Building an AI Education Startup Journey

Questions and Answers

What was the turning point in the journey of building WIS doia?

Focusing on testing riskiest hypotheses around an idea within a week or two

How did WIS doia initially acquire their first thousand users?

Via an AI tool directory

What was the market validation for WIS doia's idea?

Validation from a tweet that went viral expressing desire for AI flashcards

What prior experience did the founders of WIS doia have?

Experience in education and building in the space for a couple of years Signup and view all the answers

What was significant about the tweet that went viral?

It reached 5k likes and 300K views Signup and view all the answers

What factor led to nearly running out of money before the turning point?

Committing to ideas they felt strongly about without validation Signup and view all the answers

What was identified as the most likely customer group for the influencer marketing on TikTok?

Med students Signup and view all the answers

What was the size of the audience of the successful influencer when the partnerships began?

100K Signup and view all the answers

What type of experimentation did the team focus on for the product?

Funnel, viral growth loops, and social features Signup and view all the answers

What did the speaker's college experience lack?

Autonomy and creativity Signup and view all the answers

What is set to fundamentally change education according to the speaker?

AI Signup and view all the answers

What experience led the speaker to reflect on the importance of integrity and learning from mistakes?

Making an unethical decision to hire people to do his homework Signup and view all the answers

What do companies like Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, and MasterClass lack according to the text?

Motivation and engagement Signup and view all the answers

Who did the speaker seek help from while struggling to apply coding concepts?

Indian guys on YouTube Signup and view all the answers

What are emerging to streamline the learning process and provide personalized assistance according to the speaker?

AI co-pilots and assistants Signup and view all the answers

What is being considered to encourage referrals according to the text?

Rewards such as money or discounts Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Julian is the founder of WIS doia, an AI-generated flashcards app that recently gained traction on TikTok.
WIS doia is a Founders Inc company.
Before launching WIS doia, the team went through four pivots and spent over a year iterating, coming close to running out of money.
The turning point came when they decided to focus on testing riskiest hypotheses around an idea within a week or two, rather than committing to ideas they felt strongly about.
External validation for WIS doia came from a tweet that went viral, expressing a desire for an AI product that could create flashcards from reading materials.- The text discusses the journey of building a startup, specifically in the education sector, using AI.
The idea for the startup came from a tweet that went viral with 5k likes and 300K views.
The founders, David and the speaker, had prior experience in education and had been building in the space for a couple of years.
The market validation of the idea was strong, with a potential customer base of medical students being particularly interested.
The initial validation came from reaching out to people who engaged with the tweet and getting positive feedback from them.
The first thousand users were acquired through an AI tool directory.
The next step was monetization, as determining if people would pay was a significant assumption.
Influencer marketing on TikTok was a turning point for the startup, resulting in a significant increase in revenue.
Med students were identified as the most likely customers, making targeting them with influencer marketing more effective.
The audience of the successful influencer was around 100K when partnerships began.
The cost for each video was around $600, resulting in a high return on investment.
The ideal balance for learning new skills is to do it yourself but find a good coach for guidance and support.
The team for the startup included David and the speaker, two contract engineers, and potential future hires.
The contract engineers were exceptional and affordable.
Juan, an engineer, was referred and is still learning English, while Leonard is a high school student who found the team on Founders Inc Discord.
The experiments for the product focus on the funnel, viral growth loops, and social features.
The funnel experimentation involves asking for referrals at different points in the user experience.
Rewards, such as money or discounts, have been considered to encourage referrals.
The team is also exploring feature gating to incentivize referrals.
Quizlet, an educational platform, is an example of successful sharing and SEO.
The speaker's college experience was frustrating due to a lack of autonomy and creativity.
The speaker made an unethical decision to hire people to do his homework, leading to consequences including a suspended University attendance and rescinded job offer from Goldman Sachs.
The experience led the speaker to reflect on the importance of integrity and learning from mistakes.
The speaker's growth mindset and determination led to multiple job offers and a startup opportunity.
The startup experience was different from the traditional education path but held valuable lessons.
AI is set to fundamentally change education by providing personalized, tailored experiences for learners.
Companies like Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, and MasterClass have provided access to high-quality education content, but lack motivation and engagement.
The next step in education with AI is to actively engage learners and make the learning process fun.
The speaker's personal experience with learning to code involved struggling to apply concepts and seeking help from Indian guys on YouTube.
The significance of fundamentals and practical experience was emphasized, with formal education filling in the gaps.
AI co-pilots and assistants are emerging to streamline the learning process and provide personalized assistance.- The speaker mentions a website that acts as a roadmap for learning, particularly in the context of engineering.
Bloom's Taxonomy is a learning science framework with six levels, ranging from remembering to creating new knowledge.
The lower order levels of learning include remembering facts and understanding concepts.
Higher order levels involve applying, analyzing, and evaluating knowledge.
Engaging in higher order learning leads to more effective learning.
The speaker acknowledges the challenge of building new knowledge without first understanding one's knowledge gaps.
Online and in-person communities can help condense learning and minimize mistakes for those trying to learn or build a company.
The speaker's goals for the next year include increasing referral rate, building viral growth loops, becoming profitable, and developing habits such as waking up early and producing music.