A New Zealand-founded AI education platform, Teacher’s Buddy, is gaining significant global traction, with over 12,000 educators in 130 countries adopting the technology. The startup recently secured $2.3 million in seed funding to facilitate further expansion, addressing the escalating pressures teachers face worldwide. The funding round was led by Auckland-based Soul Capital in collaboration with Australian investor Giant Leap, reflecting growing confidence in AI-driven solutions to combat teacher burnout, a persistent issue in the education sector.
Teacher’s Buddy was co-founded by Matt Abraham and Ben Sze, who designed the platform to alleviate administrative burdens while enhancing the quality of teaching resources. Using artificial intelligence, it generates lesson plans, assessments, reports, and personalized learning materials that align with curriculum standards. The platform allows teachers to customize content for individual students, including those who are neurodiverse or learning English, and supports Te Reo preferences, aligning with Te Marautanga o Aotearoa.
Data indicates that educators utilizing Teacher’s Buddy save an average of two hours each day, allowing them to allocate more time to direct student engagement. According to research from the OECD, rising workloads and administrative pressures are significant stressors for teachers globally, underscoring the increasing necessity for scalable solutions in education.
New Zealand teachers report working longer hours than the OECD average, clocking in at about 47.5 hours per week, with one-third indicating they experience high levels of stress largely due to administrative responsibilities. Co-founder Matt Abraham emphasizes that the platform was specifically developed to address these challenges.
“Our platform can adjust a lesson to support students who are falling behind and can also generate more advanced material for students who need a greater challenge, which is something teachers are already having to manage manually within very limited time and resources,” Abraham states. He adds that educators are often expected to juggle lesson planning, teaching, and reporting all within the same week, making it hard to provide personalized attention to students in need.
“I created Teacher’s Buddy after nearly a decade on the board of trustees at my children’s school in Northland, witnessing the challenges teachers and schools encounter. My passion is to support the remarkable work that teachers do. Everything we are developing is intended to enhance teacher wellbeing,” he explains. “We can’t expect good student outcomes if we neglect the individuals responsible for facilitating their learning. We need to provide them with the tools they need to succeed.”
The investment in Teacher’s Buddy marks a pivotal moment in how education is delivered. Venture principal Jon Sandbrook from Soul Capital notes that the education sector is at a turning point. “As impact investors, we are excited to see a direct line between Teacher’s Buddy and our impact priorities, along with a highly scalable model,” Sandbrook remarks. He highlights the urgent need for solutions like Teacher’s Buddy, as evidenced by its rapid adoption across multiple countries.
More than 25 schools in New Zealand have already adopted or are trialling the Teacher’s Buddy system, demonstrating a strong local uptake. The company is preparing to launch an upgraded version of its platform that will include personalized professional development tools for educators. Future developments will also enable publishers and educational providers to upload and license curriculum-aligned content directly into the platform, thus merging trusted resources with AI-driven delivery.
With aspirations to grow its user base to over 30,000 teachers and 200 school partners across New Zealand, Australia, and the UK within the next year, Teacher’s Buddy sees global expansion as part of its strategic roadmap. However, Abraham confirms that New Zealand remains central to the company’s long-term vision. “We were founded here, and teachers in New Zealand face the same workload pressures seen globally. We aim for Teacher’s Buddy to become a permanent fixture in the education landscape, supporting schools across the country for years to come,” he asserts.
The story surrounding Teacher’s Buddy has garnered significant media attention, including coverage in major outlets such as the NZ Herald, reflecting the growing public interest in how AI is transforming education and aiding teachers under mounting pressure. As the education sector continues to evolve, innovations like Teacher’s Buddy promise to play a critical role in shaping the future of teaching and learning.
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