Luca Secures US$8 Million to Expand AI Education in Mexico

Luca, an AI-driven learning platform, announced the closing of an US$8 million Series A funding round. The investment, led by 6 Degrees Capital, aims to consolidate the presence of the company in the Mexico K-12 segment (from Kindergarten to high school) and initiate regional expansion.

The Series A round included participation from Explorer, Heartcore Capital, and Shilling VC. This transaction increases the total capital raised by Luca to over US$13 million since its 2022 seed round. As part of the operation, the company added two high-profile operators to its board: Juan Romero, CEO, ISP LatAm, and Vasco Pedro, Founder, Unbabel.

"AI arrives just as the system shows tension from every side: a shortage of overworked and underpaid teachers, classes that are too large, and governments that respond with more bureaucracy. Six out of ten teachers in the United States already use these tools because they feel naturally attracted to them," says Thibault D’hondt, General Partner, 6 Degrees Capital. 

Potential Impact in Latin America

The demand for scalable educational solutions follows critical performance data in the region. According to the 2022 PISA test by the OECD, 66% of students in Mexico do not reach the minimum competency level in mathematics, while 47% fall below the basic level in reading comprehension. In Latin America, the educational gap compared to advanced systems exceeds two school years.

Mexico represents the third-largest student population in Latin America for basic education, with over 30 million students. When considering the Spanish-speaking market, the total exceeds 120 million students. Frederico Bello, Founder and CEO, Luca, notes that AI allows the company to bring personalized learning to millions of students, transforming instructional methods through adaptive technologies.

Luca operates as a hybrid educational system that combines digital and printed content aligned with the Nueva Escuela Mexicana, says Luca. The platform covers the full curriculum for primary and secondary levels, including Mathematics, Spanish, Sciences, and English, among other subjects.

The software uses AI to automate administrative burdens for teachers, such as lesson planning, exam generation, and essay grading. These tools result in a 28% reduction in academic management time for educators. Furthermore, the Tecnologico de Monterrey validated that the use of the platform generates a 20% improvement in academic performance in Mathematics, Sciences, Languages, and English.

Future Operations and Growth

In 2025, the company multiplied its revenue fivefold and now operates with a profitable and scalable model, says Luca. The growth strategy for the next five years focuses on three primary objectives: consolidating the position of the company as the dominant K-12 player in Mexico, expanding operations to other countries in Latin America, and developing new personalized education products through AI.

Luca serves over 30,000 active students in Mexico and was recognized by Google and Arizona State University as the third-best EdTech company in the world.