The Search for Form
EduNEX started out as a smart puzzle software, driven by AI. I thought this could spark a revolution in education. I always wanted to mean something in education and thought that puzzle software could also be used to take tests. Yet it was only the start of a long search for how EduNEX would really take shape. As every entrepreneur knows:
‘The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas’ – Linus Pauling.’
From Puzzling to Connecting
From puzzle software to a platform to connect students based on interests, and then to an AI system that integrated diverse data sources to better understand and motivate students. But despite all the smart technology, I still hadn't solved a substantial problem.
‘If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses’ – Henry Ford.’
Stuck in my own echo chamber
When I realized that I kept spinning in circles in my own echo chamber, it became clear that I needed help. I went looking for a co-founder, spoke to several potential partners, but no one seemed really enthusiastic enough to get on board. Until someone showed up who did radiate that enthusiasm, but unfortunately she turned out not to be what she said she was. This cost me valuable relationships and inputs. As they say:
‘It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters’ – Epictetus.’
Death in the water
There I was, completely stopped. The energy seemed to be gone and the project seemed to be at an end. But it was precisely this silence that allowed me to rethink and regroup.
‘Every adversity carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit’ – Napoleon Hill.’
An unexpected partner
Then my wife told me about a fellow teacher, Moreno, an enthusiastic AI enthusiast and recent IT ambassador at the BETT in London. One conversation later, it was clear: Moreno and I were completely on the same page. Sometimes a collaboration comes from a corner you never imagined.
‘Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success’ – Henry Ford.’
A new impetus and concrete direction
The collaboration with Moreno has given EduNEX a huge boost. New ideas, sharp insights and above all a concrete direction. We've been pivoting, thinking and redefining. And especially for Novel-T readers, and of course Peter Langela: We now have a clear, clear and concrete Problem Customer Statement. Moreno and I are extremely enthusiastic and believe that we have something special in our hands. As Steve Jobs once said:
‘Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower’.
And EduNEX is ready to lead.
English (UK)