High School Dropout Launches VibeGrade To Help Teachers Grade Faster

Forbes

21-04-2025

Musa Aqeel, Co-Founder of VibeGrad, and Daniel Martinez, Founder of VibeGrad
Vibegrade, a YC-backed startup using AI to help teachers deliver high-quality feedback in their own style, 10x faster, announces its public launch today. The company works directly inside Google Docs, Google Classroom, and Canvas, reading and annotating essays based on the teacher's rubric — just like a teacher would. Already saving over 500 school days of manual grading across 12,000 papers, Vibegrade learns from each teacher's style to deliver feedback that actually helps students improve. It doesn't replace teachers — it helps teachers help their students, to make education better for everyone.
The startup was founded by 18-year-old high school dropout Daniel Martinez and 19-year-old Musa Aqeel, a second-year college student who also dropped out to go all-in on building AI for teachers to grade papers faster. The two met in high school and had been building side projects together ever since—one of their earliest was a tool that let partygoers scan a QR code and add songs to a shared Spotify queue.
'I've always cared a lot about education. I just think the way we do it right now is super outdated. It doesn't work well for the teachers or for the students—because students aren't able to get the feedback they need to improve, and teachers are overwhelmed', Daniel says.
Daniel, who has been coding since age 10, always knew he wanted to build a company. For him, the path to impact was through tech. Together with Musa, they set out to improve—not replace—educators by giving them superpowers through AI. And the early demand proves the need: all 72 of their current customers are paying out of pocket.
If you think it's pure luck to get accepted to YC at this age, you're wrong. Together, they applied to YC five times before being accepted. It wasn't their first attempt—they'd been working hard to make it happen, testing out different ideas and product iterations.'We were on a FaceTime call when we got the email about the interview', Musa recalls. 'We were shocked but also ready.'
A major turning point was when Musa officially joined as co-founder. 'YC looks at the people, not just the product,' he says. 'Daniel had been building great stuff on his own, but having a partner makes the startup journey less lonely and more resilient.'
Daniel and Musa believe that YC saw the energy they brought as a team—their history of building useful products together, the traction they'd achieved, and their commitment to solving a real pain point in education.
They also believe the timing is right. Martinez adds, 'When I first started, there was a lot of skepticism about AI in education. Nobody wanted to touch it. Now there's been a major shift in sentiment, and everyone's starting to use it more. It's a big opportunity.'
As you might expect, leaving school wasn't an easy conversation.
'I told my dad this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity', Musa Aqeel says. 'At first, he was skeptical. He has a degree and believed in the traditional path. But once he looked into YC and saw the companies that came out of it, he understood the value.'
Daniel's mom was supportive from day one. 'She knew how much I'd been building over the years, and when I finally got into YC, she was just happy for me.'
Both Daniel and Musa faced a lot of skepticism back in school and college—from classmates, teachers, and friends.
Daniel explains, 'I only had four credits left. I told them I was going to San Francisco for three months to build a company, and I gave them the acceptance letter. They said, 'Oh, that's cool—congrats—but since you won't be in the country or taking classes, we can't let you stay.'
Surprisingly, Daniel's own teachers were not the first to use or test the product—despite his efforts, he never heard back from them. Some even expressed concerns about using AI for this purpose.
'It's really hard to build when nobody believes in you,' Musa says. 'When the people around you aren't supportive, you have to focus on what matters to you—and just keep building.'
Today, VibeGrade is being used in schools across the country, saving teachers hours each week. As attitudes toward AI in education continue to evolve, demand is growing fast.
Failure doesn't scare them. 'We've failed before', Daniel Martinez says.
They believe the mentorship, guidance, and experience of being in YC—surrounded by other founders—will help them grow tremendously in the coming months. And they're confident the lessons they're learning will stay with them for the rest of their careers.
'It's definitely not going to be the last thing we ever do', Musa is convinved.
As VibeGrade enters its next chapter, Daniel and Musa are focused on scale—bringing their AI-powered feedback tool to more classrooms and more educators nationwide. With a clear mission, growing traction, and the backing of Y Combinator, they're not just reimagining how grading works—they're helping reshape the role of teachers in the age of AI. In a world where innovation often overlooks the classroom, VibeGrade is proving that transformative tech can—and should—start with education.