Opennote, a student-founded edtech startup operating between Guelph, Ontario and Irvine, California, has raised $850,000 USD (approximately $1.2 million CAD) in a pre-seed funding round.
The round, structured entirely through SAFEs, was led by Afore Capital with participation from Sancus Ventures, Script Capital, Untitled Ventures, and angel investors.
Y Combinator Boost and AI-Powered Learning Ecosystem
The company, which offers an AI-powered platform for undergraduates to consolidate and engage with course materials, was also accepted into Y Combinator’s Summer 2025 batch. That inclusion brings an additional $500,000 USD in funding—$125K up front and $375K post-program.
“Our goal is to build an interactive AI ecosystem for learning,” said co-founder Vedant Vyas, a University of Guelph engineering student. Opennote leverages Meta’s LLaMA models to offer tools for content generation, including videos, diagrams, and workflows.
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Lean Team, Global Reach, and Ambitious Expansion
With just three full-time student founders—Vyas, Rishi Srihari, and Abhigyan Arya—Opennote operates a lean structure while managing users in nearly 100 countries. The company plans to scale out of California’s Bay Area post-YC, aided by U.S.-based investors and broader institutional support for edtech innovation.
Pricing, Collaboration, and Campus Engagement
Opennote offers a freemium model with three tiers, including a $15/month premium tier offering unlimited features and an enterprise option aimed at institutions. It also runs a campus ambassador program across North America, rewarding participants with perks like merchandise and subscriptions.
With plans to hire a founding engineer and build growth infrastructure post-YC, Opennote aims to further cement its presence in the competitive edtech space while positioning itself as a global solution for personalized learning.
