Paperly has closed a $3 million funding round, marking a significant leap forward in its mission to lighten the administrative load on schools and give educators more time to focus on what matters most — teaching and student support. The Plus Eight Syndicate invested in the round alongside Purpose Ventures, Tribe Global Ventures and Skalata,
Since raising its seed round in 2023, Paperly has experienced 4,600 per cent growth in annual recurring revenue, placing it among the fastest-growing EdTech platforms in the school operations space. More than 250 schools are already contracted for 2026, spanning independent and government institutions, multi-campus networks and diocesan groups.
This surge reflects a broader shift across the sector: schools are looking beyond traditional SIS and LMS systems and turning to specialised platforms that can manage the day-to-day operational workflows those systems were never built to handle.
Paperly was established in 2018 by Daniel Dawson, who saw firsthand how fragmented processes, manual forms and disconnected tools were placing strain on school staff. What began as a narrow focus on core administrative pain points — like excursions, forms and parent communication — has since evolved into a platform capable of supporting hundreds of workflows across the school environment.
In 2023, Jak Tidman joined as Chief Operations Officer and played a key role in accelerating growth, maturing commercial operations and expanding strategic partnerships. His contribution over the following two years led to his formal recognition as co-founder.
Demand for Paperly’s platform has prompted the company to grow its physical presence, with teams now operating in Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane and the UK. The business has also onboarded schools in Asia and continues to receive interest from additional international regions.
While this milestone marks major progress, Paperly sees it as the start of a broader journey — one centred on helping schools replace administrative complexity with clarity, consistency and confidence.