Monsha, a global AI startup simplifying teaching prep, planning, and out-of-classroom work for educators, announced that it has been accepted into the San Francisco-based LAUNCH Accelerator. As part of the program, the company has raised $125,000 in pre-seed funding to support product development.
Co-founded by two Bangladeshi entrepreneurs and university friends, Monsha is building an all-in-one AI platform to transform how teachers work, teach, and connect with students.
Monsha helps teachers create courses, generate teaching resources, and plan curricula with ease. It offers tools for lesson planning, assessments, presentations, and differentiated worksheets that support diverse learning needs. The platform captures and builds on each teacher’s unique context over time, and integrates with their existing workflow. Monsha operates on a SaaS model, with a forever-free Basic plan, a Pro plan with unlimited features, and an Enterprise plan for schools.
The LAUNCH Accelerator is run by Jason Calacanis, one of Silicon Valley's prolific and respected early-stage investors. Over the past decade, Jason has backed more than 300 startups, including Uber, Calm, Robinhood, Trello, Superhuman, and Wealthfront. He was Sequoia Capital’s first Scout, authored the book ANGEL, and hosts two influential tech podcasts today—This Week in Startups and All-In. He is also a regular contributor on CNBC.
LAUNCH runs a tight-knit accelerator with just 7 startups per cohort, and supports founders through multiple programs: Founder University, the LAUNCH Accelerator, and The Syndicate—one of the largest angel investor groups globally. To date, LAUNCH has invested in over 300 startups, with eight unicorns in the portfolio and a long-term commitment to founders' careers.
Before Monsha, co-founder Yanur Islam Piash built and bootstrapped Bohubrihi, an edtech startup that was later acquihired by Shikho in a cash-and-stock deal in 2021. He then spent two and a half years on Shikho’s leadership team, heading the business, before exiting to start Monsha in mid-2024.
Co-founder Azmain Adel, a fellow graduate of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), brings extensive expertise in AI and software engineering. His background includes building scalable systems and implementing machine learning solutions at startups including Field Buzz, Intelligent Machines, and Optimizely.
"The idea for Monsha came from watching my wife's experience as a teacher," said Piash. "I’d seen her bringing work home, supporting students and parents around the clock, bogged down with out-of-class admin tasks that led to frustration and near-burnout. Adel didn’t need much convincing: he had two teachers in the family and that inner itch to break out and build something of his own. So we got to work."
The company is incorporated in the United States and operates globally.
Monsha’s solution arrives at a critical moment when educators worldwide face unprecedented workloads and burnout. Despite massive investments in Learning Management Systems (LMS) and Student Information Systems (SIS) over the past two decades, most edtech innovations have overlooked teacher productivity.
Monsha represents a new generation of tools that leverage recent advances in large language models and AI to place teacher autonomy at the center of education technology.
Many teachers describe the emotional and logistical strain that led them to seek out tools like Monsha. The underlying frustration is clear: “I need something to help me get back to work. My normal burn and bust approach to teaching is not sustainable.” “I am entirely frustrated and a tad overwhelmed. Please....... we need a one-stop shop!”
Monsha currently has an MVP (minimum viable product) in use by over 20,000 teachers, with a majority of its user base in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and several emerging markets. The platform is growing 40% month-over-month organically. Currently focused on private and international schools in middle and high school segments, the founders have ambitious plans to scale across the global teacher population of 93.7 million educators.
The founders plan to leverage LAUNCH's funding, network, and mentorship to enhance Monsha's core product capabilities, expand into additional teacher workflows like grading, explore distribution channels, and develop strategic partnerships with schools and districts.
"What stood out to us about LAUNCH was their long-term view on founders," said Adel. "We're here to learn, plug into their network, and get the support we need to raise future rounds and keep building for the long haul."
Cover photo: Monsha Founders Piash and Adel (from left to right)
