Jo Academy, 500 Global, Bunat VC and Fikr Ventures joined the round as AILA prepares to expand its AI-powered learning products into new markets.
Saudi education technology startup AILA has raised $3 million in a pre-Series A round led by Rua Growth Fund, securing new capital to develop its AI-powered learning platform and expand into additional regional and international markets.
Jo Academy, 500 Global, Bunat VC and Fikr Ventures participated in the round. Jordan-based Jo Academy joined as a strategic investor, bringing an established regional education technology operator into AILA’s investor base.
The Riyadh-based startup develops personalized learning and assessment technology for students, educators and schools. Its platform uses student performance data to identify learning gaps, tailor practice and provide teachers with information on where additional support may be needed.
AILA said the financing will go toward expanding into new markets, further developing its AI learning capabilities and reaching more students, teachers and schools.
AILA is expanding its school-focused AI products
AILA was founded in 2023 by Yousef Alsayed, Abdulaziz Mugayel and Nouf Mugayel. The company emerged through the GAIA accelerator and secured its first client within months of its launch, according to its company history.
Its current portfolio includes AILA Tests, an AI-powered platform for personalized exam preparation, and AILA Labs, a research and development operation focused on testing and developing new applications of artificial intelligence in education.
The company has increasingly moved into partnerships with schools and education groups. In 2025, Averro Ventures, an education-focused venture creation and investment platform based in Riyadh, announced an investment partnership with AILA around the launch of AILA Tests.
AILA has also worked with Ibn Roshd Educational Holding Company. By late 2025, Forbes Middle East reported that the startup was working with 26 schools in Saudi Arabia, including Ibn Roshd and Misk Schools, and serving students in Saudi Arabia and Central Asia.
Rua Growth Fund co-founder and managing partner Turki Aljoaib said the startup’s approach to turning assessment results into information teachers can use was one of the factors behind the investment.
“We were drawn to the team’s ability to turn assessment data into actionable insights for educators and targeted practice for students,” Aljoaib said.
New round follows AILA’s 2024 pre-seed funding
The pre-Series A builds on the $1.15 million pre-seed round AILA raised in 2024, which was led by Sabah Hub with participation from White Hill Capital and three Saudi angel investors.
That earlier financing, previously covered by Rasmal, was intended to support product development and regional expansion. Since then, AILA has broadened its focus from personalized learning technology into assessment, exam preparation and products designed for use by schools.
Jo Academy’s participation in the latest round also creates a link between two regional EdTech businesses pursuing AI-based personalized learning.
Founded in Jordan in 2014, Jo Academy operates an online education platform serving school and university students. The company secured $28 million in financing from a group that included the Jordan Capital and Investment Fund, Rua Growth Fund and Foursan Group, with the investment earmarked in part for its expansion into Saudi Arabia and development of AI-powered education products.
Alaa Jarrar, co-founder and CEO of Jo Academy, said the company’s investment in AILA reflects the potential for learning products developed specifically for Arabic-speaking students.
“Arabic-speaking students deserve learning experiences built for them, not just translated for them,” Jarrar said.
For AILA, the new round adds both capital and investors with experience across venture investing and education as the company builds out its school-focused products and seeks a wider regional footprint.
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Last Updated on August 19, 2026 by Safiya K
