Israeli startup AcadeMe transforms education through AI-powered learning platform featuring iconic Hollywood movies

AcadeMe, the pioneering Israeli EdTech startup, is launching AcadeMe+, an AI-driven visual learning platform that merges education with the allure of Hollywood. The solution provides educators worldwide with an engaging, film-based teaching approach, utilizing well-known filmography to create captivating lessons that can be aligned with any curriculum and language.

With a total addressable market of $404 billion by 2025, AcadeMe will benefit from EdTech spending, which is anticipated to nearly double in the next five years. AcadeMe+ leverages the magic of storytelling through film to offer an expansive library of interactive educational resources, enabling educators to create immersive lessons that provide Gen Z learners with a unique learning experience. Using AcadeMe+, educators have a more impactful way to teach the new generation of learners who are often impatient with and distracted by traditional lessons.

The company has acquired an international academic streaming license for over 1,000 carefully curated movies in collaboration with major Hollywood studios, including Disney, Fox, Marvel, National Geographic, Warner Media, Sony Pictures, and others.

The platform empowers educators to search, customize, and engage in a wide array of film-based interactive lessons that have been developed by Academe+’s pedagogical team. These lessons cover all the key subjects of the K-12 curriculum, including STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), SEL (Social Emotional Learning), humanities, and social studies.

With AcadeMe+, teachers gain unlimited access to thousands of Hollywood films and key scenes that align with the curriculum. Teachers can search any subject or keyword to find a matching movie, clip or Interactive lesson. Additionally, they can use the platform’s AI Smart Lesson Creator to develop their own film-based lessons that align with any school curriculum. Using the powerful AI engine of AcadeMe+, teachers can quickly create new interactive lessons. The platform also leverages machine learning to adapt lessons to fit each student’s individual needs and difficulty level. AcadeMe+’s technology also includes dashboard analytics to track students’ achievements and progress.

For instance, students might learn about  sustainability and climate change through Pixar’s new movie “Elemental” , gravitation by watching Spiderman movies, delve into the depths of World War II’s D-Day with the gripping scenes from Steven Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan”, explore social-emotional learning through the lens of Disney’s whimsical “Inside Out”, or discuss racism with Oscar winner “The Green Book” or acclaimed “Hidden Figures.”

Bridging the learning gap

With a far-reaching appeal encompassing K-12 schools, higher education institutions, and ministries of education, AcadeMe+ ensures that memorable, engaging learning experiences are not confined to the classroom. It provides teachers with unlimited access to major Hollywood studios’ films in local languages and legalizes film usage in the classroom while making them available for educational screening.

Academe+ will be launching an SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) curriculum based on feature films for K-12 education. The SDG+ curriculum will be made available to schools and governments starting from October 23, 2023, leading up to the COP28 conference, which will be held in Dubai.

“For the first time, teachers can utilize highly engaging content to teach about sustainability, global warming, gender equality, and all 17 Sustainable Development Goals through Academe+’s SDG+ plan. By incorporating film-based lessons, students can interact and gain a much deeper understanding of the SDGs. Our SDG+ lessons, based on films such as Elemental, Ice Age, Wall E for primary schools, and Interstellar, Before the Flood, Avatar, A Plastic Ocean for secondary schools, have demonstrated a significant increase in student engagement and contribute to their knowledge of the subject matter,” said Yuval Kalati, Co-Founder, and CEO of AcadeMe.

Partnering for success

AcadeMe has forged strategic alliances with industry leaders such as Google for Education and Microsoft Education , securing its position as an authorized education partner for both corporations. It has partnered with Journeys In Film, an international non-profit that focuses on the storytelling power of film to educate the new generation of learners. This affords educators access to expertly crafted, ready-to-use interactive lessons, saving precious time and ensuring high-quality content.

Instead of selling directly to schools, educational institutions, and corporates, AcadeMe has agreements in place with strategic partners through a channel-centric model. By the end of September, AcadeMe+ will be serving over 4,000 schools, engaging 150,000 teachers, and enriching the learning experience for two million students across 10 countries.

AcadeMe, which has raised $1 million in seed money, is the brainchild of serial media entrepreneur Yuval Kalati and Row 9 Holding. Its leading investor is the prominent Israeli investor Mr. Leon Recanati, founder and chairman of GlenRock, a private equity investment company.

“AcadeMe+ represents a transformative step in the digital transmission of education,” concluded Yuval Kalati. “By infusing learning with the magic of film, we create an engaging and immersive learning experience that resonates with today’s screen-focused generation. The Interactive lessons offered by Academe+ are not only fun but also lead to full class engagement and attentiveness, as reflected in the achievements and knowledge gained by the students. We are excited to extend this innovative solution to educators worldwide.”

AcadeMe+ is born from the success of the AcadeMe platform which was launched in 2019. Licensed by the Israeli Ministry of Education, AcadeMe+ is used by 3,700 schools in Israel, with 120,000 active teachers, and over two million sessions logged.