KT invests $8 million in Mathpresso, a Google-backed AI-powered edtech company

TL;DR:

  • KT, Korea’s telecom giant, invests $8 million in Google-backed edtech firm Mathpresso.
  • Total funding for Mathpresso reaches an impressive $130 million, with backing from Google, GGV Capital, Goodwater Capital, and SoftBank Ventures Asia.
  • The partnership aims to develop an education-specific Large Language Model (LLM) using Mathpresso’s AI technology and KT’s infrastructure.
  • Mathpresso leads in building an education-focused LLM, addressing inaccuracies seen in GPT-4.
  • Mathpresso plans to integrate the LLM into its AI tutor, enhancing personalized education services.
  • Expansion into the U.S. education market is a strategic move for Mathpresso, leveraging native English data.
  • QANDA, Mathpresso’s flagship app, serves over 80 million users across 50+ nations and offers advanced OCR technology.
  • Mathpresso’s mission is to revolutionize global education, providing world-class AI tutoring.

Main AI News:

KT, Korea’s telecom giant, has injected a substantial $8 million (10 billion KRW) into Mathpresso, the Google-backed edtech powerhouse. This strategic investment serves as a catalyst, propelling Mathpresso’s total funding to an impressive $130 million. With previous backing from industry titans such as Google, GGV Capital, Goodwater Capital, and SoftBank Ventures Asia, Mathpresso is on a relentless pursuit to redefine the education landscape.

At the core of this collaboration lies a shared vision: the development of an education-specific Large Language Model (LLM). Mathpresso’s cutting-edge proprietary AI technology and robust data ecosystem, coupled with KT’s infrastructure prowess, will fuel the creation of a transformative learning tool.

Mathpresso: Pioneering the Future of Education with Domain-Specific LLM

In the realm of education, precision is paramount. Mathpresso, as the operator of Asia’s most utilized education app, ‘QANDA,’ stands at the forefront of constructing an education-specific Large Language Model. The pitfalls of GPT-4, including its tendency to produce inaccuracies, underscore the importance of domain-specific data. Mathpresso is armed with a treasure trove of over 6 billion solution searches, teacher-student interaction data, proprietary OCR technology, and advanced math-solving algorithms. This formidable arsenal positions Mathpresso to enhance both the accuracy and efficiency of its model.

The company’s mission extends beyond merely creating a powerful LLM. Mathpresso intends to seamlessly integrate this model into its AI tutor, charting a new course in personalized education. This vision encompasses the integration of the enhanced AI Tutor into Mathpresso’s existing suite of services, which includes the QANDA App, 1:N online school (QANDA Study), and 1:1 online tutoring (QANDA Tutor). As a testament to this commitment, Mathpresso recently unveiled a beta version of ‘Poly,’ an LLM-based chatbot, via the QANDA App. ‘Poly’ empowers students with interactive, step-by-step explanations, further enhancing the learning experience.

Global Expansion: Mathpresso Targets the U.S. Market

While Mathpresso has achieved remarkable success in Asia, the company is now setting its sights on the vast U.S. education market, the largest among English-speaking countries. This ambitious strategy entails capturing user traffic and fine-tuning the model’s accuracy using native English data.

QANDA: Empowering K-12 Students Worldwide

Mathpresso’s flagship app, QANDA, is an AI-powered learning platform meticulously crafted for K-12 students. It harnesses advanced optical character recognition (OCR) technology to decipher text and mathematical equations from photos, offering in-depth solutions and personalized learning content. QANDA has forged a global community, boasting over 80 million registered users spanning more than 50 nations. Remarkably, 87% of its user base resides outside Korea, with significant clusters in Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand. Every day, an astounding 10 million photos are uploaded on QANDA worldwide. To further enrich the learning experience, Mathpresso expanded its offerings with QANDA Tutor and QANDA Study.

Jake Lee, CEO of Mathpresso, encapsulates the vision of this partnership: “This marks a significant step towards building a world-class AI tutor beyond Asia. Our AI tutor will bring the unique advantages of one-on-one tutoring, long considered the zenith of effective learning, across all educational spectrums. It will open doors to unparalleled educational opportunities for countless students.”

Conclusion:

The strategic investment by KT in Mathpresso underscores the significance of precision in education technology. With a focus on developing an education-specific Large Language Model and expanding into the U.S. market, Mathpresso aims to set new standards in personalized learning. This move signifies a growing commitment to revolutionizing the global education landscape, offering students unparalleled opportunities for enhanced learning experiences.

Source