been acquired by one of the largest e-learning providers in the field. We've proven we can build, sell and scale and now Kortext gives us the reach to drive StudyStash to reach its full potential.
Universities set a high bar, and we built StudyStash to meet it from day one. That's been central to how quickly we've grown: combining the speed of a startup with the standards institutions expect of an established partner. With Kortext, we can be even more ambitious. We're bringing our product and pace of development together with its experience, reputation and reach, giving us the backing to build faster and take StudyStash to many more universities.
We believe the future of educational AI lies in solutions that institutions can trust and that genuinely improve learning outcomes. StudyStash brings powerful capabilities that complement our existing strengths and accelerate our AI strategy, while extending our reach further into teaching and learning workflows. Together, we will help institutions embrace AI responsibly, support educators more effectively, and create richer, more personalised learning experiences that help students achieve their full potential.
