
°Â³ó±ð²ÔÌýÌýAIÌýtutor took India’s notoriously difficult UPSC civil service exam last June, it didn’t just pass – it achieved the highest score in the exam’s history, beating 1.3 million human candidates in underÌý7Ìýminutes. Today, the Berkeley-basedÌýstartupÌýemerges from 18 months of stealth withÌý$9.5Ìýmillion funding to transformÌýeducationÌýthrough personalizedÌýAIÌýtutoringÌýthat deliversÌýelite-level instruction at the cost of computation, not hundreds of dollars per hour.
The seed round was co-led by House Fund and GSV Ventures, with participation from Duolingo, General Catalyst India (Venture Highway), Peak XV Partners (formerly Sequoia India), Calibrate Ventures and angel investors, such as Andy Konwinski (Co-founder, Perplexity), Christian Storm (Co-founder & CTO, Turnitin), Prof. Trevor Darrell (BerkeleyÌýAIÌýResearch, UC Berkeley), Prof. Jitendra Malik (BerkeleyÌýAIÌýResearch, UC Berkeley), Prof. Srini Devadas (MIT), Prof. Sharad Malik (Princeton) and others. This investment will accelerate hiring top talent, enhancingÌýAIÌýmodels, and scaling platforms to educational systems worldwide.
SigIQ.ai’s technology directly addresses “Bloom’s Two-Sigma Problem” – the research finding that students receiving one-on-oneÌýtutoringÌýperform two standard deviations better than those in traditional classrooms. This educational disparity has persisted for decades, with personalizedÌýtutoringÌýremaining a luxury reserved for the privileged few. The company’s revolutionary approach shifts the cost of personalization from human labor toÌýAIÌýcomputation, making world-class instruction accessible at unprecedented scale.
“We’re at a pivotal moment inÌýeducationÌýwhere modern GenAI can provide a personal 1:1 tutor to every student and reduce the cost of one-on-one learning from hundreds of dollars an hour to the cost of computation,” saidÌý, CEO and co-founder ofÌýSigIQ.ai, a UC BerkeleyÌýAIÌýPhD mentored by computer vision pioneer Prof. Jitendra Malik. “We’ve started by first creating a tutor that itself can ace the very exam students are preparing for. This is a necessary step to ensure accuracy and quality in teaching delivered. And will set a new benchmark in personalizedÌýeducation, making the highest-qualityÌýeducationÌýaccessible to everyone, regardless of geography or socioeconomic status, at a fraction of the traditional cost.”
The company was founded in July 2023 by Dr. Karttikeya Mangalam and Professor Kurt Keutzer, a distinguished Professor in the BerkeleyÌýAIÌýResearch (BAIR) Lab who has published six books, over 250 refereed papers, and helped launch twelve startups.ÌýSigIQ.ai’s origin reflects its mission. Growing up in Muzaffarpur, Bihar – a region where educational opportunities are limited – Mangalam experienced firsthand the stark divide between small-town India andÌýeliteÌýWestern academic institutions. After completing hisÌýeducationÌýat IIT Kanpur and then at UC Berkeley, he foundedÌýSigIQ.aiÌýtoÌýdemocratizeÌýaccess to world-classÌýeducationÌýglobally.
In just 18 months,ÌýSigIQ.aiÌýhas launched two products with remarkable traction. PadhAI, focused on UPSC exam preparation in India, has attracted over 200,000 learners in just six months. On June 16, 2024, moments after the actual 2-hour UPSC Prelims exam had finished, PadhAI’sÌýAIÌýtutor solved the entire paper in a live demonstration in underÌý7Ìýminutes at The Leela in Delhi. It achieved a score of 175/200 – not just the highest score in 2024, but the highest score ever achieved in UPSC prelims history, far exceeding the typical qualifying score of 100/200. This historic achievement was covered by over 70 news outlets across India, including The Hindu and The Times of India.
The company’s newer offering, EverTutor.ai, designed for GRE preparation in the US market, has already gained more than 10,000 users since launching three months ago.
“SigIQ.aiÌýisn’t just a regular EdTechÌýstartupÌý— they’ve built anÌýAIÌýsystem that publicly demonstrated its ability to outperform both humans and leading commercialÌýAIÌýmodels on one of the world’s most challenging exams. This redefines what’s possible in personalizedÌýeducation,” saidÌýJeremy Fiance, Managing Director of The House Fund.
What differentiatesÌýSigIQ.aiÌýfrom other educationalÌýAIÌýtools is its approach to personalization. Unlike basic conversationalÌýAIÌýthat offers scripted or limited interactivity,ÌýSigIQ’s systems are highly interactive, responsive to follow-up questions, and capable of personalized instruction and feedback – not just chat. As a result, this technology replicates the behavior of a real tutor. Students using the platform report a 30-40% increase in effective study hours while improving performance by 18% in the first month, with over 75% feeling more confident tackling difficult topics within just three weeks.
Looking ahead,ÌýSigIQ.aiÌýplans to expand its reach with EverTutor, supporting more GRE takers in the upcoming spring and fall. The company will be present at ASU+GSV to demonstrate the newest developments in both platforms. Beyond standardized tests,ÌýSigIQ.aiÌýenvisions a future where their technology transformsÌýeducationÌýbroadly, creating a new era where high-quality learning isn’t limited by geography, language, or economic status. Ultimately, the team is set on proving thatÌýeliteÌýeducationÌýdoesn’t have to be scarce – it can and must be universal.
AboutÌýSigIQ.ai
Founded in 2023 by Dr. Karttikeya Mangalam, SigIQ.ai builds AI-powered learning tools that deliver personalized education at scale. With offices in Berkeley and Gurgaon, the company’s flagship products PadhAI and EverTutor.ai serve hundreds of thousands of students globally. Recognized across India for its feat of achieving the top score on the UPSC 2024 live, SigIQ.ai is poised to transform the future of education.