CampusKnot, a Starkville, a MS-based a rapidly growing technology firm focused on higher education, announced a successful funding round of $1.1 million, earmarking the capital to accelerate the nationwide scaling of its AI-powered teaching assistant platform. The investment underscores a rising trend in educational technology: leveraging artificial intelligence not to replace, but to empower professors and foster deeper student engagement.
The funding round saw participation from regional investors, including Tulane Ventures, Boot 64 Ventures, Invest Mississippi Impact Fund, Momentum Fund, and Greaux Innovation Ventures, alongside several private angel investors. This collective support highlights the burgeoning strength of the Mississippi and Louisiana innovation corridor as a center for EdTech startups.
At the heart of CampusKnot’s platform is the mission to shift a professor’s focus from the manual, administrative tasks of classroom management back to teaching and mentoring. Today’s educators are often overwhelmed, balancing research, departmental duties, and the constant demands of a large class, leaving less time for meaningful student interaction. CampusKnot steps in to handle the operational load, transforming the professor’s day-to-day work.
The AI teaching assistant serves as a multifaceted tool, streamlining numerous classroom processes. It can:
- Generate classroom questions and activities automatically, aligning them with course content and syllabus objectives.
- Automate grading and feedback on participation and select assignments.
- Summarize lengthy class discussions, instantly distilling key points for the instructor.
- Track engagement analytics, providing professors with a clear, real-time view of which students are actively participating, and which might be falling behind.
This automation frees up precious faculty hours, allowing them to dedicate more energy to one-on-one mentorship and fostering a true sense of community within the learning environment. As Rahul Gopal, Co-founder and CEO of CampusKnot, puts it, “Students are looking for community, quick feedback, and genuine connections with their professors. CampusKnot steps in as an intelligent assistant that helps them bring those connections to life in real time.”
The newly secured capital is crucial for the company’s ambitious growth strategy. CampusKnot plans to expand its footprint across the United States, driving adoption of its technology among universities beyond its current base. The platform is already in use by professors at 32 universities, including major institutions like Mississippi State University, The University of Alabama, Texas A&M University, Tulane University, and Louisiana State University.
To meet increasing demand and facilitate this national rollout, the company will be significantly investing in hiring across sales, engineering, and customer success roles. CampusKnot will also strengthen key partnerships with educational resource providers like VitalSource and Follett, which collectively offer access to over 1,000 campuses nationwide, creating a frictionless pathway for new university adoption.
CampusKnot’s approach to AI integration is centered on enhancing the human experience of learning, rather than automating it entirely. In the era of large language models, the platform provides practical, responsible, and measurable ways for educators to use AI to address everyday classroom needs. The goal is not to automate the thinking process but to illuminate it, helping students engage with complex ideas and ambiguity, as noted by an early adopter, Dr. Alex Joubin from George Washington University.
The company’s journey is a testament to the power of regional innovation ecosystems. Having been accelerated through programs like Invest Mississippi and Idea Village, CampusKnot has leveraged regional support to refine its business model and build a robust foundation for long-term growth and meaningful impact in the higher education sector. This funding marks a pivotal moment, positioning CampusKnot as a significant player in the future of AI-enhanced teaching and learning across the nation.
By: K. Tagura
Who we are: Funded.com is a platform that is A+ BBB accredited over 10+ years. Access our network of Angel Investors, Venture Capital or Lenders. Let us professionally write your Business Plan.
Rss Feed
