StudyStash acquired by Kortext
StudyStash, a UK-based edtech platform has been acquired by digital learning platform Kortext.
The acquisition comes just a year after its two founders graduated from the University of Birmingham.
StudyStash is a neuroscience-backed AI platform that takes dense university and college course material and turns it into personalised study tools.
The site builds flashcards, practice tests, and podcasts that adapt as the student learns. It also provides insights to help institutions see how learning is occurring across the student body.
Founders Ben Ward, 23, and Jonathan Graham, 24, were motivated to launch the startup after trying to find ways to turn their course notes into study materials. The two both studied computer science and were working together on PwC’s technology degree apprenticeship.
The side project was later adopted by the University of Birmingham’s incubator programme, Elevate, and the University became StudyStash’s first customer.
Since its launch with the University of Birmingham, StudyStash is now used by tens of thousands of students across 160+ institutions in the UK, Europe, US, and Africa.
StudyStash has also partnered with California’s 2.2 million-student community college system.
Other partners include Finland’s University of Oulu and the RCSI University of Medicine, and Health Sciences, where StudyStash has supported the training of 1,000 surgeons across 15 African countries.
It was reported that at one university in Washington state, drop-out rates among StudyStash students fell to zero compared with a 16% rate among non-users.
The platform’s advisory board includes senior figures from UCL, Imperial College London, and the University of Oxford.
Founded in 2013, Kortext works with thousands of universities worldwide, providing tools to help with teaching, learning, and student engagement through digital content, analytics, and AI-powered workflow solutions. The acquisition will help give StudyStash access to Kortext’s institutional network.
The financial details of the acquisition were undisclosed, but it was reported that Ward and Graham will remain as CEO and CTO respectively, and continue to lead StudyStash as a distinct brand.
The founders will also be relocating to Silicon Valley as the company continues to expand into this region.
Ben Ward, Co-Founder and CEO of StudyStash, said: “We started StudyStash to solve our own problem but quickly realised we’d created a tool that could make a real difference to thousands of learners. We had so much traction that it was an easy decision to turn this into our first venture, and StudyStash was born.”
He continued: “We’ve proven we can build, sell, and scale and now Kortext gives us the reach to drive StudyStash to reach its full potential.”
Jonathan Graham, Co-Founder and CTO of StudyStash, said: “Universities set a high bar, and we built StudyStash to meet it from day one. That’s been central to how quickly we’ve grown: combining the speed of a startup with the standards institutions expect of an established partner.”
“With Kortext, we can be even more ambitious. We’re bringing our product and pace of development together with its experience, reputation, and reach, giving us the backing to build faster and take StudyStash to many more universities,” said Graham.
James Gray, Founder and CEO of Kortext said: “We believe the future of educational AI lies in solutions that institutions can trust and that genuinely improve learning outcomes. [StudyStash and Kortext] will help institutions embrace AI responsibly, support educators more effectively, and create richer, more personalised learning experiences that help students achieve their full potential.”
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