BoodleBox has closed a $5 million seed round to accelerate the adoption of its collaborative AI platform for higher education and expand platform capabilities. The financing was co-led by Dogwood Ventures and Osage Venture Partners, with participation from JFFVentures, ECMC Group, Hivers and Strivers, Service Provider Capital, the UVU Wolverine Fund, and City Light Capital.
The company provides students, faculty, and institutions with unified access to multiple AI models via a single, secure interface designed for responsible collaboration among users. BoodleBox said its platform includes proprietary token-reduction technology that reduces AI operating costs and environmental impact by up to 96% while maintaining enterprise-grade security and FERPA compliance. Since launching in Q4 2024, the company said users have adopted it at more than 1,200 higher education institutions and more than 100 workforce teams. BoodleBox also said more than 80 institutions have selected its AI infrastructure, enabling access for more than 70,000 faculty, staff, and students.
BoodleBox is positioning its product around an AI readiness gap that is widening across the workforce pipeline. The company cited a view that employer demand for AI capabilities is growing faster than access to AI tools, especially for low-income students, and it framed its platform as a way to make secure, affordable, and equitable AI access available across institutions. The company also highlighted features beyond model aggregation, including custom bot building, team-based AI collaboration, AI coaching, and data portability, designed to allow graduates to take AI-assisted work into their careers.
The company said the funding will be used to expand its footprint in higher education, enhance its platform, and support adoption in adjacent sectors where collaborative AI could drive value, including corporate training, public sector organizations, and specialized industries. BoodleBox also said it will relocate its principal headquarters to Colorado Springs, Colorado, citing access to emerging tech talent and lower operating costs while maintaining national coverage for education and workforce customers.
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“This investment marks an important milestone in our mission to make responsible AI accessible, affordable, and impactful for all learners,” said France Hoang, CEO and Founder of BoodleBox. “By enabling seamless collaboration between students, faculty, and multiple AI models, we’re helping institutions not only prepare learners for the AI-driven workforce, but also ensure they carry these skills and assets with them well beyond graduation.”
France Hoang, CEO and Founder, BoodleBox
“BoodleBox is uniquely positioned to bridge the AI skills gap in higher education,” said Aaron Hurst, Founding Managing Partner, Dogwood Ventures. “With its focus on affordability, security, and educational impact, the company is creating the infrastructure that colleges and universities need to teach responsible AI at scale.”
Aaron Hurst, Founding Managing Partner, Dogwood Ventures
“As investors focused on advancing equitable workforce solutions, we see BoodleBox as a vital tool for ensuring that all students—not just the most privileged—can build AI fluency,” said Sabari Raja, Managing Partner at JFFVentures. “By lowering cost barriers, expanding access, and enabling data portability, BoodleBox aligns with our mission to equip underserved learners with the skills and opportunities they need to thrive in an AI-transformed economy.”
Sabari Raja, Managing Partner, JFFVentures
“We are excited to partner with BoodleBox! As students, we know firsthand that Generative AI is the technology that will define our generation. We’ve been looking for a solution that’s not just a tool, but a safe, secure, collaborative, and educational platform helping students get the AI skills they need, with pricing tailored to schools’ budgets,” said Matt Biggins, Student Managing Director on behalf of the Wolverine Fund. “That’s exactly what BoodleBox is. This partnership is personal because we’re investing in a product that we, as students, need and want. We’re proud to support their mission to make higher education and AI skills more accessible to the future engineers, doctors, politicians, and professionals of all kinds.”
Matt Biggins, Student Managing Director, on behalf of the Wolverine Fund
