German edtech startup Paddy raises €1 million in pre-seed funding for AI platform aimed at teachers

Paddy, an edtech startup, has announced it raised €1 million in pre-seed funding led by High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) and angel investors, aiming to “change how teachers plan lessons, create materials, and support every student”. 

Paddy’s founders Matty Frommann, Lukas Portmann and Tobias Schröder

Founded by three teachers, the company says it has developed a "unique AI platform” that supports teachers in preparing for lessons and already has 12,000 active users.

The platform aims to tackle repetitive tasks, freeing up teacher time so that they can focus on offering individual support to students. 

The software identifies the topics being discussed, as well as their target audience, and learning objects. It uses this information to suggest appropriate task formats, methods, and materials. 

“Paddy shows how to reduce stress for teachers while simultaneously training students in the use of AI at an early stage,” comments Felix Assion, Investment Manager at HTGF. “In addition to the compelling product, I was particularly impressed by the team. Despite their extremely young age, the founders already demonstrate an exceptional sense of entrepreneurship – and I'm excited to see where their journey takes them!" 

"As a student, I witnessed firsthand how much pressure many of our teachers were under – with hardly any time for individual support, even though they had the will. That's exactly where the idea for paddy came from," adds Matty Frommann, Co-founder and CEO at Paddy.