Paperly Lands $3M Backing From Purpose Ventures, Tribe Global Ventures, And Skalata

Schools are dealing with heavier compliance loads, complex processes, and the ongoing pressure to make limited resources stretch further. Paperly sits directly in that gap, building tools that replace manual, outdated systems with digital workflows designed for modern school operations.

Rapid growth and investor confidence

Since raising its seed round in 2023, Paperly has recorded 4,600% growth in annual recurring revenue, positioning it among the fastest-growing EdTech platforms. More than 250 schools are already contracted for 2026, spanning independent and government schools, multi-campus groups, and diocesan groups.

Purpose Ventures has backed Paperly since its early stages and has doubled down in this round, joined by Tribe Global Ventures and Skalata. Purpose Ventures’ Kylie Gerrard said, “Since our initial investment, we have been impressed with how Dan and Jak have led Paperly’s growth to date and were keen to invest in this round to support their continued expansion into new partnerships and regions.”

Jack Butler from Tribe Global Ventures added, “Paperly’s traction proves you can achieve best-in-class growth despite operating in a sector with notoriously long sales cycles. We’re super excited to be partnering with Dan and Jak and supporting them with their international expansion.”

Dawson founded Paperly in 2018 after seeing firsthand how fragmented tools and manual processes were straining school staff. What began with a narrow focus on core administrative pain points like excursions, forms, and parent communication has since grown into a platform capable of supporting hundreds of day-to-day workflows that sit outside traditional SIS and LMS systems.

A core part of the company’s philosophy is reinvestment. 60 per cent of earnings go straight back into engineering and product improvement, ensuring the platform evolves in line with what schools actually need, rather than hypothetical feature ideas. That approach has helped the team deliver frequent updates to address recurring pain points across administration, leadership, and support teams.

The company’s footprint has grown along with its customer base. Paperly now operates out of Perth, Melbourne, and Brisbane, with an expanding team in the UK. Schools in Asia have recently joined the platform, and interest is building in other international regions. The United States has also been identified as a major long-term opportunity.

Tidman, who joined as Chief Operations Officer in 2023, has been credited with accelerating commercial maturity and strengthening strategic partnerships. His contributions over the past two years have led to his formal recognition as a co-founder.

The new funding will support deeper expansion across Australia, further growth in the UK and Asia, continued investment in engineering, and the strengthening of partnerships and customer experience functions.