Brazilian Edtech Letrus Reaches 1.2 Million Students Across the Country
Letrus reaches 1.2 million students across Brazil with its AI-powered reading and writing program used by public and private school networks.
Brazilian edtech Letrus, which develops an artificial intelligence (AI)-based curriculum focused on reading and writing practice, has reached 1.2 million students across all Brazilian states, according to information released by the company. The startup works with public and private education networks serving students in the final years of elementary school and high school.
AI Technology Supports Reading and Writing Instruction
Letrus' platform uses AI to analyze students' written work in depth and generate metrics that help teachers determine the next steps in the classroom. According to the company, the technology also reduces the operational workload associated with manual correction.
“Our differential lies in the way we view the educational process: everything starts with the student, and everything comes back to them. This is how we understand how the system around them should reorganize itself to better support them,” said Thiago Rached, founder and CEO of Letrus.
Founded in 2015 by Rached and Luis Junqueira, the startup has already evaluated more than 7.5 million written assignments and has been used by more than 18,000 teachers, according to figures released by the company.
Investment Supports Letrus' Expansion
The company's growth has been supported by investment from Potencia Ventures, an investment group focused on social impact businesses that participated in Letrus' first funding round in 2017.
“We supported Letrus from the beginning because we believe that bringing this infrastructure to an increasing number of public and private organizations will transform the literacy of an entire generation, reducing economic and social inequalities in the future,” said Itali Collini, Potencia Ventures' leader in Brazil.
External Evaluations Measure the Platform's Impact
Letrus highlights external assessments as part of the impact measurement of its educational tool.
According to the company, a 2020 study funded by J-PAL, an MIT research laboratory, found that the use of the program in Espírito Santo reduced the gap between students from public and private schools by 9% over five months.
The edtech also attributes part of the progress of partner state education networks in the National High School Exam (Enem) writing rankings to its methodology. The company cites Espírito Santo maintaining the top position, while Goiás and Mato Grosso moved up in the rankings over the last year.
The platform's technology was also recognized in 2022 with UNESCO's ICT in Education award, according to the company.
Letrus Plans to Deepen Its Existing Offering
For its next stage, Letrus plans to focus on improving its current offering rather than diversifying its portfolio.
“More than expanding our operations into new markets and with new products, we seek to deepen the value and impact within our value proposition of advancing reading and writing learning alongside public and private school networks,” concluded Rached.
