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Kno

Education software startup
Startup Cemetery

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GENERAL INFORMATION
Category:
Education
Country:
United States
Started:
2009
BUSINESS FAILURE
Outcome:
Acquired
Cause:
Competition
Closed:
2013
FOUNDERS & EMPLOYEES
Number of Founders:
2
Name of Founders:
Babur Habib, Osman Rashid
Number of Employees:
+10,000
FUNDING
Number of Funding Rounds:
7
Total Funding Amount:
$94.9M
Number of Investors:
10

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What was Kno?

Kno Inc. was a California based educational software startup. The company wanted to change the traditional way students learn. Kno introduced double paneled e-textbooks packed with interactive study lessons and resources, social sharing tools, and adaptive features that were designed to keep students engaged.

Why did Kno fail and shut down?

Kno was one of the first companies to launch Tablet Computers in 2010. The company introduced 14.1” touchscreen textbook tablet with single and dual panels on the Linux and WebkitOS.

Despite having raised close to $80 million in venture capital the company quickly saw its chances of scaling up diminish drastically once Apple introduced its now iconic iPads and iPhones. Their final blow came when Apple entered the educational sector by providing textbooks as well.

With falling revenues and funds running low, Kno tried to pivot to a couple of different solutions; none of which would prove profitable. At last, in 2013, Intel purchased the startup for a bargain, $15 million, and the entire team of Kno, except its CEO, joined Intel.

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