Knowlify, a Y Combinator S25 startup, has raised $3 million to transform the way people understand and engage with content. The idea began in a statistics class at the University of Florida, where founders Ritam Rana, Ritvik Varada, Arjun Talati, and Jonathan Maynard were struggling to get through 30 pages of dense textbook material. “We then thought, what if we could convert this boring PDF into a video?” recalls the team.
That question sparked a company now generating over 200,000 videos and partnering with major global organizations to convert complex documents (like white papers) into accessible, dynamic videos. A new video engine is expected soon.
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Knowlify’s mission is to create a future where video becomes the primary medium for learning and comprehension. “Everyone loves the way 3Blue1Brown explains complex ideas. Now imagine having that same level of clarity for any topic, tailored to each learner’s needs,” the founders said.
The platform’s current use cases span researchers simplifying dense papers, textbook publishers helping students grasp difficult concepts, universities cutting production costs by 90%, and corporations keeping teams updated on emerging technologies.
The founders say the inspiration came from frustration: “We spent way too many nights stuck on confusing textbooks, wishing there was a way to actually see what was going on instead of reading walls of text.”
Knowlify tackles a significant learning challenge, humans retain only about 10% of what they read compared to 95% of what they learn through video. Traditional video creation is costly and time-consuming, but Knowlify’s AI solution instantly turns written content into clear, personalized explainer videos with adaptive visuals, pacing, and narration.
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“The beautiful part of this,” the team says, “is that it can be applied to any industry.” From education to enterprise, Knowlify is building the tool they always wished they had.