GC Angels backs EdTech start-up to launch into UK universities

Immersify Education, a Salford-based EdTech start-up, has secured a £260,000 combined investment from GC Angels, Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and business Angels from the North of England.

This will be used to fund the development and release of its educational software application to the education sector.

The company provides learning tools for university students using augmented reality (AR), interactive animation, gamification and personalised learning, which are able to be embedded and delivered within practical academic courses that have traditionally been theory-based.

Results have delivered stronger engagement, improved information retention and a boost in academic outcomes.

Their innovative technology has been created through the collaborative effort of renowned expert authors, developers, 3D animators, learning technologists, translators and student consultants, and is delivered in multiple languages through the platform.

Immersify Education founder, Chloe Barrett, started the business in 2018 after she saw a market gap in the educational content sector that started with dentistry.

Catapulted by European funding, the founders launched a research-driven pilot across eight universities globally.

This generated user insights that drove optimisation of their platform for market launch in 2020.

With the interest from other courses outside of dentistry, the business launched its Immersify Education in 2019 and plans to expand into new academic areas, such as veterinary science and medicine.

With the successful close of a £260,000 seed, the business will be making several significant hires to build out the development team and take the product through to its final development stage, ready to go to market in the 2020/21 academic year.

Immersify Education also has plans to take its adaptable technology for the modern learner to the global market, having joined the Growth Company’s Global Scale-up Programme, which supports businesses in Greater Manchester to enter global markets.

Chloe Barrett said: “It is a really exciting time for Immersify Education with the investment and support from such fantastic investors to take us through the final stages of development.

“We believe this product is really going to make a difference to traditional education and are delighted with the support network we have around us.

“It’s been great working alongside GC Angels and we can now look towards expanding on a global scale to allow our platform to be used across a range of areas in a variety of countries.”

Jessica Jackson, investment director at GC Angels, said: “We’re really pleased to have supported this business with its seed round.

“It has huge potential to make a difference to students coming through university today who have expectations of technology-driven learning.

“Chloe and her team have created a very interesting product set and 2020 promises to be an exciting time for their growth.”

She added: “GC Angels is proud to be helping Greater Manchester’s ambitious female founders access funding and we look forward to seeing how Immersify Education will grow.”