BITS Pilani-backed edtech startup Sortmyprep has secured $350,000 (around ₹3 crore) in a pre-seed funding round to strengthen its AI-powered learning platform, expand curriculum coverage, and accelerate growth across India and international markets. The investment comes at a time when AI-driven education startups are witnessing renewed investor interest as schools and students increasingly adopt personalized learning technologies.
Funding Snapshot
| Startup | Sortmyprep |
|---|---|
| Funding | $350,000 (Approx. ₹3 Crore) |
| Round | Pre-Seed |
| Sector | AI + EdTech |
| Headquarters | India |
| Investors | Sameer Mehta, Boman Irani, Subrat Pani and other angel investors |
The Story
Founded under ZKAP Edtech Services Pvt. Ltd., Sortmyprep is building what it calls a Vertical AI platform dedicated to school examination preparation. Unlike generic AI chatbots, the startup focuses exclusively on academic learning by combining curriculum-specific content with conversational artificial intelligence.
The latest funding round attracted several prominent entrepreneurs and business leaders, including boAt co-founder Sameer Mehta, Rustomjee Group Chairman Boman Irani, OneAssist co-founder Subrat Pani, HG Insights CEO Rohini Kasturi, and London Stock Exchange Group APAC Head Ranjit Pawar. The company had also received early institutional support from the PIEDS incubator at BITS Pilani.
The fresh capital will primarily be used to strengthen Sortmyprep’s AI infrastructure, improve its learning models, expand curriculum coverage, and accelerate expansion into both Indian and international education markets
What Makes Sortmyprep Different?
At the heart of Sortmyprep’s platform is Sorty, a curriculum-aligned AI tutor designed specifically for school students.
Rather than functioning as a general-purpose chatbot, Sorty delivers:
- Personalized study plans
- 24×7 doubt resolution
- Curriculum-specific learning support
- Adaptive exam preparation
- Conversational AI tutoring
The platform currently focuses on international education boards such as IB and IGCSE, while the company plans to expand into CBSE, ICSE, and other major global curricula in the coming months.
Strong Organic Growth
One of the most notable aspects of Sortmyprep’s growth is its customer acquisition strategy.
According to the company, 71% of its users have joined through referrals and word-of-mouth, without relying on paid marketing campaigns. Today, the platform serves students in more than 15 countries, demonstrating early international traction despite being an early-stage startup.
The startup has also built a proprietary academic dataset containing over one million human-generated learning data points, helping improve the accuracy and personalization of its AI models.
Where the Funding Will Be Used
One of the most notable aspects of Sortmyprep’s growth is its customer acquisition strategy.
According to the company, 71% of its users have joined through referrals and word-of-mouth, without relying on paid marketing campaigns. Today, the platform serves students in more than 15 countries, demonstrating early international traction despite being an early-stage startup.
The startup has also built a proprietary academic dataset containing over one million human-generated learning data points, helping improve the accuracy and personalization of its AI models.
Why This Funding Matters
Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming one of the biggest trends in education technology. However, instead of building another general AI assistant, Sortmyprep is betting on Vertical AI—AI systems designed specifically for one industry or use case.
This approach allows the platform to provide more accurate, curriculum-aware, and exam-focused guidance compared to general-purpose AI tools.
For investors, this represents an opportunity to back a startup operating in a niche where personalization and subject expertise matter significantly.
Motiva8 Take
The next generation of AI startups may not compete directly with large language models—they will build on top of them.
Sortmyprep is an example of this emerging trend. Rather than creating a general AI chatbot, it is developing an education-focused AI platform that understands school curricula, adapts to different education boards, and provides personalized academic support.
If the company successfully expands into mainstream Indian education boards while maintaining strong learning outcomes, it could emerge as one of India’s notable Vertical AI startups in the education sector.
Key Takeaways
- Sortmyprep raised $350,000 in a pre-seed funding round.
- The startup is backed by BITS Pilani’s startup ecosystem.
- Investors include Sameer Mehta, Boman Irani and other angel investors.
- The company currently serves students in over 15 countries.
- Fresh capital will strengthen AI infrastructure and support international expansion.
