Kno - Intel Education Study

About Kno - Intel Education Study

Kno, Inc. operated as an education software company, initially starting as Kakai Inc. in May 2009 before its acquisition by Intel in November 2013. The company was founded by Osman Rashid, who had previously co-founded the textbook rental company Chegg, and Babur Habib, a veteran of the consumer electronics industry. Rashid's experience with the textbook market at Chegg informed Kno's mission to address the inefficiencies and high costs of physical textbooks.

The firm initially embarked on an ambitious hardware project, developing large-format, touch-screen tablet computers designed to replicate the experience of a physical textbook. These devices, offered in both single and dual 14.1-inch screen models, were intended to be a dedicated digital learning platform for students. However, facing intense competition from the broader tablet market, particularly the Apple iPad, Kno pivoted its strategy in April 2011. The company licensed its hardware designs to Intel and shifted its focus entirely to developing a cross-platform software application for digital textbooks.

Kno's business model centered on providing a feature-rich application for students to access and interact with digital educational materials. The company partnered with over 75 publishers to offer a catalog of more than 225,000 titles for the K-12 and higher education markets. Revenue was generated from the sale and rental of these e-textbooks through its platform, with Kno reportedly receiving a 15% share of the gross revenue from publishers. The service was available as an application on multiple operating systems and devices, including iPad, Android, Windows, and the web, ensuring wide accessibility for students. The platform's features were designed to enhance the learning process and included highlighting, note-taking, a journal to aggregate notes and media, and interactive elements like video links and quizzes that could automatically turn diagrams into study guides.

After raising significant venture capital from prominent investors like Andreessen Horowitz and Intel Capital, Kno was acquired by Intel in November 2013 for approximately $15 million. The acquisition was primarily for Kno's intellectual property and its team, which were integrated into Intel's existing education division. Following the acquisition, the Kno service was rebranded as Intel Education Study.