FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Socrait Announces Breakthrough Launch and Lighthouse School Program            

Socrait Secures $1.5M to Improve Teacher Retention with AI-Powered Class Assistant 

Salt Lake City, UT – 6/30/2025 – Socrait, the innovative AI-powered class assistant founded by serial Ed Tech entrepreneurs Maria Andersen and Jason Palmer, is proud to announce its official launch and the selection of up to 20 lighthouse schools as design and development partners. This groundbreaking voice-enabled platform aims to revolutionize K12 classroom management and support teachers across the country. 

Founded by teachers for teachers, Socrait leverages advanced AI technology to capture classroom data, events, and interactions, significantly reducing administrative tasks and enhancing educational outcomes. By using voice-enabled AI technology, Socrait provides K12 teachers with valuable insights that help them better manage student behavior, track attendance, and even generate personalized feedback for students and parents. 

Lighthouse schools will play an integral role in the ongoing design and development of Socrait’s platform, providing real-world, experiential feedback this fall to ensure that the platform meets the most important needs of educators across diverse learning environments. 

“At Socrait, we believe in empowering teachers with the tools they need to thrive in the classroom. Our mission is to alleviate the burdens of administrative tasks so that educators can focus on what truly matters—teaching and inspiring students. We’re thrilled to partner with these innovative schools and look forward to working together to shape the future of education,” said Maria Andersen, herself a teacher and co-founder, Socrait. 

The company’s initial rollout in April, which aimed to attract 100 alpha testers, far exceeded expectations, with over 700 teachers signing up in less than four weeks. Feedback from early users is overwhelmingly positive, with educators praising Socrait’s ability to save time and enhance classroom management. “Socrait would remind me of things that happened during class that I didn’t remember. I was able to review praises, warnings and follow-up to share with students and parents,” said one high school teacher. One principal shared, “Socrait is already helping me to do my job better because it’s helping our teachers provide more accurate information about what’s happening in class… they finally have the data support they need to have productive conversations with students and families.

The company has already received overwhelming interest in its lighthouse program from some of the most innovative charter, public, and private schools across the United States. Socrait is excited to collaborate with forward-thinking institutions that are committed to transforming education and support districts in their efforts to retain, support and engage innovative teachers. 

Socrait’s potential has already been widely recognized by edtech leaders. The company’s $1.5 million seed round was anchored by LearnStart, one of the most successful seed stage VCs in edtech. In addition, Socrait is a semi-finalist in the prestigious Milken Penn GSE Business Plan Competition, and received an overwhelming positive response at ASU+GSV, showcasing the transformative impact Socrait is poised to have on the future of education. 

The leadership team behind Socrait brings decades of expertise to the table. CEO and co-founder, Maria Andersen, has 30 years of experience, including classroom teaching, online learning design, and edtech innovation as Director of Learning at Western Governers University, Area9, and Instructure, and founding CEO at Coursetune. Jason Palmer, President and co-founder, has helped more than 20 successful edtech startups, including Credly, SchoolNet, LearnPlatform, Nepris, Graduation Alliance, and Presence Learning. Together, their experience provides a solid foundation for Socrait’s mission to empower educators and improve classroom experiences. Jason’s vision extends beyond just edtech: during his recent presidential campaign, he advocated for a new talent economy that provides substantially more pay and respect for teachers, and the dramatic rethinking of high school to career pathways. 

Socrait’s mission to support educators has caught the attention of numerous influential voices in the education community. Bloggers and thought leaders like Shannon Miller, Dan Meyer, Rachelle Dené Poth, and All4Ed Future Ready experts have praised the platform’s potential to ease teacher burnout by automating time-consuming administrative tasks and providing just-in-time insights into classroom dynamics. 

As Socrait continues to grow and evolve, the company looks forward to expanding its impact, providing teachers and administrators with the tools they need to succeed, and ultimately improving student outcomes across the country. 

About Socrait PBC 

Socrait is a voice-enabled AI-powered class assistant, designed to save teachers time and reduce burnout. Socrait takes what a teacher says in the classroom, as they normally teach, and turns it into data and actions. This data includes behavior data and actions around warnings and praises, attendance data, class summaries, and reminders. For information, visit https://socrait.com. 

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Contacts 

Media Contact: 

John Costilla, Socrait VP Marketing  | [email protected]