Julia Dixon

Post-pitch story

Julia Dixon has spent years helping students write the essays that get them into college, and ESAI turns that coaching into AI. The platform gives high schoolers feedback on their admissions essays and helps them figure out what makes their story stand out. Season 12, Episode 10 aired in October 2024. Things moved fast after that. Forbes named Dixon to its 30 Under 30 list for 2025, reporting she had raised $1.25 million and that ESAI had helped 350,000 high school students. Then, in May 2025, Dixon went on Shark Tank and closed a deal with Mark Cuban: $250,000 for 5% of the company, plus 2.5% in advisor shares. Cuban's involvement was confirmed by ESAI and by University of Michigan alumni news. By then, the company said it had reached more than 550,000 students and built a big TikTok following. In May 2026, ESAI announced it had raised $3 million in total. New investors included Ruthless For Good Fund, Halogen Ventures, Betaworks and New York Ventures, the state of New York's venture arm, joining Cuban, Precursor and The Pitch Fund. Along with the money came a bigger vision. ESAI now calls itself an "identity layer" for college and careers, built around a product called Brandi. From two podcast panels to a Shark, ESAI has turned airtime into growth.