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PAPER has raised $404.3M across 7 funding rounds.
Key people at PAPER.
PAPER has raised $404.3M in total across 7 funding rounds.
Paper offers a comprehensive educational support platform for K-12 institutions, providing personalized academic assistance to students. Its core includes high-impact tutoring, 24/7 on-demand support, and after-school enrichment programs. The company integrates evidence-backed instruction with technology, aiming to enhance student outcomes and build confidence across subjects.
Philip Cutler founded Paper over a decade ago, serving as its CEO. His insight stemmed from recognizing the critical need for accessible, equitable academic support beyond the traditional classroom. This led to pioneering continuous, on-demand educational resources, which fundamentally reshaped how students engage with learning materials and receive consistent, individualized assistance.
Paper partners with K-12 schools and districts across the United States and Canada, supporting millions of students with its comprehensive system. The company’s long-term vision centers on cultivating confidence for every student. It aims to empower learners to successfully navigate their academic paths and develop essential skills for future achievements.
Key people at PAPER.
Paper is an educational technology company providing virtual tutoring services to students, primarily through school district contracts. Headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, it offers chat-based tutoring that claims 1:1 support but often involves tutors handling multiple students simultaneously for cost efficiency.[1]
The platform serves K-12 students, addressing gaps in personalized learning by connecting them with tutors for subjects like math and reading. It solves accessibility issues in education by enabling scalable, on-demand virtual sessions. Paper saw rapid growth during the pandemic, reaching over 1 million users by 2021 with 1,000 tutors, but faced revenue challenges post-2023 due to reduced school funding, leading to layoffs.[1]
Paper was founded in 2014 as GradeSlam by McGill University graduates Philip Cutler and Roberto Cipriani, initially focusing on student tutoring.[1] The idea emerged from their own experiences navigating education, evolving into a virtual platform amid rising demand for remote learning tools. Early traction built during the COVID-19 pandemic, positioning it as Canada's 21st fastest-growing company in 2020.[1]
Pivotal moments include reporting 1 million users in 2021, followed by acquisitions: Figure Math in 2022 for math tools, MajorClarity in 2023 for college readiness, and Readlee for AI reading support. However, 2023 brought setbacks with multiple layoffs—45% of headquarters staff and all Canadian tutors—amid funding cuts.[1]
Paper rides the edtech wave accelerated by pandemic-driven remote learning, capitalizing on demand for affordable, virtual alternatives to in-person tutoring.[1] Timing mattered as schools sought scalable solutions during lockdowns, but post-pandemic funding drops exposed vulnerabilities in district-dependent models.[1]
Market forces like AI integration in education (via Readlee) and college readiness tools favor its expansion, amid broader shifts toward hybrid learning. Paper influences the ecosystem by normalizing virtual tutoring at scale, pressuring competitors on cost and reach, though controversies over tutoring practices highlight edtech tensions between efficiency and quality.[1]
Paper's path forward hinges on navigating funding recovery and proving AI-enhanced tutoring's value to cash-strapped districts. Trends like AI personalization and sustained hybrid education could fuel rebound, especially with its acquisition strategy building a comprehensive platform.[1]
Influence may evolve toward deeper AI integration and international expansion beyond North America, solidifying its role in accessible edtech. As a pandemic-era standout now adapting to normalization, Paper exemplifies resilient growth in virtual learning—watch for revenue stabilization as a key pivot.
PAPER has raised $404.3M across 7 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $7.3M Seed in May 2022.
PAPER has raised $404.3M in total across 7 funding rounds.
PAPER's investors include Electric Capital, Initialized Capital, FalconX, Long Journey Ventures, Night Capital, Polygon, ThirdWeb, Sapphire Ventures, Ram T., 9Yards Capital, Album VC, Andreessen Horowitz.
