It is increasingly challenging to discern whether a student’s writing has been crafted using ChatGPT or similar generative AI tools, and disproving false accusations can be problematic. Brisk, an AI edtech startup, has developed a tool to assist educators in identifying potential indicators of such usage. The company is currently announcing $15 million in new funding due to its growing success.
Brisk’s platform, available as a Chrome extension, provides a suite of approximately 40 tools for teachers and students. The platform utilizes generative AI, computer vision, and other AI capabilities to enhance the efficiency and quality of tasks. These tasks include creating lesson plans, tests, and presentations, adapting materials for different skill levels, and assessing student work.
Arman Jaffer, the CEO and founder of Brisk, stated in an interview that the current edtech tools used by U.S. teachers—around 140 on average per school year—are not yet optimized for AI integration. Brisk aims to establish a comprehensive AI-native edtech platform.
The newly acquired funding will be allocated to developing additional tools and expanding the platform to more systems. A Microsoft integration, targeting schools heavily using Microsoft products, is planned for release in autumn 2025.
San Francisco-based Brisk has seen rapid business growth. Since securing a $5 million seed round in September 2024, the user base has increased five-fold, and revenues have surged by 40 times within the year, despite initially starting from zero. Over 2,000 schools across 100 countries currently utilize Brisk’s products, with more than 90% of its business stemming from inbound interest. By February 2025, one in five K-12 teachers in the U.S. have installed the Brisk Extension.
The investment round is led by Bessemer Venture Partners, with existing investors Owl Ventures, South Park Commons, and Springbank Collective also participating.
Brisk’s progress and advancements occur at a time when technology and education are becoming increasingly interconnected. Educators have long adopted various technologies to enhance their work and adjust to changes, such as the reduction of textbook use and budget constraints.
Technology adoption in education is facilitated by the presence of numerous startups and tech giants offering edtech applications. Some companies, such as Khan Academy, focus on students and families, while others, like Google and Microsoft, target schools and educators.
AI represents another phase in the natural evolution of edtech. AI companies are creating learning tools with the premise that AI is unavoidable and beneficial. Nevertheless, some educational stakeholders remain skeptical of AI’s role, questioning issues of accuracy and data protection, as evidenced by reactions to OpenAI’s teacher guide to ChatGPT.
Jaffer established Brisk after spending several years in a different capacity within edtech, most notably with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, where he led a team in developing Notebooks, a Google Docs alternative aimed at improving student-teacher collaboration.
Brisk seeks to integrate AI in a supportive manner rather than as a replacement. The company’s student writing inspector does not pronounce work as “created by ChatGPT.” Instead, it reviews a video of a student’s on-screen work process, flagging instances where actions such as copy-pasting may suggest uncharacteristic behavior. This information is then passed on to teachers for further assessment.
Among Brisk’s tools, “Targeted Feedback” is particularly popular. This tool employs generative AI to review student essays on Google Docs and generate customized comments based on age or grading standards. Teachers are encouraged to review and edit these comments before sharing them with students.
Bessemer partner Kent Bennett, who led the investment, recognizes the growing trend towards AI in education technology, noting that educators are actively seeking out AI despite the sector’s reputation for being technology-resistant.
Brisk’s future plans involve developing more immersive tools and a new web platform that will allow educators to work seamlessly within the Brisk environment, offering additional resources and activities. The company also aims to introduce “multimodal” integrations, enabling students to submit image-based work for evaluation and offering a “podcast” feature to provide audio descriptions of documents.