From Grocery Wars to Math Wizards: The Unlikely Journey of Corca's Founders

When you think of grocery delivery, math software probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind. Yet, for Oleg Shevlyagin and Anton Gladkoborodov, that's exactly where their paths have converged. These two ex-rivals from New York's grocery delivery chaos have pivoted to create Corca, a math-focused startup that's recently snagged a cool $7.8 million in seed funding. Talk about a plot twist!

The Unlikely Partnership

Shevlyagin and Gladkoborodov didn't just switch careers overnight. They were both running grocery delivery businesses, 1520 and Fridge No More, that eventually went belly-up. Meeting regularly in Brooklyn, just blocks apart, they bonded over a shared frustration with how clunky math software had become. That's when the light bulb moment hit them: why not build a better way to work with equations?

Think of it this way: we live in a world where everything from AI models to financial forecasts relies on intricate mathematical equations. Yet, the tools to manage these equations are ancient relics like MATLAB and LaTeX. If you've ever trained a model, you know the pain.

Nvidia's Bet on Math

Nvidia, through its NVentures arm, has jumped on the Corca bandwagon, likely seeing the untapped potential in the math market. With AI and finance industries hungry for better tools, Corca offers a collaborative workspace where users can write, solve, and share equations in real-time.

Here's the thing: Corca positions itself as the "Cursor for math," suggesting it's as revolutionary for equations as the AI coding startup was for code. And Nvidia's interest? It's a nod to the math-heavy backbone of sectors like engineering, robotics, and scientific computing.

The Road Ahead

Corca, which launched in 2023, already boasts over 10,000 users and a team of 12 employees. With the new funding, they're set to expand their engineering team and develop premium AI and computational features. The base product will remain free, ensuring it stays accessible.

So why should you care about a math startup? Let me translate from ML-speak: better math tools mean faster breakthroughs in AI research and financial modeling, which affect everything from your smartphone's capabilities to how your investments grow.

In a tech landscape that's always evolving, Corca's story is a testament to the power of a good pivot. From groceries to equations, Shevlyagin and Gladkoborodov show that sometimes the best ideas come from the least expected places. And honestly, isn't that something to root for?