Swivl

Founded in 2010 by co-CEOs Brian Lamb and Vladimir Tetelbaum, Swivl is a reflective technology company operating in the EdTech market. Initially launched through a crowdfunding campaign, the company first developed tools to aid in the observation and coaching of teachers. Lamb, with a background in engineering and design from Stanford University, and Tetelbaum, together identified an opportunity in the education sector, evolving their initial consumer product into a classroom-focused solution. The company's business model centers on providing hardware and software solutions to educational institutions.

Swivl's offerings are designed for educators and students to support professional development, student engagement, and reflective learning. The company's foundational product is the Swivl Robot, a mobile accessory that works with a tablet or smartphone to automatically follow a presenter. This robotic base is paired with a wearable marker that captures audio, and the system uploads video content to a secure cloud platform for review and sharing. This allows for self-reflection by teachers on their instructional methods and provides a tool for peer reviews and coaching. Use cases include capturing lessons for flipped classrooms, professional development, and student project recording.

Expanding on its video capture origins, Swivl has integrated artificial intelligence to enhance its offerings. The company introduced AI-powered solutions named M2 and MirrorTalk. M2 acts as an intelligent co-teacher, observing classroom activities and providing real-time guidance on instructional practices. MirrorTalk is a reflection tool that can be used on any web-connected device to facilitate spoken reflections on learning objectives, turning these into formative assessments. The latest hardware, the Mirror, is an AI-enabled platform that functions as a self-service kiosk where students can engage in reflective activities. It includes a 180-degree camera and whiteboarding features to automate and encourage the development of metacognitive skills.

Keywords: EdTech, video learning, teacher development, classroom observation, AI in education, professional development, reflective learning, flipped classroom, video collaboration, student engagement, metacognition tools, instructional coaching, lesson capture, robotic camera, formative assessment, M2 co-teacher, MirrorTalk, educational hardware, cloud video platform, personalized learning