Imagine K12
AcceleratorPre-Seed–Seed · 5 people tracked
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Investment thesis
Imagine K12 was created as the first startup accelerator dedicated to education technology, supporting early-stage founders aiming to transform education. After merging into Y Combinator in 2016 to establish an edtech vertical, the two organizations have collectively backed over 100 education technology startups. Prospective edtech entrepreneurs are directed to apply to Y Combinator to join the community.
Source: firm website, verified Sep 27, 2026.
Team · 5 people
from the firm's website & public directoriesWhat they invest in
from 60 of 90 portfolio companiesEdTech ×55SaaS ×30AI & Machine Learning ×12Consumer ×6Future of Work ×6Marketplaces ×6Developer Tools ×5Enterprise Software ×5
HQs:United States×35Canada×2Brazil×1Cyprus×1Denmark×1
Who they back
founder profiles across 36 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×142 founders×173 founders×24+ founders×3
Where their founders studiedfrom 32 founders with education data
Stanford University Graduate School of Business ×5Harvard University ×3Yale University ×3INSEAD ×2University of California, Berkeley ×2University of Cambridge ×2Washington University in St. Louis ×2
What their founders studiedfrom 44 founders with field-of-study data
Computer Science ×15Business & Management ×7Engineering ×6Economics ×5Politics & Policy ×4Design & Architecture ×2Humanities ×2Life Sciences ×2
Where their founders worked beforefrom 42 founders with career history
Unreasonable ×3Google ×2Teach for America ×2
Accelerator rootsportfolio companies that came through a program
2 founders hold a PhD · 4 hold an MBA (of 46 with degree data)
Portfolio companies · 90 tracked
alumni founders can tell you what the program is really likeBy year:2023 · 12016 · 12015 · 22014 · 26 dated
Danny King(Founder)in
Co-investorsFJ LabsKapor CapitalKima VenturesUncork Capital
AdmitSee is a platform where prospective college applicants can browse thousands of successful application essays, including "Why Us" supplements and Common App essays, along with sample applications and admission tips.
EdTechMarketplacesGreat Neck, US
Lydia Fayal(Cofounder)Stephanie Shyu(Cofounder)in
Co-investorsIA Capital Group
Allcancode is a hybrid development platform that supports no-code, low-code, and traditional coding in a single environment to accelerate product development.
Developer ToolsSaaS
Co-investorsUni.Fund
BloomTech is an online coding and technology bootcamp that teaches in-demand skills to help students secure well-paying jobs.
AI & Machine LearningEdTechFintechFuture of WorkSaaSAustin, US
Austen Allred(Founder/CEO)inBen Nelson(Founder)inZoran(COO)
Co-investorsGelt VCGV (Google Ventures)Hemisphere Ventures LLCJude GomilaManhattan WestOutbound Ventures+22 more
BloomBoard provides professional education and talent development programs for K-12 school districts, connecting educators with apprenticeship, certification, and degree programs through partnerships with higher education institutions.
EdTechEnterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkHR Tech
Jason Lange(Co-founder & Chair of the Board)inEric Dunn(Co-founder)in
Co-investorsBirchmere VenturesBill & Melinda Gates FoundationLearn Capital
Class Central is a search engine and review aggregator for online courses, indexing offerings from over 1,300 universities and 100 providers with more than 250,000 user reviews.
EdTechMarketplaces
Dhawal Shah(Founder and CEO)in
ClassDojo is a global community platform connecting over 50 million teachers and families to share learning moments through photos, videos, and messages.
EdTechSaaSSocialSan Francisco, US
Sam Chaudhary(Founder/CEO)inLiam Don(Founder/CTO)in
Co-investorsFelicis VenturesFive SigmaFlucas VenturesGeneral CatalystGSV VenturesKapor Capital+13 more
Classkick is a classroom platform that gives teachers real-time visibility into student work as students solve, write, and draw on uploaded PDFs, slides, images, and Google Docs, allowing instant feedback.
AI & Machine LearningEdTechSaaS
Co-investorsFundersClubGreat Oaks Venture CapitalKapor CapitalLightbankSocial Starts
Clever provides a data integration platform for schools that connects student information systems with educational applications and tools.
CybersecurityData & InfrastructureEdTechSaaSSan Francisco, US
Dan Carroll(Founder/CPO)inRafael Garcia(Co-founder & CTO)inTyler Bosmeny(Co-founder, Board Member & Strategic Advisor)in
Co-investorsFloodgateGSV VenturesHomebrewInitialized CapitalKapor CapitalLightspeed Venture Partners+10 more
Codecademy is an interactive online learning platform that teaches coding and technical skills to individuals worldwide.
AI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsEdTechNew York, US
Zach Sims(Founder/CEO)in
Co-investorsBloomberg BetaBowery CapitalFlybridge Capital PartnersFounder CollectiveIndex VenturesOwl Ventures+13 more
CodeHS provides a K-12 computer science education platform with over 100 standards-aligned courses spanning computer science, cybersecurity, AI, and digital literacy, plus a browser-based coding environment, LMS, grading, and teacher training.
EdTechSaaSSan Francisco, US
Zachary Galant(Executive Officer, Director)Jeremy Keeshin(Executive Officer, Director)in
Co-investorsKapor CapitalLearn CapitalSeven Peaks Ventures
DeansList provides software for K-12 schools to track student behavior, attendance, and interventions (PBIS, MTSS/RTI, restorative justice) and to communicate with families via automatically translated emails, texts, calls, and apps.
EdTechSaaSPalo Alto, US
Matthew Robins(President and Secretary)Akshai Patel(Founder)
edshelf is a discovery platform that curates and recommends educational software, apps, and digital tools for teachers and students.
EdTechMarketplaces
EdSurge is an editorially independent digital news site covering education topics including edtech innovation, teaching practices, student engagement, and AI in education.
EdTechMedia & Entertainment
Co-investorsLearn CapitalNew Markets Venture PartnersNewSchools Venture FundOmidyar NetworkReach Capital
Educents is an online marketplace connecting educators, parents, and homeschooling families with creators and publishers to buy and sell educational resources including curricula, lesson plans, apps, and learning materials.
ConsumerEdTechMarketplaces
Co-investorsGotham Gal VenturesCrosslink CapitalDeep Fork CapitalKapor CapitalLearn CapitalSoftTech VC
Educreations builds creative tools that enable students and teachers to share ideas and collaborate on learning content.
EdTechMedia & EntertainmentSaaS
Co-investorsAccelNewSchools Venture Fund
Uplatform is a B2B iGaming software provider offering sports betting, casino, and esports betting solutions to operators through an API-integrated platform with back-office tools and casino aggregator services.
GamingSaaSSports TechCyprus, CY
Co-investorsY Combinator
Emote is an AI platform for schools that analyzes student emotional, social, and academic data to enable teachers, coaches, parents, and other stakeholders to identify and coordinate early interventions.
AI & Machine LearningConsumerEdTechMental HealthSan Francisco, US
Julian Golder(Founder/CEO)inLei Xu(Founder)in
Co-investorsY Combinator
Freckle is an adaptive learning platform offering student-paced and teacher-led practice exercises aligned to ELA and math standards.
Developer ToolsEdTech
Alexandr KurilinSidharth Kakkar
Co-investors500 GlobalASDF VenturesFresco CapitalAsymmetric Capital PartnersBrenteca InvestmentsMintaka
Goalbook offers Toolkit, a software platform that helps special educators write higher-quality IEPs (Individualized Education Programs) and deliver specially designed instruction using research-based practices like Universal Design for Learning.
EdTechSaaS
Co-investorsSustainVCNewSchools Venture FundRethink Education
Hāpara provides classroom monitoring and student safety tools for K-12 schools, including browser monitoring, student movement tracking, and messaging features integrated with Microsoft 365 Education.
EdTechEnterprise SoftwareSaaS
Wayne Ponciain
Co-investorsMontage CapitalRethink Capital Partners
Jumpcut provides tools and services to help content creators achieve viral growth and establish revenue streams from their work.
EdTechLos Angeles, US
Kong Pham(Founder/CEO)inJesse Jhaj(Founder/Chief Content Officer)inPeter Lu(Founder/COO)in
Co-investors500 GlobalAtomicBase Venture Management, Inc.Outbound VenturesSoma CapitalUtopian Ventures+8 more
Kaymbu's Lesson Manager enables early childhood education programs to organize, distribute, and scale curriculum lessons and weekly templates while reducing educator workload.
EdTechCambridge, US
Kin Lo(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardPeter Bell(Director)Wayee Chu(Director)
Co-investorsDecathlon Capital Partners
KickUp is a management system for K-12 schools that combines professional development, coaching, classroom walkthroughs, and staff evaluation into a single platform, giving school leaders performance data to connect professional learning with teacher outcomes.
EdTechSaaSWashington, US
Jeremy Rogoff(CEO)inVicky(COO)Victoria Kinzig(Executive Officer, Director)
Co-investorsEdovate CapitalLighthouse Network Ventures LlcRittenhouse VenturesRobin Hood VenturesSustainVCImpact Engine
Kodable is a K–5 STEM education platform that teaches kids digital literacy, typing, and coding through play-based games and self-guided lessons.
EdTechGaming
Jon Mattingly(Founder)in
Co-investors500 GlobalInnovation Works
Leada provides training courses that teach employees at companies how to use data tools and programming languages like SQL, R, and Python to answer business questions relevant to their roles.
EdTechLos Angeles, US
Brian Liou(Founder/CEO)in
Co-investorsY Combinator
Make School was a non-profit organization that provided education and career support to underrepresented students in computer science, offering a project-based Bachelor's degree program that resulted in high-earning tech career placements.
EdTechImpact & Social GoodSan Francisco, US
Ashutosh Desai(Founder)inJeremy Rossmann(Founder)
BoardRobert Hutter(Director)Tom Willerer(Director)
Co-investorsBisk VenturesKapor CapitalY Combinator500 GlobalAndreessen HorowitzArchetype Ventures+12 more
Mosa Mack Science provides a curriculum of story-based science lessons, mysteries, labs, and engineering challenges for elementary and middle school students (grades 4–8) that emphasizes real-world phenomena and critical thinking.
AI & Machine LearningEdTechNew York, US
Lissa Johnson(Founder, CEO)in
Mystery Science provides a standards-aligned elementary science curriculum with hands-on, phenomena-driven lessons, investigations, and assessments for K-5 students and teachers.
EdTechImpact & Social Good
Doug PeltzKeith Schacht
Co-investors500 GlobalLearn CapitalReach CapitalY Combinator
Nimble is a platform that connects teachers with K-12 schools and districts to improve hiring and workforce management.
AI & Machine LearningEdTechFuture of WorkHR TechSaaSMiami, US
Lauren Dachille(Founder/CEO)in
Co-investorsDorm RoomTarget GlobalY CombinatorAccelBreyer CapitalDatabricks Ventures+8 more
NoRedInk is an online writing and grammar curriculum that offers adaptive practice exercises, scaffolded essays, quick writing prompts, and diagnostics aligned to state and national standards.
AI & Machine LearningEdTechSaaS
Jeff Scheur(Founder and CEO)inGeoff Brovich(CFO)inRebecca Sanchez(SVP of Product)inEd Cudahy(CTO)inJennifer Dearman(Chief Customer Officer)in
Co-investors500 GlobalFresco CapitalGSV VenturesGV (Google Ventures)Hyde Park Venture PartnersKapor Capital+9 more
Padlet creates web-based tools like timelines and maps that serve as alternatives to traditional documents and presentations for sharing information.
Enterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkSaaSSan Francisco, US
Nitesh Goel(Founder/CEO)in
Co-investorsBloomberg BetaFundersClubMission and MarketMonk's Hill VenturesOlima VenturesY Combinator+10 more
Panorama Education provides a data platform for K-12 school districts to integrate and visualize student academic, behavioral, attendance, and engagement data.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureEdTechSaaSLos Angeles, US
Aaron Feuer(Founder/CEO)inAlexander Tanner(Executive Officer, Director)David Carel(Cofounder)inXan Tanner(Cofounder)
BoardAndrew Parker(Director)Jed Smith(Director)in
Co-investorsAlumni VenturesGV (Google Ventures)Initialized CapitalOwl VenturesUncork CapitalWebb Investment Network+10 more
Extern is a platform connecting college students with remote, short-term project-based work experiences at companies, combining practical experience with structured training to build career-ready skills.
AI & Machine LearningConsumerEdTechFuture of WorkMarketing TechSaaS
Peergrade is an online platform for peer review and feedback in educational settings, originally created for university courses.
EdTechSaaS
Co-investorsbyFoundersEmerge EducationNordic MakersProject A VenturesY Combinator
The page displays a catalog of women's fashion apparel — dresses, T-shirts, coats, and casual sets — with listed prices, in the style of an online clothing retailer.
E-commerce
Platzi offers online courses on user research methods and techniques, including qualitative and quantitative approaches, for individuals seeking to master UX research practices.
CybersecurityEdTechEnterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkSaaSSan Francisco, US
Freddy Vega(Founder/CEO)inChristian Van Der Henst(Executive Officer, Director)inFrancisco GuerreroJohn Freddy Vega
BoardRodolfo Gonzalez(Director)in
Co-investors500 GlobalAmador HoldingsFJ LabsFoundation CapitalFundersClubMind the Seed - MTS Fund+11 more
Py operates mobile apps and a hiring platform that uses skills assessments to match candidates with tech jobs.
EdTechSan Francisco, US
Co-investorsDorm RoomY CombinatorLiquid VenturesMAGIC FundVenture Investment AssociatesZillionize
Quero operates an online education marketplace (Quero Bolsa and Melhor Escola) where Brazilian students compare colleges, courses and schools, enroll, and pay reduced tuition prices.
EdTechFintechMarketplaces
André Narciso(Founder)in
Raise Me is a social enterprise that enables high school students to earn micro-scholarships from colleges and universities starting as early as 9th grade based on academic achievement, volunteer work, and extracurricular activities.
EdTech
Co-investorsGSV VenturesOwl VenturesTeamworthy VenturesMontage Ventures
Remind provides mobile-first, two-way messaging for education, letting teachers, administrators, students, and families communicate without sharing personal phone numbers.
EdTechSaaS
Brett Kopf(Co-founder)inDavid Kopf(Co-founder)in
Co-investors500 GlobalBling CapitalGSV VenturesKleiner PerkinsSpiral VenturesTeamworthy Ventures+1 more
RocketLit develops an adaptive reading platform that adjusts text complexity for individual students and a science assessment tool that provides practice problems and performance analytics for teachers and administrators.
EdTechLos Angeles, US
Brendan Finch(Founder/CEO)inGrenard Madrigal(Founder/CTO)in
Co-investorsY Combinator
Rumie offers "Bytes," short bite-sized learning modules on a range of topics that users can access during everyday screen time for personal development.
ConsumerEdTech
SchoolMint provides enrollment management software for K-12 schools and districts, serving large school systems as well as individual schools.
EdTechGovTechSaaSSan Francisco, US
Jinal Jhaveri(Executive Officer, Director)inForum Desai(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardAndre Bliznyuk(Director)in
Co-investorsFresco CapitalGovtech FundKapor CapitalNelstone VenturesRuna CapitalZenStone Venture Capital+3 more
Jinal Jhaveri(Founder)in
Co-investorsReach CapitalRuna CapitalZenStone Venture Capital
Securly builds digital safety and security solutions for K-12 schools to protect students and support educators.
AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityEdTechSaaSSan Jose, US
Vinay Mahadik(Executive Officer, Director)Bharath Madhusudan(Founder)in
Co-investorsDefy PartnersOwl VenturesSalesforce Ventures
Sense Education is an AI-driven assessment platform that analyzes student submissions and provides educators with personalized feedback at scale.
AI & Machine LearningEdTechSaaS
Ronen Tal Botzer(Founder)inSeth Haberman(CEO)inEmily Becher(Co-CEO)
Co-investorsY CombinatorMindset VentureBlue Earth Capital AGCapricorn Investment GroupEnergy Impact PartnersIDO Investments+5 more
Sesame was an education product serving teachers and students, described as telling the stories that report cards cannot.
EdTech
Co-investorsATW PartnersMenlo VenturesSequoia CapitalSpark Capital
Showbie is an education platform that consolidates instruction, feedback, assessment, communication, and reporting into a single app for teachers, schools, and multi-school organizations such as trusts, municipalities, and districts.
EdTechSaaSEdmonton, CA
Colin Bramm(CEO and Co-Founder)inRoy Pombeiro(CTO and Co-Founder)in
Co-investorsPoint NineRhino VenturesAzure Capital PartnersEdmonton UnlimitedFresco CapitalYaletown Partners
Socrative is a classroom assessment and engagement platform that enables educators to conduct real-time quizzes, polls, and interactive activities with automatic grading and detailed performance analytics.
EdTechSaaS
Co-investorsBantam GroupNewSchools Venture FundTrue Ventures
Sown To Grow provides a K-12 social-emotional learning platform with CASEL- and ASCA-aligned curriculum, student pre/post surveys, and professional development for educators.
EdTechSaaSOakland, US
Rupa Chandra Gupta(Executive Officer, Director)inDennis Li(Executive Officer, Director)in
Co-investorsScout FundTop Corner Capital
Swing operates a technology platform that connects qualified substitute teachers with schools and districts facing educator shortages.
Developer ToolsEdTechHR TechSaaSSan Francisco, US
Mike Teng(Executive Officer, Director)inOsbert FenginMatt CooperinAsha Visweswaran(Executive Officer, Director)Laura Melahn(Director)inDavid Su(Director)in
Co-investors500 GlobalGV (Google Ventures)Moment Ventures, LlcOwl VenturesRunway Growth CapitalUlu Ventures+2 more
TapToLearn develops game-based educational apps covering subjects like math, spelling, grammar, geography, and science for kindergarten through middle school students.
ConsumerEdTechGamingSan Francisco, US
Roby Thomas John(Founder/CEO)inAvinash Pandey(Co-Founder)inAamir Poonawalla(Founder)inPriyanthy Aprain Srampical(Founder)Sreejit Jayanthan(Founder)in
Co-investorsEniac VenturesY CombinatorACE & CompanyBase Venture Management, Inc.BEENEXTKhosla Ventures+3 more
SchoolStatus provides data-driven software solutions to K-12 school districts across the United States to improve student attendance, family engagement, and literacy outcomes.
Data & InfrastructureEdTechSaaS
TeachMe builds educational games and apps that combine practice and play for K-12 students, teachers, and parents, including products like Math Games, TypeRacer, edshelf, and Playgeography.
ConsumerEdTechGaming
J Moses
Co-investorsEdmonton Unlimited1984 Ventures Management, LlcAlumni VenturesBling Capital
Trinket provides web-based coding and development tools for educators and students to support interactive learning in the classroom.
Developer ToolsEdTechRaleigh, US
Elliott Hauser(CEO)inBrian Marks(CTO)in
The site is an affiliate comparison and review page ranking crypto casinos for the Spanish market in 2026, listing welcome bonuses, supported cryptocurrencies, licensing and withdrawal times.
Crypto & Web3Media & Entertainment
Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
AnswerBrainNookBrightLoopCellabusChesscademyClassroomIQCodevolveDeZyreDigitWhizedoomeEdpuzzleEduvantFormativeGedditGigaBryteInstaGrokKaizenaLearnSproutLiterablyMathChatMission100PercentOohlalamobilePlickersReadWorksTickleVidcode
Exits · 3
3 acquisitions · showing 1Codecademyacq. by Skillsoft
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesSecurly · trysignalbase.com · Mar 25, 2026
CodeHS · help.codehs.com · Feb 19, 2026
Goalbook · prod.goalbookapp.com · Dec 4, 2025
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Imagine K12 made?
- Imagine K12 has 90 tracked investments, 3 of which have exited.
- What stage does Imagine K12 invest at?
- Imagine K12 invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.
- What sectors does Imagine K12 focus on?
- Imagine K12 focuses on EdTech.
- Who does Imagine K12 co-invest with?
- Imagine K12 most often shares deals with Y Combinator, 500 Global, Kapor Capital, among 103 tracked co-investors.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamEmbark Trucks' (W16) road to IPO
Y Combinator · Geoff Ralston
Building culture
Y Combinator · Tim Brady
The path to $100B
Y Combinator · Geoff Ralston
Images
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