KnowledgeHook

Knowledgehook is an educational technology company founded in 2014 by Travis Ratnam, James Francis, Lambo Jayapalan, and Arthur Lui. The inspiration for the company stemmed from CEO Travis Ratnam's personal struggles with mathematics during his childhood, which drove him to create a platform that could provide personalized guidance to students. Based in Kitchener-Waterloo, the company has received support from incubators like Communitech and the Accelerator Centre. A significant milestone was achieved in October 2020, when Knowledgehook secured $20 million in Series A funding, enabling its global expansion.

The company operates in the K-12 education market, targeting school districts, teachers, parents, and students. Its business model includes both free and premium subscription tiers. Revenue is generated through district-wide classroom licenses and individual, Netflix-like home subscriptions. Knowledgehook also partners with global education companies to act as distribution channels, reducing direct marketing costs and facilitating scalable growth. This strategy has led to collaborations with entities like Nelson Education and the University College of London.

Knowledgehook's core offering is an AI-powered instructional guidance system designed to improve mathematics education. The platform provides teachers with tools for formative assessment, allowing them to identify student learning gaps in real-time. Key features include 'GameShows', which are interactive, teacher-led activities for the whole class, and 'Missions', which are self-paced assignments for individual practice. The software is curriculum-aligned for various regions, including the US, UK, Canada, and Mexico, and is available in English, French, and Spanish. For students, the experience is gamified, using stars, badges, and leaderboards to foster engagement. For teachers, the platform offers detailed reports and suggests resources to address specific conceptual misunderstandings among students. Parents can also be connected to receive updates on their child's progress.

Keywords: edtech, mathematics education, formative assessment, instructional guidance, personalized learning, gamification, teacher professional development, K-12 education, data analytics, student engagement