Saudi startup Ayla raises $3 million in pre-Series A funding to expand its AI personalised learning platform
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Saudi edtech startup Ayla has closed a $3 million pre-Series A funding round led by Ruya Growth Fund, with participation from Jordanian edtech platform Jo Academy as a strategic investor, alongside 500 Global, Bunat Ventures, and Fikr Ventures. The round follows an earlier $1.15 million seed round closed in 2024, which was led by Sabbah Hub with participation from White Hill Capital and three Saudi angel investors.
Building native Arabic educational tools rather than translating imported softwareThat technical foundation has guided the company since its founding in 2023 by Yousef Alsayed and Abdulaziz Bin Moqeel. The platform develops AI-driven personalised learning tools designed to pinpoint individual learning gaps, deliver tailored assessments and practice exercises, and supply teachers and school leaders with clear performance analytics to help direct academic support where it is needed most.
The company's product suite includes Ayla Tests, an AI-native test preparation and practice environment built for schools, alongside Ayla Labs, a dedicated research and development unit focused on developing, testing, and deploying new AI models across education systems.
Allocating capital across regional expansion, international growth, and technical developmentThe deployment will enable the company, according to its announced plans, to expand its reach across students, teachers, schools, and educational systems in the region and beyond. Yousef Alsayed, chief executive of Ayla, noted that the investment helps bring native AI learning tools to more students as regional education systems reassess the role of technology, adding that Arabic-speaking students deserve educational experiences built specifically for them from the ground up.
Alaa Jarrar, chief executive of Jo Academy, said the investment reflects a conviction that the region's edtech future will be built locally by founders addressing actual classroom realities and regional requirements, pointing to adoption rates across Saudi schools. Turki Al-Juaib, co-founder and managing partner at Ruya Growth Fund, affirmed the fund's commitment to leading the round and backing the founders to scale Saudi-built educational tools, highlighting the technical team's ability to turn assessment data into actionable insights for teachers and tailored exercises for students.
The round marks a new phase in Ayla's expansion, drawing on the investor syndicate's sector expertise and network to advance the company's long-term goal of building an AI-first learning platform that delivers high-quality personalised education at scale.