In a significant development for the education sector, YZi Labs, a prominent global asset manager with over $10 billion in assets, has spearheaded an $11 million seed funding round for VideoTutor, a cutting-edge AI-driven educational platform. This funding marks the first AI software investment for YZi Labs after they broadened their investment approach this year. The round attracted notable investors including JinQiu Fund and Baidu Ventures.
How Did a Young Entrepreneur Set Out to Reshape Education?
VideoTutor, launched by 20-year-old Kai Zhao in Silicon Valley, seeks to eliminate educational inequities by blending large language models with a visual production framework to create customized tutorial videos. Backed by Changpeng Zhao, founder and ex-CEO of Binance, the initiative aims to make quality tutoring accessible and affordable to millions worldwide.
In the U.S., with more than 2 million students preparing for the SAT each year, the steep cost of private tutoring remains a barrier. To alleviate this, VideoTutor steps in, providing a cost-effective alternative. Just ten days post-launch in May 2025, the platform saw 20,000 users create 20,000 videos. Over 1,000 educational institutions globally are exploring integration with VideoTutor’s API.
Why Does VideoTutor Stand Out Technologically?
Dr. Jing Xiong of YZi Labs highlighted VideoTutor’s unique combination of language models and Manim technology, offering superior technical capabilities over conventional video solutions, which typically depend on less effective diffusion models.
VideoTutor aims to leverage the investment to enhance its AI systems, broaden its engineering workforce, and enter markets like Canada and the UK. The effort is to push the boundaries of educational access further.
Kai Zhao shared his optimism for this partnership:
“With YZi Labs, we’re striving to democratize educational opportunities and ignite a global educational shift.”
This emphasizes their goal of fostering an educational environment where personalized learning is universally available.
Concrete highlights from VideoTutor’s journey include:
- Launch in May 2025 with significant initial user engagement.
- Attracting high-profile investors, endorsing the innovation.
- Over a thousand institutions interested in leveraging their technology globally.
The collaboration between YZi Labs and VideoTutor illustrates a growing momentum towards making quality education more accessible and affordable through technological innovation. By breaking down financial and logistical barriers, the initiative aims to transform learning experiences for students around the globe.
