Strive is an online learning platform that teaches kids to code, but we want to do more than that. Developed using an active learning model that allows students to take initiative in their classes, Strive hopes to instill in them a lifelong love of STEM subjects.
The Singapore-based startup today announced that it has raised $1.3 million in a seed round led by Y Combinator (an accelerator program alum). It was joined by private investors including Soma Capital, Goodwater Capital and Crimson Education CEO Jamie Beaton. -Calvin French-Owen, founder of WestBridge Capital, founding member of Sequoia India KP Balaraja, co-founder and former CTO of Segment.
Offering one-on-one classes for children ages 8 to 16, Strive plans to expand across Asia to reach 3.7 million students in international schools.
Founded in 2020 by Tamir Shklaz and Pulkit Agarwal, Strive was built on the idea that with AI automation and technological advancements, everything we learn can become obsolete in a few years.
“The most important skill you can give a child or anyone is learning how to adapt,” Shukraz said. “Learning should be fun if we want to inspire adaptable students. We truly started Strive with the core purpose of enabling us to thrive into the 21st century by making it possible.”
What makes Strive different from many other online coding learning platforms for kids? According to Shklaz, Strive’s goal is to create a more effective and engaging learning experience than its competitors.
“We have really great teachers, but we don’t hire teachers based on their technical ability,” he said. “Of course they need to be able to teach coding, but far more important than that is the ability to empathize with students and build relationships.”
Classes are “very personalized” so students can choose the projects they want to work on. For example, you can code games such as ping pong, math stimulation, and physics simulation. Projects are visual and give instant feedback. As students solve problems and complete new lines of code, the results are instantly displayed on the screen. “We use circles, colors and motion. That’s what makes it really engaging for kids.”
According to Agarwal, even though many parents and education systems are starting to put more emphasis on programming, their methods of teaching often leave children demotivated and frustrated. “Most of the time, students are just starting to code and then move away. increase.”
Active learning means that teachers ask questions, lead coding exercises, and let them take the lead, rather than lecturing students throughout the class.
Agarwal provided a short sample lesson. I’ve never studied coding, so it was an interesting experience. So we start at the same level (lower, let’s be honest) than the kids they teach.
First Agarwal asked if he would be interested in learning averages. I said no, so he asked me if I wanted to draw art instead. He walked me through the steps of coding his sketchpad for grid art, but I went through the class and chose the results I wanted, like making the sketchpad background any color I wanted. I was.
Instead of telling me what to do, Agarwal asked me to change a number and then what he thought would be the result of that action (the dot moved to the corresponding number in the grid). In the end, I was able to draw shapes with dots using my cursor and successfully coded my first sketchpad. I don’t think I explained my experience very well, but it was fun discovering what happened each time I typed in a new code. The lessons are engaging and I would consider signing up for one when my daughter is old enough.
When Strive started, there were 16 students, and Shklaz and Agarwal conducted six hours of class each day, testing different content and standards. Strive employees, including the founder, must teach at least one student. We are taking a coding class together.
One of the challenges Strive may face as it executes its growth strategy is model scalability. According to Shklaz, he has two solutions. One is to slightly increase the number of students per class from 1:1 to a maximum of 1:4. Second, we hire a lot of college students studying coding, so Strive has a lot of potential teachers. Shklaz said Strive will create training processes and infrastructure to keep the quality of education consistent.
Strive’s current customer acquisition strategy is primarily word-of-mouth referrals from children and their parents. Part of the new funding will be used to develop a code editor that will add personalized concepts and curriculum for different children’s interests. One of Strive’s first hires was Chief Learning Officer Nick McIntyre. His background includes running his space at K-8 Makers, teaching high school math and computer science, and teaching undergraduates with the Google Summer of Code. McIntyre and Agarwal are responsible for creating most of his content for Strive’s courses and plan to take it beyond coding to other of his STEM topics.
Teaching children how to code, he says, “is one of the desired outcomes, being able to think and solve problems and code in the same way that language fluency develops.” Shklaz says. “But far more important than that is confidence and the joy of learning.”
