Kno builds touch-based educational software and a purpose-built education tablet intended to make learning more engaging, effective and social. The company develops applications for multiple platforms and plans to extend availability to Intel’s educational platforms and architecture. Kno targets interactive and 1:1 student learning environments and aims to address disruption in the textbook market. The company announced a $30 million Series C to accelerate development of its software solutions, including work optimized for Intel® architecture. Intel Capital led the round with a $20 million investment; Andreessen Horowitz, Advance Publications, First Round Capital, FLOODGATE and SV Angels also participated. The announcement was issued from Santa Clara, Calif. Kno builds a dual-screen tablet and accompanying software platform aimed at college students for reading and interacting with textbooks. The product bundles hardware, software and services so users can view textbooks as they appear in print, take notes, and draw on pages. Kno's software is built on WebKit and designed to run on a variety of hardware, with plans to let users access purchased books on desktop and laptops in the future; the device also includes a normal web browser. The company plans to ship its first dual-screen tablet by the end of the year and says the device will be priced under $1,000. Kno proposes an "iTunes for college textbooks" pricing model, suggesting individual books will be priced below the $100 print average and that buying the tablet plus books could cost about the same as print over the first 13 months. Early student testers report they have stopped bringing laptops to class and now use the Kno; CEO Osman Rashid, who co-founded Chegg, leads the company.

Total raised

$76M

Funding rounds

3

Latest round

Series C

Latest activity

Apr 2011