The co-founders of Anchor, the podcast startup Spotify acquired in 2019, are back with a new venture: Oboe, an AI-powered educational app designed to let anyone create flexible, lightweight courses on almost any topic.
Oboe, whose name comes from the Japanese root word for “to learn,” allows users to generate courses simply by entering a prompt. Topics can span science, history, foreign languages, news, pop culture, and more. At launch, Oboe offers nine different formats, ranging from text and visuals to interactive games, quizzes, and audio.
Unlike AI chatbots that require back-and-forth conversations, Oboe focuses on structured content delivery. Its two audio options include lecture-style lessons and podcast-like discussions with two hosts, similar to Google’s NotebookLM.
“The real magic comes from a multi-agent architecture we built from scratch,” said co-founder Nir Zicherman, who started Oboe with Michael Mignano after both left Spotify in 2023. “We have agents running in parallel, developing the course structure, writing scripts, verifying facts, and pulling in real images from the internet, all in seconds.”
The app also emphasizes accuracy, with auditing agents ensuring that content is reliable, personalized, and engaging. A recommendation engine is in the works to help learners dive deeper into topics at their own pace.
At launch, anyone can consume courses for free and create up to five per month. Beyond that, users can upgrade to Oboe Plus ($15/month for 30 courses) or Oboe Pro ($40/month for 100 courses). The platform is first rolling out on the web and mobile web, with iOS and Android apps to follow.
Related: Former Google Security Executives Launch AI-Powered Email Defense Startup
Oboe has a five-person core team. Mignano, now a full-time partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners, sits on the board and shares the co-founder title. The startup has raised $4 million in seed funding led by Eniac Ventures, with participation from Haystack, Factorial Capital, Homebrew, Offline Ventures, and angel investors including Scott Belsky, Kayvon Beykpour, Nikita Bier, Tim Ferriss, and Matt Lieber.
“We’re excited to build a platform that becomes the one-stop shop for lifelong learners,” Zicherman said. “The internet wasn’t built to teach effectively, we want to change that.”
