For many students, math is one of the driest and most boring subjects in school. It often involves repetitive practice of formulas and problems without really understanding how and when to apply different math concepts. This makes it difficult for students to develop a genuine interest and passion for the subject.
99math, an edtech startup based in San Francisco, hopes to change this perception by using artificial intelligence and game design principles to make math learning fun, engaging and relevant for students. The company has raised $2.1 million in seed funding led by Learn Capital and Stage Venture Partners to build out its AI-powered math platform.
Building an AI assistant to personalize math learning
At the core of 99math’s approach is an AI assistant called Claude. Powered by natural language processing and machine learning algorithms, Claude acts as a personalized tutor and coach that students can interact with via text, voice or video chat.
By understanding a student’s strengths, weaknesses, learning preferences and comprehension levels, Claude is able to personalize the math curriculum and lessons for each individual. It recommends the most suitable instructional resources, videos, explanations, practice problems and feedback based on a student’s specific needs.
For example, if a student is struggling with fractions, Claude may suggest interactive games and real-world word problems involving pizzas or baking to build intuitive understanding before diving into rote memorization of fraction rules. It also adjusts the level of support and guidance provided based on a student’s progress.
The AI model is continuously learning from its interactions with thousands of students to improve over time. 99math also provides teachers with insights into student performance and recommendations on how to target instruction most effectively in the classroom.
Using games to actively engage students in math practice
In addition to personalized learning paths, 99math incorporates game design principles and challenges to keep students motivated and immersed in math. Some of the key game elements include:
- Leaderboards: Students can compare their scores to top performers and compete with peers. This encourages practice and mastery of concepts.
- Progress tracking: Visualizing unlocking new levels and topics as they learn helps students set incremental goals.
- Just-in-time feedback: Immediate hints and error correction during gameplay fosters a growth mindset instead of feelings of failure.
- Real world contexts: Relating math to real life situations like coding, baking or sports makes abstract ideas more engaging and relevant.
- Adaptive difficulty: Automatically adjusting challenge levels based on a student’s skills optimizes the learning experience for each individual.
- Social features: Allowing students to collaborate, help and encourage one another in small groups can increase motivation.
The goal is to use game design’s rewarding feedback loops and intrinsic motivators to turn math practice into an enjoyable and addictive activity for students of all ages. This helps build confidence and positive associations with the subject over time.
Early success and future plans
Since its private beta launch earlier this year, 99math has seen strong engagement from thousands of students. On average, they spend over 30 minutes per session practicing on the platform and over 90% of problems attempted receive the right solution – indicating their games and activities are effective learning tools.
Elementary school teachers have also reported significant improvements in students’ math fundamentals and enjoyment after just a few months of using 99math. This early validation helped the startup raise its seed round from top edtech investors.
With the new funding, 99math plans to expand its catalog of math games and lessons to cover the full K-12 curriculum. Key topics will include arithmetic, pre-algebra, geometry, statistics and more. The team will also continue advancing Claude’s conversational skills and personalization abilities through continued user feedback.
Down the line, 99math aims to integrate with learning management systems and offer its AI platform as a toolkit for teachers, schools and other edtech solutions. The overall goal is to reach millions of students worldwide and fundamentally change how math is both taught and learned through immersive and adaptive and technology.
The need for more engaging math instruction
There is a clear need in the market for new approaches to math learning that can boost subject mastery an confidence, especially in US K-12 education. International test scores have consistently shown America’s students lagging in math compared to other developed countries.
At the same time, surveys find most students view math as their least favorite subject. Lack of interest leads to high drop-out rates from advanced math and STEM tracks in high school and college. This shortage of quantitative talent poses serious risks to the US economy and global competitiveness longer term.
Traditional classroom instruction has struggled with students losing attention during repetitive worksheet and textbook drills. It also struggles to accommodate diverse learning styles and needs. Adaptive platforms like 99math that immerse students through games and AI have potential to engage disaffected learners and close achievement gaps more effectively.
The Covid-19 pandemic has only further underscored education’s need for technology-enabled solutions. With many schools still remote or hybrid, online learning platforms providing individualized support are more essential than ever before. Early signs suggest solutions focusing on active learning through games are especially well-suited for the current environment.
Strong team and backers behind 99math’s mission
Led by co-founders Michael Stevens and Andrew Aitken, 99math’s team brings together expertise in AI, education and game development. Stevens previously co-founded Anthropic, an AI safety startup acquired by Dario Amodei. Aitken has a background in K-12 curriculum design and worked on AI for education at Anthropic as well.
In addition to Learn Capital and Stage Venture Partners, investors in the seed round include Randi Zuckerberg’s dZineworks and former Disney Imagineers. Learn Capital General Partner Ali Partovi expressed confidence that 99math’s research-backed approach integrating AI and gameplay has “tremendous potential to improve math proficiency at scale.”
Stage’s Managing Partner Jenny Lee pointed to the founders’ technical skills and understanding of education as qualities that position 99math for success in “reimagining how math is taught, learned, and experienced.” With such strategic backers, the startup is well-resourced to execute its vision of transforming math learning globally through adaptive and engaging technology.
Conclusion
99math aims to fundamentally change how math is both taught and learned, especially in remote and blended learning environments. Its collaborative, feedback-rich and goal-oriented gamified platform shows early promise for actively engaging students in practicing and mastering essential math skills.
With significant market demand for more effective digital solutions in STEM education, particularly post-pandemic, 99math is well-positioned to scale its impact. Its research-informed approach and experienced team backing its mission suggest the potential to help close achievement gaps and boost subject proficiency on a wider scale over the coming years. With continued product development and user growth, 99math may set a new standard for how AI and games are leveraged to make learning math both accessible and enjoyable for all students.
