A Swindon-based online education platform has secured £4.4 million in investment, led by Maven Capital Partners. Virtual Class, which operates as Third Space Learning (TSL), provides curriculum-aligned, one-to-one maths tutoring for primary and secondary school students in the UK and US through its spoken AI tutor, Skye.
Funding Details
The funding round was supported by the British Business Bank’s South West Investment Fund, managed by Maven, along with Blackfinch Ventures and existing investors Foresight and Nesta. The capital will be used to advance Skye’s development, expand into new regions, subjects, and languages, and establish a dedicated US team to accelerate international growth.
AI-Powered Tutoring
TSL highlights an “emerging shift” toward AI-driven tutoring, with Skye capable of continuously adjusting pace, difficulty, and feedback based on individual student performance. The company aims to close the maths achievement gap at scale by combining AI with evidence-based teaching methods.
CEO and Investor Comments
Tom Hooper, CEO of Third Space Learning, stated: “This investment is a significant milestone. Real impact comes when AI tutoring is built on the same evidence and rigour as high-impact human tutoring. This funding allows us to deepen Skye’s capabilities, expand into new markets, and reach more students who need it most.”
Rafi Khan, investment manager at Maven, added: “Third Space Learning has built an impressive, evidence-backed AI tutoring offering at scale, validated by partnerships with leading research institutions. We are delighted to support the platform as it scales.”
