Gen-Z Learning App Kadama Secures $1.7 Million Seed Funding After Impacting Millions During the Pandemic

Kadama, the largest educational social media brand and popular Gen-Z learning app, raised a $1.7 million seed round led by Grishin Robotics after impacting millions of students worldwide and reaching a peak App Store ranking of #2 under education. Kadama is breaking the stigma Gen-Z has towards learning. Students can earn rewards after learning with their friends, get instant homework and exam help, attend viral events, and engage with the massive 2 million student community Kadama has built across TikTok, Instagram, and their mobile app.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Kadama’s Gen-Z founders Amin Shaykho (ex-Apple Software Engineer), Marwan El-Rukby (ex-Getty Images Analyst), and Dani Shaykho (University of Washington Computer Science) knew that the two most popular activities students would be doing are learning online and consuming content on social media. Realizing that students were seeking fun ways to learn, Kadama started building a platform immersed with interactive experiences and communities that would appeal to the dynamic interests of Gen-Z.

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During the pandemic, social media consumption by students drastically increased. “I saw many videos go viral and decided to give it a shot. I posted a video and within a few hours it went viral. I posted another video. It went viral. It became clear that if we create a cool, exciting, and relatable brand around learning, we can become the largest educational social media presence ever,” said Amin Shaykho, CEO of Kadama.

Kadama’s success attracted many investors, who mentioned that they were “long awaiting a disruptive Gen-Z marketing strategy through social media.” In a few months, Kadama accumulated half a billion views on TikTok and Instagram, creating viral videos such as biting into a raw onion while sharing school tips. Grishin Robotics led Kadama’s $1.7 million seed round to continue propelling Kadama’s product growth through gamification, short-form content, and more. Additionally, the round had significant participation from Alliance of Angels and other CEOs.

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“We’re excited to partner with Amin, Marwan, and Dani. This past year has made it clear that existing models of education are outdated. Kadama exists where Gen-Z students already spend their time: on their phones, on TikTok and social media. Students are empowered to use Kadama when and where they feel they need it, instead of being forced to rely on teacher- or parent-driven tutoring classes,” said Dmitry Grishin, founder and managing partner of Grishin Robotics, who is joining Kadama’s board.

Kadama engages students beyond the learning environment through viral events such as weekly trivia and gaming tournaments, which have had tens of thousands of participants. These events are part of Kadama’s product vision to create experiences that break the stigma that learning is boring.

“As a team of students and recent college graduates, we are shocked to see the level of virality and relatability our brand has towards millions of students. We have never seen people our age talk about learning apps outside of the classroom,” Shaykho says.

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