Exeter-based education technology startup Sparx has raised €22 million from Oxygen House, a dynamic group of companies that invest in projects fostering social, environmental and economic prosperity, to grow and expand its maths teaching and learning platform.
Founded in 2010 by Mark Dixon, Sparx is an in-class and homework platform that uses machine learning, personalized content, and data analytics to help teachers be more effective and improve learning outcomes for students in maths. The platform provides daily insights into class and student progress, allowing teachers to quickly identify trends. It also provides every student with a personalized learning experience, searching thousands of questions to deliver the right level of challenge to students.
Sparx’s first product ‘Sparx Maths’, which focuses on 11 to 16-year-old students, was launched in September 2018 and combines high-quality content, including 32,000 carefully designed maths questions, and an adaptive AI technology platform.
Expressing gratitude to Oxygen House and its excitement on the latest investment it received, Dan Sandhu, CEO of Sparx, said,
“Oxygen House is a dynamic group of companies and we are delighted to have their backing. From day one, they have shown a strong belief in our vision for Sparx. This new investment will help us to firmly position Sparx at the forefront of edtech and build on the success we have already achieved with our partner schools. The ongoing support of Oxygen House will enable us to have a significant impact on education nationally and beyond the UK.”
The latest investment follows an initial €33.5 million investment from Oxygen House which helped to establish Sparx and to develop and test the technology. The initial investment has helped the company to work closely with schools to research, test, and develop an approach to learning maths which is highly engaging.
Talking about its commitment to help improve education and its investment in Sparx, Roy Bedlow, Director of Oxygen House, commented saying,
“We are committed to helping to improve education so that young people gain the best outcomes and can have a positive impact on society throughout their lives. Our investment in Sparx demonstrates this, and we are excited to see how this innovative, socially-focused company can transform learners’ lives across the world.”
Sparx is committed to delivering real impact in education in the UK and globally and has its mission to improve learning outcomes for more than five million learners by 2030. The company also plans to rapidly increase the scale of its operations to support its international ambitions.
By applying learning strategies founded in pedagogy with cutting-edge technological knowledge and high levels of support, Sparx not only delivers progress and increases attainment in maths, but also changes perceptions about teaching and learning in schools and at home.
