IvyBee

What IvyBee does

IvyBee is a Dallas-based edtech company that delivers personalized learning experiences through Minecraft-based gamified platforms. The company's product portfolio centers on three offerings: Polycraft World, a Minecraft modification originating from 2011 UT Dallas research that teaches polymer chemistry, materials science, and STEM concepts through gameplay; Overqualified! mini-games, which feature a digital twin of the UT Dallas campus and debuted commercially at SXSW in March 2025; and the Experiential Medical Reasoning (EMR) course, a first-of-its-kind MCAT prep experience delivered inside Minecraft developed in partnership with UT Dallas and launched in September 2025. The company serves K-12 students, higher education institutions, and pre-medical/professional learners seeking engaging alternatives to traditional study methods, with the self-serve SaaS platform accessible globally via ivybee.com and app.ivybee.com.

The underlying technology architecture is built on top of the Minecraft game engine, requiring users to link a Microsoft/Xbox Live account with a licensed Minecraft copy. The company maintains compliance with GDPR, CCPA, and FERPA, processes payments through Stripe, and stores data on Google Cloud Platform. IvyBee generates revenue through SaaS subscription services, though specific pricing tiers and revenue figures are not publicly disclosed; the company has raised approximately $2.9M in a single funding round dated July 22, 2025, with investors undisclosed.

The company was formally incorporated in 2024 as Pedegree Studios, Inc., spun out of a decade of academic work at UT Dallas, and rebranded to IvyBee in October 2025 to reflect an expanded mission beyond games. The company is founder-controlled by CEO Walter Voit, PhD, who maintains a faculty position at UT Dallas and previously founded Adaptive3D (acquired by Desktop Metal for $65M in 2021). The 12-14 person team includes leadership with PhDs from MIT, UT Southwestern, Stanford, and UT Dallas, and the company maintains ongoing research partnerships with DARPA and academic institutions.

Name

IvyBee

Legal name

IvyBee, Inc.

Website

https://ivybee.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IvyBee is a Dallas-based edtech company that delivers personalized, gamified learning experiences through Minecraft-based platforms, serving K-12 students, higher education institutions, and pre-medical professionals with products including Polycraft World and the EMR MCAT prep course.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

EdTech Software

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Core Digital Curriculum & Courseware (Full Programs & Units) (EDAFACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interactive Learning Games & Gamified Courseware (EDAGALAL), Advanced STEM & Competition Coaching (MathCounts/AMC/AIME/USAMO, Science Olympiad, Physics/Chem Olympiads) (EDANAKAF)

Keywords

• Gamified learning software
• STEM education platform
• Minecraft-based learning
• MCAT prep courses
• Edtech SaaS platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. SaaS Subscription Services: IvyBee provides technology-enabled services including Software as a Service offering. Terms of Service indicate payment for products/services ordered through the Services with fees charged to credit cards.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

IvyBee provides a SaaS-based, game-enabled personalized learning platform built on a proprietary Minecraft modification that delivers STEM, polymer chemistry, materials science, and medical reasoning curricula through immersive gameplay. The company sells subscriptions to individuals/students and partners directly with universities for course delivery, including the first-of-its-kind Experiential Medical Reasoning (EMR) MCAT prep course developed with UT Dallas.

Product overview

IvyBee is a personalized learning platform that builds tools for minds that redefine learning. The company offers a portfolio of game-based learning products delivered through Minecraft, including Polycraft World (the core STEM education platform), Overqualified!™ mini-games (commercial edtech), and the Experiential Medical Reasoning (EMR) course for MCAT preparation. Formerly known as Pedegree Studios, IvyBee provides SaaS offerings through ivybee.com and app.ivybee.com, focusing on transforming education into fun, personalized learning experiences with real-world impact.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Overqualified!™: Mini-games featuring a digital twin of the UT Dallas campus, debuted at SXSW in March 2025
• Experiential Medical Reasoning (EMR)
• Polycraft World

Products and services

• Polycraft World A Minecraft modification that transforms gameplay into a STEM education platform teaching polymer chemistry and materials science hands-on. Used for AI training and human-AI teaming research.
• Overqualified! Mini-Games Commercial edtech mini-games featuring a digital twin of the UT Dallas campus, marking IvyBee's entry into commercial educational gaming.
• Experiential Medical Reasoning (EMR) Course First-of-its-kind MCAT prep experience delivered inside Minecraft, developed in partnership with the University of Texas at Dallas.

Quantifiable outcome

• Published in Nature Chemistry (2016) - validating scientific approach to game-based learning
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of Texas at DallascoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Long-term academic partnership originating from 2011 research collaboration. UT Dallas researchers began using Minecraft to teach polymer chemistry, leading to Polycraft World. Currently partnering on Experiential Medical Reasoning (EMR) course for MCAT prep delivered inside Minecraft. CEO Walter Voit maintains faculty position at UT Dallas.
• BEST RoboticsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Polycraft World partnered with BEST Robotics for 3D-printing STEM competition bridging virtual materials engineering with real-world robotics in 2021.
• DARPAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019DARPA selected Polycraft World for SAIL-ON program (2019) to explore how AI agents adapt to novelty in simulated worlds. Multiple DARPA DSO projects using Polycraft World for AI training and human-AI teams. CEO Walter Voit is a DARPA Young Faculty Awardee and Director's Fellow.
• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationIvyBee services require Microsoft account linked to Xbox Live with licensed copy of Minecraft. Platform is built on Minecraft as the delivery mechanism for educational content.
• Google Cloud Platform (GCP)coreTechnology or IntegrationIvyBee stores all personal information using trusted third-party provider Google Cloud Platform (GCP) for data security and infrastructure.
• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationIvyBee uses Stripe for payment processing, analytics, and fraud detection. Stripe collects device information and provides payment and business services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• UWorld: UWorld is a leading MCAT, USMLE, and standardized test prep platform built around extensive question banks and detailed explanations. It is the primary incumbent competitor to IvyBee's EMR course and the natural head-to-head for MCAT prep wallet share.
• Quizlet: Quizlet is a consumer- and student-focused study platform combining flashcards, practice tests, and learning games. It is comparable to IvyBee in serving individual learners directly while also having institutional (Quizlet Plus for Schools) offerings.
• Princeton Review: Princeton Review is a long-established test prep provider covering the MCAT, SAT, and other standardized exams through courses, books, and online practice. Eric Kildebeck is a former Princeton Review Master Trainer, and Princeton Review is a direct competitor for MCAT prep customers alongside the EMR course.
• BrainPOP: BrainPOP delivers animated educational content and games for K-12 classrooms across STEM, humanities, and other subjects. It shares IvyBee's emphasis on engaging, multimedia-rich learning experiences sold directly to schools and districts.
• Duolingo: Duolingo is the most prominent consumer-scale example of gamified learning-as-a-product, using streaks, levels, and bite-sized lessons to drive engagement. While focused on language, its mechanics and freemium-to-paid motion are a direct reference point for IvyBee's gamified learning thesis.
• Kahoot!: Kahoot is a gamified learning platform used by schools, teachers, and enterprises worldwide. It is the closest commercial analogue to IvyBee in combining game-based mechanics with B2B institutional sales and B2C consumer access, making it the most directly comparable peer on business model and go-to-market motion.
• Labster: Labster provides virtual science labs and immersive STEM simulations for higher education and K-12. Like IvyBee's Polycraft World, it substitutes or supplements physical lab learning with simulation-based experiences and sells to universities and schools, making it a direct peer in virtual STEM delivery.

Others

• Codecademy: Codecademy is a subscription-based online learning platform for technical skills such as programming and data science. While the subject matter differs, its SaaS learning model, self-serve onboarding, and consumer-to-enterprise expansion trajectory make it a useful structural reference for IvyBee's platform business.

Broad incumbents

• Minecraft: Education Edition: Microsoft's Minecraft: Education Edition is the official education product built on the same Minecraft platform that IvyBee's Polycraft World and EMR course depend on. It is a broad incumbent with broader curriculum coverage and direct distribution advantages as the platform owner.

Emerging players

• Prisms VR: Prisms VR delivers immersive, simulation-based STEM learning experiences to middle and high school students. It shares IvyBee's thesis that engagement-driven, immersive modalities outperform traditional instruction in STEM, but uses VR rather than Minecraft as the delivery medium.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

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 IvyBee