Nectir, an educational AI tool, is transforming academic support at over 100 colleges and high schools by enabling educators to create personalized learning assistants tailored to their courses. These AI partners are programmed with course-specific materials such as syllabi, textbooks, and assignments to assist students with everything from routine coursework queries to essay writing and career guidance. The company announced its recent $4 million seed funding round, bringing its total funding to $6.3 million, Nectir aims to expand its capabilities and team to further refine and extend its innovative offerings.
The idea for Nectir stemmed from Kavitta Ghai, CEO and co-founder's, own struggles and disenchantment with the efficacy of traditional academic models. While attending the University of California, Santa Barbara, Ghai observed the challenges posed by a national teacher shortage and a disconnect between current educational offerings and career readiness.
Ghai and co-founder Jordan Long envisioned a 24/7 chatbot that offers continuous, flexible support to students. Nectir can be customized to meet the specific needs of individual classes, entire departments, or campuses, with various settings that allow educators to control how the AI interacts with students. For instance, teachers can configure the AI to focus on particular subjects or employ a teaching style that promotes independent learning, such as the Socratic method, which encourages students to discover answers through guided questioning. The tool includes features that allow educators to restrict the AI's access to only approved content and monitor how students interact with the assistant, ensuring the AI supplements learning without undermining it.
Launched in May, Nectir has quickly gained traction, now serving over 80,000 students at more than 100 schools.
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