Milestone for AI powered EdTech startup Chalkie as it is snapped up by OpenAI
Phil Daneshyar, CEO and Co-founder of Chalkie, at an EdTech event. OpenAI has acquired the AI-powered lesson planning platform, which is used by more than 500,000 teachers worldwide. Photo credit: Phil Daneshyar
In a LinkedIn post, Phil Daneshyar, CEO and Co-founder at Chalkie, which launched last year, said: “OpenAI just bought Chalkie. What an incredible milestone when our search traffic is now so meaningful that OpenAI are bidding on our brand.”
He added: “Searching for Chalkie is now so synonymous with saving teachers their Sundays due to our incredible lesson resources that OpenAI and others have decided it’s better value for money to bid on us, than the actual problem they are trying to solve.”
Funding round
In March, Chalkie announced the closure of a $4 million funding round from TriplePoint Ventures.
Used by more than 500,000 teachers worldwide and serving over 10 million students globally, it allows teachers to enter a topic, select their curriculum, and guide the AI to quickly generate engaging lesson plans. Each lesson includes professionally designed teaching materials and differentiated activity sheets tailored for students of varying abilities.
Before launching the venture, Daneshyar built and scaled multiple ventures backed by Y Combinator and appeared on the Dragon's Den TV show. His previous company, Kanda, brokered more than $100 million in loans for UK home improvement businesses.
Lining up alongside him is CTO and Co-founder, Mark Hughes, who previously founded Tutorful, a UK tutoring marketplace. At its peak, Tutorful employed more than 80 people and raised over $10 million.
ETIH Innovation Awards 2026
Chalkie is among the companies shortlisted at the ETIH Innovation Awards 2026.
Entries came from across the UK, USA, Canada, and wider international markets, reflecting the growing role of technology in education, skills development, and workforce transformation. Submissions spanned artificial intelligence, digital learning platforms, student engagement tools, and solutions supporting career readiness and lifelong learning.
This year’s shortlist highlights organisations delivering measurable impact in real-world environments. From AI-driven personalization and assessment tools to platforms supporting workforce capability and industry collaboration, the range of entries demonstrates how EdTech continues to move beyond concept into implementation.
Judges reviewed submissions based on innovation, adoption, and evidence of impact, with a focus on how solutions are being used in practice across schools, higher education, and professional learning environments.
Over the coming days, ETIH will publish a series of category-focused articles, taking a closer look at each shortlisted organisation and the work that led to their selection.
Winners of the ETIH Innovation Awards 2026 will be announced on Monday, 11 May 2026.
