YouCademy

Monday marks the first day that students will officially be learning with YouCademy in a non-pilot manner. The road to get here has been hard and we still have a long way to go but it's been an amazing one thus far. The incredible Pedro Nieto, Saad Bin Ihsan, Bas Lemmens, Oleksandra Taranova, Joshua Sheppard, and I have been working so hard to get to this point. This isn't just another startup. It is putting into the world what the next generation deserves; a new and fitting form of education. For us, education means so much more than just the learning of information (maybe that's even one of the smallest parts of the whole experience). How well you are supported, listened to, challenged, and overall seen in the most formative years of one's life plays a big role in how big you dare to dream, how far you dare to go, how much you dare to trust yourself, and how you can find your way and unique path in this world that can sometimes feel like a never-ending maze. We can't wait to start supporting students and empower teachers to provide in-person, offline, data-driven personalization to strengthen the real-life teacher-student relationships. Education as of now can be a blessing or a curse, let's turn it into a blessing, for everybody!

!For all the Dutch teachers! Met heel veel trots en plezier lanceren wij vandaag officieel ons eerste product met YouCademy. Verantwoord AI gebruik staat hierbij helemaal op de voorgrond. Geef elke leerling gepersonaliseerde hulp, opdrachten en huiswerk en gebruik de data om de lessen te personaliseren. Wij gebruiken het helpen van leerlingen als een tool om leraren te helpen! Win win! Als eerste in Nederland bieden wij AI aan met de zekerheid dat alles een educatieve waarde heeft die wij beloven door onze eigen AI, Machine Learning en Statistische modellen te gebruiken voor controle. We zijn nu ready voor het vak Engels, en zullen Duits en Spaans voor de start van het schooljaar af hebben. Lijkt dit wat voor jouw school? Stuur me dan een berichtje of plan een meeting in via de link hier onder: https://lnkd.in/eWvcT4yx Ps. Wij bieden altijd gratis proefperiodes aan.

!! We are looking for a full-time, full-stack developer (only new grads) !! We are looking to raise, and for that, we would like one more full-timer. The work is remote and cash compensation will depend on location and skill + a generous equity package. We are a true start-up, so the expectations are high both in terms of output and time commitment. In return, you get to learn a lot, work with an incredible and tight-nit team (Tjalling van der Schaar, Pedro Nieto, Bas Lemmens, and more!), and join things like our yearly month-long work-away trip with the team. We are only looking for new grads because we are looking to completely revolutionize the education system. For that you need to be a good programmer for sure, but also not have too much work experience. We see the inability to anchor to how other companies solved problems as a perk, a plus. It allows you to better think completely outside the box (the box shouldn't even be in sight anymore) and come up with truly system-changing ideas and solutions. Does this sound like something you would be open to? Reach us! At [email protected]

There is something I need to get off my chest. I see so many posts of ed-tech founders, teachers, AI Consultants, etc., rushing to implement AI in schools. Rushing as if not implementing it tomorrow would mean that the school fails in its entirety. The result is that many are implementing solutions that use AI for the sake of AI, many without any educational pedagogy and learning-science-backed approaches needed to actually provide educational value. The lack of educational value, and the tool doing more harm than good, is especially evident in generalized solutions that “are applicable for every subject.” To those, I want to say, let’s not rush. Let's do it as fast as possible while doing it responsibly, too. Choose tools and companies wisely, and ask for their applications of learning science in everything they do and why AI is needed for the things they use it for. And, if they know what they are talking about, they will respond with questions that go deeper than “You have an AI chat” and “We use spaced repetition.” At YouCademy, we move fast and take our time simultaneously. We don’t implement features without doing the necessary research first. If need be, and we cannot find any reliable sources, we are also working on conducting our own research (which we will publish to the world). That’s why, as of now, we offer English only. We do not rush to sell empty promises but work together with educators active across 3 continents to make sure we live up to every single thing we sell. We would love to have a conversation about what we do and why and how it could benefit your school. www.youcademy.dev

Dear Teachers working with Ed-Tech daily. Now is the time to demand more and to expect more. Every time I talk with teachers I hear that the Ed-Tech solution in middle- and high schools no longer cut it. Laserfocussed only on curriculum and not on engagement, fun, and critical thinking. With the Ed-Tech field rapidly changing and innovating, and more and more players joining the market I believe it is time to reverse the roles. You should be the ones to determine what you need, not the other way around. And, that might be my personal bias, I think that in todays landscape working with companies that do not work with a two way street are not the way to go. Right now you have the opportunity to step behind the steering wheel and shape the Ed-Tech market to what you need, based on what you see working with students daily. At YouCademy, all we do is based on what teachers tell us: they have a problem, we find innovative solutions and don’t build them before the teachers that suggested it agree that it will work. We don’t shape the direction of the company, our users do. “I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.” — da Vinci I would love to have more conversations with teachers like you! And discover how we at YouCademy can help you and your school. Reach us at [email protected]

I am very excited to see the impact of YouCademy on education. Tjalling van der Schaar has a compelling vision and - more importantly - a viable and learner-centric approach. ????