Belgrade-Based Prepia Raises €1.5M to Build the Duolingo for Professional Exams — With Polish VC Inovo Leading the Charge
In what may be one of the fastest-growing early-stage stories in the Balkans, Prepia, a Belgrade-based EdTech startup, has raised €1.5 million in seed funding to scale its AI-powered exam prep platform — already delivering impressive traction with €1.2 million in ARR in under nine months.
While the round was co-led by Slovenia’s Silicon Gardens, it’s Poland’s Inovo VC that stands out in this story. Known for backing high-performance startups across Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), Inovo’s investment underscores Poland’s growing influence in the regional tech scene, particularly in educational innovation and AI-powered SaaS. Prepia is building what some are calling the “Duolingo of professional certifications.” It transforms traditional test prep materials into mobile-first, personalized learning paths for high-stakes exams like the SAT, GMAT, and professional certifications in law, medicine, and tech. The platform reports a 92% pass rate and a 4.8/5 user rating across hundreds of reviews — and its traction is undeniable.
Polish Support for Balkan Growth
For Inovo VC, headquartered in Warsaw, this is more than a high-performing investment — it’s a strategic move to support ambitious founders in under-tapped regional markets.
“What made Prepia irresistible wasn’t just the numbers,” shared one investor close to the round. “It was the clarity of execution, a laser-focus on core metrics, and an insane pace of delivery by founders still in their twenties.”
Inovo’s involvement brings not only capital but deep expertise in scaling consumer SaaS companies — experience that could prove vital as Prepia expands into 300+ identified exam markets.
Meet the Founders: Execution at Startup Speed
Founded in 2024 by Viktor Pešić and Ivan Jurišić, Prepia has managed what many startups dream of: hypergrowth with a product that resonates.
Viktor, a self-taught programmer with a decade of experience, scaled Prepia to nearly €1M in revenue using Google Ads alone.
Ivan, with a background at Roche, brings business depth and scaling knowledge to the duo.
The result: a platform that delivers value fast, optimized for short attention spans, and designed to adapt to modern learning habits — or, as Viktor puts it, “TikTok-native education that actually works.”
From Belgrade to the World
Expand into additional certification markets
Develop an AI tutor for adaptive learning
Grow its engineering and product teams in Belgrade
The startup’s model is direct-to-consumer, likely subscription-based, and driven by performance marketing. With over 100,000 users and fast-growing monthly revenue, Prepia is now poised to challenge incumbent education giants with its nimble, AI-first approach. The backing from Polish fund Inovo VC is also a signal: CEE’s startup ecosystem is becoming increasingly interconnected, with Warsaw emerging not just as a capital hub, but a catalyst for Balkan innovation. Explore more: https://prepia.com/