EdVisorly Raises $13.3 Million for University Transfers

An Inspiring Personal Journey

Manny Smith, during his high school years, did not see college as a feasible option. His parents had no college experience, and tuition fees represented an insurmountable financial barrier. Moreover, he did not know how to apply to college. However, his trajectory took an unexpected turn when he received a sports scholarship that opened the doors to the United States Air Force Academy. This opportunity transformed his life, propelling him from a resource-strapped teenager to a military officer career.

After eight years of active service, where he held the position of technical product lead, Smith worked on national defense projects involving satellites and software for the Air Force and Space Force. Upon returning from a seven-month deployment, he studied data on transfers from community colleges to four-year universities. He was struck by the low success rate of these transfers.

Smith pointed out that the chances of successfully earning a bachelor's degree were higher by attending a military academy than by going to a community college. This observation prompted him to enroll in graduate school and found EdVisorly in 2019 while pursuing an MBA at the University of California, Berkeley.

A Significant Fundraising Round

EdVisorly, based in Los Angeles, recently announced that it secured $13.3 million in a Series A funding round. This funding aims to develop its artificial intelligence platform, which automates tedious administrative tasks that can slow down the college admissions process.

The funding round was led by Breachway Capital, with participation from U.S. News & World Report, Lumina Foundation, Strada Education Foundation, Motley Fool Ventures, Juvo Ventures, Zeal Capital Partners, among others. This new financial injection brings EdVisorly's total funds raised to approximately $22 million, marking a significant milestone in its valuation.

This fundraising comes amid a general decline in investments in the education sector. Indeed, venture capital investments in educational startups have significantly decreased from the pandemic peak, where they reached nearly $20 billion in 2021. According to Crunchbase, in the first half of 2026, edtech startups raised less than $1.8 billion globally, down from $2.5 billion the previous year.

Automating Administrative Processes

EdVisorly focuses on eliminating slow and manual tasks in the college admissions and transfer process. The software developed by the startup does not decide on student admissions but handles repetitive administrative tasks that can slow down university staff.

EdVisorly's flagship platform, EddyAI, automates back-office processes related to admissions and enrollment, such as reading transcripts and recalculating GPAs according to specific university criteria. Smith explains that the goal is to simplify these processes for the 10.5 million community college students in the U.S. seeking to transfer to four-year universities.

Students can upload their transcripts to the platform to receive an unofficial evaluation of their credits. The application automatically compares the courses taken with university requirements, allowing families to know the cost of a degree and the remaining study duration even before consulting an admissions advisor.

On the university side, registrars use the same technology to process official transfer credits, quickly establishing new credit-matching rules. This replaces a process that historically required a manual review of each course.

Smith clarified that the technology reads transcripts and compares the data to the credit equivalencies defined by the schools. The next step for EdVisorly is to structure this data to eliminate any ambiguity regarding the transfer of student credits.

A Solution for Institutions and Students

EdVisorly counts over 100 colleges, universities, and higher education systems among its clients, including prestigious institutions like Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Connecticut, the University of Massachusetts, and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Since its inception, the startup has assisted over 250,000 students.

The company sells its services directly to higher education institutions through a B2B subscription model. Smith applies a management framework inspired by his military experience, emphasizing people, clear policies, and technology as support.

He insists that technology does not replace staff but reallocates them to more valuable tasks. The Series A funding will be used to strengthen the technical infrastructure of the platform and enhance the user experience with the addition of UX designers. Currently, the company has nearly 50 employees.

Jason Krantz, managing partner at Breachway Capital, expressed his enthusiasm about EdVisorly's impact, highlighting that the solution brings real efficiency and tangible value to institutions while improving the student experience in a crucial decision of their lives.