Third Space Learning, a leading AI tutoring and education technology company, has secured £4.4 million in equity investment from new investors British Business Bank’s South West Investment Fund (managed by Maven Capital Partners) and Blackfinch Ventures, with the ongoing support of Foresight Group and Nesta. The funding will accelerate product development of its spoken AI tutor, Skye, support growth in the UK and US schools market, and expand into new subjects and languages.
It provides one-to-one maths tutoring and has supported over 196,000 students across more than 4,200 schools, delivering millions of hours of tutoring. Skye is built on the company’s experience and reflects the design principles of human tutoring, including dialogue, pacing, questioning, and assessment strategies that drive learning gains.
The funding will enable further technical and academic investment in Skye, with a focus on improving learning outcomes, expanding subject and language coverage, and supporting more students. It will also support the development of a dedicated US function as part of its international growth strategy.
The investment follows a $1.9 million Gates Foundation-funded research partnership with Stanford University and Cornell University to advance evidence-based AI maths tutoring in US public schools. The business has built its position in the AI tutoring market on more than a decade of experience, supported by data, evidence, and distribution.
This investment is a significant milestone in Third Space Learning's journey. There is enormous momentum behind AI in education right now, but real impact only comes when AI tutoring is built on the same evidence and rigour as high-impact human tutoring. This funding allows us to move with greater speed and ambition - deepening Skye's capabilities, expanding into new markets, and reaching more of the students who need it most. Closing the maths achievement gap at scale is what drives everything we do, and the support of Maven, Blackfinch, Foresight Group, and Nesta brings us a meaningful step closer to that goal.
Third Space Learning has built an impressive business, establishing the only evidence-backed, high-impact AI tutoring offering at scale, validated by partnerships with leading research institutions. Tom and his team are highly innovative with strong operational expertise in school-based tutoring. We're delighted to back the business at this point in its growth journey, and we look forward to supporting the platform as it scales.
Third Space Learning is at the forefront of a new wave of education technology, using AI to enhance how tailored tutoring can be delivered at scale. Through the South West Investment Fund, we’re pleased to support the company’s growth as it expands its platform and reaches more learners in the UK and overseas.
Third Space Learning has a strong track record in delivering high-impact, evidence-led tutoring, underpinned by deep domain expertise. We are pleased to continue supporting the team as they build on this foundation and scale their AI tutoring platform across the UK and the US.
