What Edthena does

Edthena (legally R3 Collaboratives, Inc.) is a San Francisco-based education technology company founded in 2011 by Adam Geller, a former Teach for America classroom teacher. The company builds AI-powered and video-based professional learning platforms for K-12 educators, serving school districts, teacher preparation programs at universities, individual schools, professional development providers, and individual teachers. Edthena's portfolio is anchored by two core products: VC3, a full-featured video coaching platform that enables teachers to upload classroom instruction videos and receive timestamped comments categorized as questions, suggestions, strengths, and notes from coaches and peers; and AI Coach, a conversational AI virtual instructional coach (named a TIME Best Invention 2025) that autonomously guides teachers through self-observation, goal-setting, and action planning. Complementary products include Observation Copilot, an AI tool that converts principal walkthrough notes into framework-aligned feedback; a Science of Reading coaching module; and a Video Library for shared professional videos.

Underlying the product surface is a combination of conversational AI trained by experienced instructional coaches, auto-generated insights from video transcripts (including student-to-teacher talk-time analysis), and integration with the Gates Foundation METx library of 2,100+ classroom examples. The platform is FERPA, COPPA, SOPIPA, and SOC 2 Type 2 compliant and is an approved edTPA Platform Provider under license from Stanford. Edthena operates a hybrid go-to-market combining a freemium product-led growth motion (free AI Coach on-demand module, free Observation Copilot) with enterprise field sales targeting district-wide deployments via quote-based subscriptions. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; Terms of Service reference Order documents specifying service terms, user counts, and billing terms consistent with annual enterprise licensing. Notable customers include University of Michigan and University of Washington (both 15-year relationships), DC Public Schools, Arkansas Teacher Corps, and Centennial Elementary, with stated usage metrics of 8 million minutes of teaching analyzed, 2.5 million coaching moments delivered, and 480,000 personalized coaching conversations. The company is privately held, has not disclosed outside funding, and operates with 11-50 employees in the United States.

Name

Edthena

Legal name

R3 Collaboratives, Inc.

Website

https://edthena.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Edthena builds AI-powered and video-based professional learning platforms (AI Coach, VC3, Observation Copilot) that enable K-12 teachers, instructional coaches, and school leaders to access on-demand coaching, video observation, and structured feedback. The company serves school districts, universities, and professional development providers primarily in the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educator Professional Development Software

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Interactive Multimedia Learning Content (Video, Audio, Interactive Lessons) (EDAFACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interactive Presentation & Lesson Delivery Engagement Tools (EDAFAGAJ), Interactive Practice & Skill-Building (Drills, Games, Mastery Practice) (EDAFACAC)

Keywords

• Teacher professional development
• Video coaching platform
• AI instructional coaching
• Educator feedback software
• K-12 professional learning

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Platform Subscriptions: Edthena operates on a subscription model where educational institutions (districts, universities, schools) pay for access to the VC3 and AI Coach platforms. The Terms of Service reference 'Orders' with service terms, user counts, and billing terms, indicating enterprise subscription licensing.
2. AI Coach Free Tier: AI Coach offers a free on-demand coaching module for instructional coaches and teacher mentors. Observation Copilot is currently free. This creates a freemium-style entry point that can drive adoption and expansion to paid tiers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Edthena provides an AI-powered video coaching platform for educator professional development. Teachers upload classroom instruction video, then receive timestamped feedback, structured collaborative coaching cycles, and on-demand AI-driven coaching conversations. The portfolio includes the AI Coach virtual coach, the VC3 video coaching platform, and Observation Copilot, sold primarily via subscriptions to school districts, universities, and teacher preparation programs.

Product overview

Edthena offers a multi-product professional learning platform for educator development. The core portfolio consists of AI Coach (an AI-powered virtual coaching platform) and VC3 (a full-featured video coaching platform for collaborative observation and feedback). These are complemented by Observation Copilot (an AI tool for converting observation notes into feedback) and a Video Library for shared professional videos. The products work together to provide comprehensive professional development: AI Coach delivers on-demand, self-paced coaching to every teacher, while VC3 powers structured, collaborative coaching programs. Observation Copilot integrates with both by transforming observation data into actionable feedback that teachers can work on in their coaching cycles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AI Coach: A virtual instructional coach platform that uses conversational AI to support teachers through self-observation, goal setting, and action planning. Named TIME's Best Invention of 2025.
• VC3
• Observation Copilot
• Science of Reading
• Video Library

Products and services

• AI Coach A virtual instructional coach platform that uses conversational AI to guide teachers through self-observation, goal setting, and action planning. Teachers record classroom lessons and receive timestamped feedback and personalized, self-paced coaching conversations. Named TIME Best Invention 2025.
• VC3 Video Coaching Full-featured video learning platform for observation, coaching, and collaboration. Enables teachers to upload classroom instruction videos and receive timestamped feedback categorized as questions, suggestions, strengths, and notes from peers and coaches. Supports peer observation, PLCs, micro-credentials, and teacher induction.
• Observation Copilot AI-powered tool that helps principals convert classroom walkthrough and observation notes into framework-aligned feedback in seconds. Operates as a standalone product at observationcopilot.com and is currently free to use.
• Video Library Platform for shared professional videos featuring teachers' own teaching examples and student work, enabling collaborative review and learning across the Edthena ecosystem.

Quantifiable outcome

• Districts using Edthena tools improve teacher retention, increase teacher competence, and improve student outcomes (independent research cited on website)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability6 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of MichigancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner15-year partnership using Edthena's VC3 platform for video coaching in teacher preparation programs. The platform enables teacher candidates to upload classroom instruction videos and receive timestamped feedback categorized as questions, suggestions, strengths, and notes from peers and coaches.
• University of WashingtoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner15-year partnership using Edthena's VC3 platform for video coaching in teacher preparation programs, demonstrating sustained institutional adoption in teacher education.
• Stanford University (edTPA)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerEdthena is an approved edTPA Platform Provider. The edTPA trademarks are owned by The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. Use of edTPA trademarks is permitted only pursuant to a written license agreement.
• Student Privacy PledgeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEdthena is a proud signatory of the Student Privacy Pledge, demonstrating commitment to student data privacy practices.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• PowerSchool: PowerSchool is a broad K-12 platform covering SIS, LMS (Schoology), and talent/PD modules including teacher evaluation. It competes with Edthena indirectly by bundling teacher observation and PD workflows into district-wide enterprise contracts.
• Instructure (Canvas): Instructure's Canvas is a leading K-12 and higher-ed LMS that increasingly embeds video, observation, and analytics tools. It competes with Edthena indirectly as districts consolidate teacher tools inside the Canvas ecosystem.
• Frontline Education: Frontline Education provides K-12 administrative software including professional development management, teacher evaluation, and observation tools. It competes with Edthena in the PD and instructional observation category as part of a broader district administrative suite.
• GoGuardian: GoGuardian is a K-12 ed tech platform offering classroom management, filtering, and teacher tools to districts. It competes with Edthena indirectly as a broad K-12 vendor that can bundle teacher-focused features into district contracts.

Emerging players

• Newsela: Newsela provides instructional content and formative assessment tools used in K-12 classrooms, with growing teacher-facing features. It is a partial peer to Edthena in that both serve teacher workflow needs, though Newsela focuses on content delivery and Edthena on coaching.

Direct peers

• BetterLesson: BetterLesson delivers teacher professional development, instructional coaching, and leadership programs to K-12 districts, combining coaching services with technology-enabled practice. It overlaps with Edthena in the teacher coaching and PD market with a heavier human-coaching model.
• TeachFX: TeachFX uses AI to analyze classroom audio and provide teachers with feedback on student talk time, questioning, and instructional moves. It is a direct competitor to Edthena's AI Coach, targeting the same AI-driven teacher feedback category.
• Swivl: Swivl provides video capture, sharing, and reflection tools for educator professional development, including coaching and observation workflows. It is a direct competitor to Edthena's VC3 video coaching platform, serving the same K-12 coaching use case.
• Mursion: Mursion provides AI- and human-simulated classroom experiences for teacher practice and professional development, including pre-service and in-service coaching. It competes with Edthena in the teacher training and practice segment with a simulation-based approach.

Others

• Clever: Clever provides K-12 identity, rostering, and SSO infrastructure used by districts to manage access to EdTech applications including Edthena. It is an enabling ecosystem participant that supports Edthena's distribution rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/edthena
• GitHubgithub.com/edthena/policies
• Facebookfacebook.com/Edthena
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/r3-collaboratives
• Instagraminstagram.com/edthena

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Edthena