Kira Learning Announces $6 Million Seed Round Financing Led by NEA and Dr. Andrew Ng’s AI Fund

Kira Learning announced $6 million in seed capital led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA) and Dr. Andrew Ng’s AI Fund to build the solution of choice for K-12 schools and districts seeking state-of-the-art, standards-aligned computer science courses for all learners. Kira Learning’s first micro-course – being piloted this summer – guides 9th grade students from an introduction to coding principles to programming a neural network.

“We’re excited to help a new generation of learners access the promise of Computer Science and AI. The Kira Learning team is fortunate to benefit from the experienced perspective of some extraordinary advisors, investors, and partners, and we are grateful to count Dr. Andrew Ng and investors like NEA among them,” said Andrea Pasinetti, Founder and CEO, Kira Learning. “Kira Learning believes computer science education will be a core requirement for all K-12 learners in the next five years. It is crucial for districts, schools, and students to have equitable access to up-to-date, industry-aligned learning opportunities that bring Computer Science and AI into classrooms and communities around the world.”

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Dr. Ng – artificial intelligence pioneer, founding lead of Google Brain, Adjunct Professor at Stanford University, Kira Learning Chairman, and one of the world’s most well-regarded computer science educators – is working with the team to design and teach Kira Learning’s introductory K-12 artificial intelligence course.

“Similar to English and Math, Computing will be central to our children’s lives and careers. This shift will be a big challenge for schools and school systems already strained by post-pandemic learning loss and teacher shortages,” said Dr. Andrew Ng. “Computer Science education is a much needed skill for K-12 students around the world, and Kira Learning is building what I believe will be the go-to solution for educators and administrators looking for standards aligned curriculum, content, and learning tools.”

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Kira Learning Founder and CEO Andrea Pasinetti is a first-generation American entrepreneur, engineer, and graduate of Stanford’s MBA program. He’s set to graduate Stanford’s MS CS program with a focus on AI and systems, and brings extensive international experience working on equity in education.

Before founding Kira Learning in 2022, Pasinetti spent a decade building equitable, accessible, and quality education pathways for thousands of students in rural China as the founder and CEO of international education nonprofit Teach For China. As of today, Teach For China has placed more than 2,700 teaching fellows in 389 high-need schools across five rural Chinese provinces.

“We always say that we invest in people—which is incredibly true here,” said Carmen Chang, General Partner; Chairman & Head, Asia at NEA. “We have known Andrea for some time, and we believe in his exceptional talent and potential. For Andrea to build an education company with his deep knowledge of K-12 along with his passion and creativity is very exciting to us.”

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