Educational startup Slader has closed an initial investment round of $1MM from Lafayette/Kenmare Partners, LLC. Slader is a collaborative educational platform that provides academic resources for high school students. The platform is based around popular textbooks. It allows users to contribute their original work, ask subject-specific questions, and answer questions posed by their peers. Slader offers an alternative to expensive tutors and costly after-school programs.

Slader, which has been in beta since the start of 2011, currently features:

• Over 300,000 moderated solutions to high school math textbooks, as well as solutions for select physics textbooks;
• A point system that compensates contributors for their work every time other users view it, encouraging comprehensive and thorough explanations;
• A unique and powerful web equation editor, so users can quickly and easily add detailed, extensive solutions to their textbooks;
• High school and class functionalities, where users can connect with their classmates by sharing homework and asking questions about assignments;
• Rapidly expanding sections in the humanities, including frequently used history textbooks and English materials;
• Native iPad application that incorporates the equation editor and a textbook browser.

Slader anticipates a full-scale launch in September.

Lafayette/Kenmare Partners, LLC invests in early stage technology startups with a focus on education platforms that change the way students learn and interact.