cleverly closes EUR 4.6m extended seed financing round

EdTech startup cleverly closes €4.6 million extended seed funding. Rubio and emma Ventures invest. Cleverly offers 1-to-1 online coaching for kids.

Berlin - Berlin-based EdTech startup cleverly has successfully closed an extended seed funding round of €4.6 million. Dutch impact fund Rubio and emma Ventures, the venture capital arm of Swiss family office White Alps Invest, participated in this round. German venture capital investor Capnamic is also on board again. In addition, well-known business angels such as Dr. Florian Langenscheidt, Verena Pausder and the founders of Flixbus support the company, some of them already since the pre-seed round.

cleverly starts where the school system leaves off. Coaching for adults has long since proven its worth, and it makes sense to help children realize their potential, too.

Jörg Binnenbrücker, Managing Partner of Capnamic

The investment comes at a time when issues such as school and test anxiety, motivation to learn and self-confidence are of great concern to many families. The current multi-crisis has exacerbated these pressures, particularly the problem of bullying, which is reported by 23 percent of German children, according to a recent PISA study. "Our coaching approach helps solve acute problems and promote long-term personal development," explains CEO Fredrik Harkort.

The cleverly concept is based on 1-to-1 online sessions in which children and young people work together with qualified educators known as mentors. These mentors support students in various areas such as self-confidence, concentration problems and motivation to learn. The mentors also take on the role of a trusted companion who can help with bullying or school challenges. In addition, cleverly offers tutors who provide expert support in all common school subjects.

With our digital 1-to-1 coaching approach, we help children and young people access their strengths at an early stage of their development and deal with challenges in a self-determined and constructive way.

Julia Harkort, CFO & co-founder of cleverly

Rubio Impact Ventures from the Netherlands is pleased with the investment in cleverly and emphasizes the importance of personal development of children. Ilonka Jankovich, Founding Partner of Rubio Impact Ventures, explains, "cleverly addresses one of the most pressing issues of our time: strengthening the personal skills school children need for their lives today and their future." This round of funding will help cleverly further expand its services and help even more children and young people develop their personal and academic skills.

Founded in the summer of 2021, cleverly offers coaching and tutoring services for children and young people aged 7 to 21. The company is based in Berlin and works with a team locally and remotely throughout Germany. Founders Fredrik and Julia Harkort, themselves parents of school-age children, are committed to forward-thinking education and to empowering young people.