Ignite Reading Acquires Esteam to Help Human Tutors Leverage AI for Personalized Reading Instruction

Acquisition accelerates Ignite Reading's vision of delivering differentiated literacy instruction to every student, every day as the path to solving the nation's literacy crisis

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Ignite Reading, a Science of Reading-based virtual tutoring program serving students in 22 states nationwide, today announced its acquisition of Esteam, an innovative AI-driven education startup. The acquisition strengthens Ignite Reading's mission to end the literacy crisis by augmenting daily one-on-one human tutoring with AI-enabled assessment, skill mapping and practice, making truly personalized instruction possible at scale. Financial terms were not disclosed.

With Esteam's expertise in AI and automatic speech recognition (ASR), Ignite Reading unlocks the power to make instruction even more personalized, hyper-targeting students' precise early literacy skills gaps thanks to AI-powered assessments that listen as students read, detect mastery or gaps instantly, and generate a clear map of skills to guide instruction. The result— students don't have to spend time reviewing skills they've already mastered. Instead, they get the exact support they need, when they need it, from Ignite Reading's tutor educators.

This acquisition enables Ignite Reading to speed the creation of tools that give tutors a precise skills map for each student, enabling them to focus instruction more efficiently while preserving the essential human connection between educator and child.

"This is a milestone for Ignite Reading," said Jessica Reid Sliwerski, CEO and cofounder of Ignite Reading. "Our vision is that every child in America should get the exact instruction they need every day. By bringing Esteam's team into our platform, we accelerate our ability to diagnose skills in real time and direct tutors to the instruction that will move each student forward. It's the combination of human care and AI precision that will further enable us to confront the literacy crisis at scale."

"Our vision has always been to utilize AI to democratize access to personalized reading support," said Jennifer Wong, founder of Esteam. "By joining Ignite Reading, we can combine AI and live tutoring to help more children learn to read. It's inspiring to find a company that shares this vision, and our team is excited to show how AI can amplify the work of human tutors."

The combined organization will continue to focus on creating a rich, trust-based learning environment where AI strengthens the human relationship between tutor and student and supports personalized learning for every child, every day.

About Ignite Reading
Ignite Reading is a literacy company with a bold mission: End the reading crisis that's gripped our nation for decades by ensuring every child in America learns to read on time (ideally by the end of 1st grade). 

Districts nationwide partner with Ignite Reading for the expert, personalized instruction they need to move the early literacy needle—without adding more work for teachers.

Powered by a Science of Reading-based curriculum and driven by data, the company's high-dosage virtual tutoring program pairs each student with a tutor educator trained to deliver evidence-based instruction. Students get daily 1:1 attention from a caring champion who helps them build the confidence and skills they need to become fluent readers.

Johns Hopkins researchers call Ignite Reading's virtual literacy program "a scalable solution to accelerate early literacy outcomes for high-need students." Districts say Ignite Reading is what they need to turn learners into readers.

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SOURCE Ignite Reading