British Robotics Seed Fund Backs AI Tool Magpie Education with £300,000 Investment

The British Robotics Seed Fund (BRSF) has invested in Magpie Education, a creator of an AI driven resource tool  designed to inspire students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) subjects. The£300,000 investment will help Magpie capture market share of the UK Edtech market and then expand internationally. Magpie says this sector of education will reach £3.4 billion by 2021 with Edtech currently growing 22% each year.

Magpie Education joins the BRSF portfolio of UK firms in robotics related fields, from Zoa Robotics to Botskill and Tethered Drone Systems.

Dominic Keen, CEO of Britbots – the company that manages the BRSF, believes that to catch up STEM teaching on a global scale, tools like Magpie Education are needed.

“We invested as the business has a proven model in a dynamic market, with a highly capable CEO and management team with deep experience in EdTech at the helm. The British robotics scene is diverse, and this EdTech start up is looking to shape the future of STEM teaching with a tool based on artificial intelligence and machine learning. With its help, we should see the UK’s pool of scientists, engineers and technologists grow as we compete to develop emerging technologies.”

Planning a 2018 launch, Magpie Education will tackle low levels of interest in STEM subjects and the shortage of skilled teachers. Magpie Education provides a platform that incorporates lesson planning, curriculum mapped activities; tailored learning journeys and training (CPD), to deliver inspiring STEM lessons. Using AI and machine learning, teachers will be assisted to accurately assess students’ progress to improve learning outcomes.

“We have piloted our tool in a number of schools in the UK, and have identified a strong requirement to ensure our children receive good quality STEM teaching,” stated Laurence Ellis, CEO of Magpie Education. “Through automated assessment and progress monitoring, we are using AI to a high level, with the platform predicting and recommending learning pathways for individual students with personalized content based on their progress.”