Oboe, the AI learning platform created by Anchor co-founders and former Spotify executives Nir Zicherman and Michael Mignano, has raised $16 million in a Series A round led by a16z, with participation from Eniac, Haystack, Offline, Factorial, and notable angel investors including Adam D’Angelo, Garry Tan, Lenny Rachitsky, Mati Staniszewski, Mikey Shulman, Jared Hecht, and M.G. Siegler.
Launched in September, Oboe enables users to define what they want to learn and then generates a fully structured course tailored to that objective. The fresh capital comes just three months after launch and follows the company’s earlier $4 million seed round.
Fueling Rapid Growth And Global Reach
Zicherman says the new raise is designed to accelerate execution and support mass-market expansion.
“We see billions of people eager to learn new skills. To serve them, we need to move faster and scale aggressively,” he told TechCrunch, noting that the team’s consumer-product background gives Oboe an advantage in usability and speed.
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Why a16z Backed The Startup
a16z partner Bryan Kim said the firm had been looking for a team capable of redefining AI-driven learning at scale.
After testing Oboe, he said, it became clear the platform generated content instantly, avoided slow loading interactions, and delivered an experience aligned with how people naturally explore topics.
A New Course-Generation Engine
Oboe is rolling out a major update to how courses are structured. Instead of generating disconnected materials, the platform now starts by interpreting the user’s learning goal, then builds a chapter-based curriculum around that objective.
Courses can also include adaptive modalities such as:
- integrated quizzes
- automatically generated flashcards
- dynamic audio lessons with tone changes based on context
The new audio system no longer forces users to choose a style—the platform produces a podcast-like experience that adapts to the material itself.
STEM Demand Is Surging
According to Zicherman, the largest share of user interest is concentrated in STEM learning.
Oboe has invested in curating and validating high-quality source material across programming, engineering, and scientific disciplines.
“Our framework mirrors how the best teachers build learning paths,” he said. “We design the course, not just the content.”
A New Subscription Model
To expand accessibility, Oboe is removing course-generation limits.
For deeper learning, users can upgrade to:
- $15/month ($144/year): extended chapter access
- $40/month ($384/year) Pro: unlimited chapters plus export and download options for offline use
The Pro tier is aimed at students who prefer printing or studying outside the app.
Expanding Beyond English And Beyond Web
Oboe currently supports English but plans to introduce additional languages and culturally-localized content to reach learners globally.
The platform is web-only for now, with mobile apps in development.
Positioned Differently From Existing AI Learning Tools
While tools like Google’s NotebookLM or Huxe generate one-off audio explainers, Oboe is focused on multi-chapter, structured learning pathways—effectively combining AI content generation with curriculum design.
