From Idea to Success: Tips for Starting Your Own EdTech Business from a Startup Founder

Patricia Zavacky in conversation with Ameeta Jain - CEO of Readability (USA)

Readability is the only learning app of its kind to help improve reading and comprehension in young and struggling readers, making it unlike anything else on the market. 

Ameeta Jain is a successful entrepreneur dedicated to developing intelligent, cutting-edge technologies that make a positive impact on families and communities. 

As a technology entrepreneur, over the past 23 years, she has had the privilege to contribute to the advancement of humanity through technology. Her collective passion has always been to ensure the end-user of her products enjoys huge benefits. 

During 2020-2022, Linnify worked with Readability under the guidance of their CTO, Khubram, on Product Success Strategy, UX/UI Design, and Mobile Development. We collaborated closely in order to build an innovative solution that will distinguish Readability in a market already full of reading apps for children.

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We wanted to understand better the journey of a EdTech startup founder in building a successful product for children from 0.

That’s why we invited Ameeta Jain, CEO of Readability and an extremely passionate person to tell us more about how it all started, her struggles, and valuable advice for anyone looking to get started with their own startup. 

How everything started

Patricia Zavacky: Ameeta, can you tell us a little bit about your background and how you got interested in entrepreneurship?

Ameeta Jain: I have been in the tech industry for over 20 years. When I first started, my husband had just started a company. When one of his employees chose to leave the company, my husband asked me to step in. 

And I thought << Yeah, sure, why not? >>. I’ve not looked back since. I became more and more involved in the company after that.

It's been an incredibly fulfilling journey and I'm grateful for the opportunity to work on projects that align with my passions and ultimately contribute to the advancement of humanity.

Patricia: What was the inspiration for your startup idea?

Ameeta: Our CTO, Khubram's son struggled with reading aloud and that inspired him to create a product that could provide independent practice, feedback, and corrections.

Despite searching for solutions in the market, Khubram found none that met his requirements, so he developed a basic prototype. When he showed it to us, we recognized its potential to help many students, parents, and educators facing similar challenges.

I also had my own experience to reflect on when it came to the importance of developing a strong foundation of good reading skills

During a difficult time in my life, when my father had a stroke and I was pregnant with my daughter, my doctors put me on bed rest due too the trauma. 

That left me with very limited activities to do with my one-year-old son. We turned to books and Legos, spending six months reading and playing together on my big bed. 

I probably had 100 books scattered on my bed. And I would read to him and I would play out these characters. I would start sounding words out, and we would identify shapes and colors. 

By the time my daughter was born, my son was speaking full sentences and had a love for reading.

Looking back, I realized that I was modeling strong fluency, building his focus and concentration, and developing a love for reading that would stay with him throughout his life. 

That passion shifted to my daughter as well. Reading was opening up a whole new world for them. 

As we conducted research for Readability and what would make it an effective and impactful app, we knew teachers and parents alike do not have the amount of time required to sit one on one with a child as they read aloud as I did to correctly assess their reading abilities, track reading progress, their accuracy and so much more. All of these factors were very important and that’s how Readability was born. 

If we want to make a change and make a difference, it has to start with reading, because that is the foundation of all learning.

If we can give children the gift of reading, it can have a profound impact on their confidence, behavior, and future success. This problem is not just in the United States but globally, and I believe we can make a difference and change the world through the power of reading.

How to make sure you're on the right track with your idea

Patricia: What was the main problem you set out to solve with Readability?

Ameeta: The EdTech industry is highly competitive, that’s for sure. 

Since I was very young, I knew I wanted to get involved in education somehow. Upon exploring the EdTech market, I realized that there was room for improvement.

Some of the challenges that I observed was the fact that parents and educators struggle to find time to provide one-on-one assistance to children, such as guided oral reading, which is crucial for assessing their reading skills.

To address this issue, we created a solution that would enable us to track the time spent reading and help children practice their reading skills independently. We aimed to make this process more accountable and efficient for parents and teachers. Despite the crowded marketplace, we sought to create something innovative and distinctive, and that's what we set out to do with Readability.

Patricia: How did you go about validating your idea and finding your first customers?

Ameeta: To gauge interest in our product, we conducted what’s called a painted door test. 

We developed a website, created a prototype, and advertised it to parents and educators, asking if they would consider buying it. The response was overwhelmingly positive, confirming that there was a need for a product like ours. 

Readability was the first product to leverage advanced AI and speech recognition technology to assist children in practicing their reading skills independently.

How to maintain yourself on top of the game after validating your idea

Patricia: What were the main things you were looking for when choosing a development company for your product?

Ameeta: When searching for an app design company, it's crucial that they can demonstrate their expertise in app design. This was particularly important for us since we were planning to use Native for iOS and Google. 

We sought a company with exceptional talent and minimal turnover since investing in a company is truly a partnership. It was important to us that the company we selected had a great culture, as this is a crucial factor in retaining talent.

Patricia: How do you stay on top of industry trends and adapt to changes in the market?

Ameeta: I am a big believer you really need to be close to the end user. 

This involves engaging with customers, which is why I invested a significant amount of time speaking directly to them for both Readability and past companies I've worked with. 

By gathering their feedback and perspectives, I've been able to integrate their suggestions into the product's development roadmap.

It's critical to remain close to your customers to ensure that you are meeting their needs effectively.

How to become the entrepreneur you always wanted to be

Patricia: What do you think are the most important qualities for a successful entrepreneur to possess?

Ameeta: Different people may have different answers to this question, but in my opinion, possessing emotional intelligence is essential. 

Good leadership requires being a good human being, as your decisions affect those at the end of the product. Emotional intelligence is a crucial quality trait for any entrepreneur.

Emotional intelligence involves being composed and collected, as well as being self-aware and capable of controlling your emotions. 

We take pride in maintaining a positive work culture and motivating our team, which is made easier by the fact that we are helping children and families through Readability. And that's a huge motivator

However, it's also important to understand the individual needs of each team member and ensure that they are fulfilled. I believe that these qualities are crucial for developing leadership skills and creating a supportive team environment. It’s all about surrounding yourself with good people. 

Patricia: What has been the most rewarding part of starting and growing your own business?

Ameeta: The validation that the product is actually effective in helping children is the most rewarding thing.

Recently, we conducted an independent case study in a third-grade classroom in Pennsylvania with 22 students using our Readability app. After a period of four to six weeks, these students were given a standardized assessment test across the school district. 

Lori McGinley, a third-grade teacher who introduced Readability to her classroom, reported that students increased their fluency by an average of 27.16 words correct per minute (WCPM) after just six weeks. In contrast, those not using the app saw an increase of only 12.875 WCPM.

This demonstrates that Readability has a 41% advantage over any other platform, a significant achievement.

All the children using Readability moved up a reading level, an impressive accomplishment considering teachers usually only see a few students move up a level during the school year. 

Additionally, the students who used Readability had access to an average of 60 books, which leveled the playing field for students from low-income families who might not have access to as many books at home. Teachers also appreciated the app's feature to track children's reading progress, allowing them to see who was reading and who was not.

With the success of this pilot study, Readability is poised to revolutionize literacy education and help children everywhere unlock their full reading potential.

Reviews and feedback from parents that their child's reading abilities have improved are immensely gratifying. We understand that this progress not only affects reading skills but also boosts confidence and impacts other subjects' performance and behavioral growth. 

Solving the problem we set out to address is rewarding, and we are excited to continue developing tools to enhance children's learning experiences.

Patricia: Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

Ameeta: Initially, we utilized React Native but we quickly discovered that it limited us in what we were trying to achieve and the goals we had within the app.

However, we learned from our mistakes. Therefore, we promptly transitioned to a native approach. Although it did result in some lost time, we continued to communicate with customers, learn, and grow during this period. If there is one thing we regret, it would be this decision.

‍Patricia: What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out on their own entrepreneurial journey? 

Ameeta: Starting a project from a concept and bringing it to a stage where it is accepted and beneficial to the end user is not an easy task. It requires a certain level of perseverance and emotional intelligence, particularly for a leader. That’s really going to help.

Emotional intelligence will not only help you at managing the team during tough days, but also when you, as a leader, will feel drained. You need to be perseverant.

Additionally, constantly working on yourself is crucial when developing a product that will impact individuals, especially children. 

So whether it's children, well…it doesn't matter who your customer base is, be a good human being. Because that’s the moment you’re going to make good decisions. 

Perseverance and patience are key, but sometimes, even with these traits, the product may not be adopted as anticipated. In such cases, being adaptable and able to pivot is essential.

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What will your startup idea look like? If you’re looking to get started with a startup in education, let’s get in touch: contact@linnify.com. We’ll validate it first, then we’re ready to go. Let’s build your next successful product.