Imagi, an edtech startup that helps K-12 schools teach coding, digital skills and AI literacy, has raised a $4.5 million seed round from investors including Brighteye Ventures, Day One Capital and musician Wil.i.am. Founded in 2018 by Dora Palfi and Beatrice Ionascu, the company aims to equip both teachers and students with tools to build curricula around computer skills and, increasingly, responsible use of AI, positioning itself as a safe middle ground between AI-driven cheating fears and outright bans in classrooms.

The funding follows a partnership announced last November with "vibe coding" tool Lovable, which lets teachers set up guarded student access so pupils can build simple apps, alongside $1 million in OpenAI credits enabling free access for schools. Every prompt and AI response on the platform is screened for violations, and Imagi says it complies with COPPA, FERPA and GDPR, retaining no student data. Since launching, Imagi has reached more than 700,000 students across 140 countries, and the new capital will fund expansion into more schools, district sales, hiring and a new platform due to launch next month.