Pokémon to Prodigy: How Game-Based Learning Captivated 20 Million Students with Rohan Mahimker
Edtech Insiders
User-Centered Iteration: Co-design with Teachers and Students
Rohan recounts early classroom testing and how teacher feedback shaped standards-aligned reporting and features.
Rohan Mahimker is Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Prodigy Education, a global leader in digital game-based learning.
Rohan launched Prodigy alongside his fellow Co-Founder and Co-CEO Alex Peters in 2011. Today, Prodigy’s flagship math game is used by more than 20 million 1st-8th Grade students and is one of the most popular supplemental classroom tools in the United States.
💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- How a university project evolved into one of the world’s most popular math games
- The secret behind Prodigy’s “motivation first” approach to learning
- Why Prodigy’s freemium model reshaped EdTech’s business playbook
- How the Prodigy State Challenge became the world’s largest math competition
- Where AI and personalization fit into the future of game-based learning
✨ Episode Highlights:
[00:02:24] Rohan on turning childhood gaming inspiration into Prodigy’s origin story
[00:07:29] How “motivation first” drives deeper math engagement
[00:13:09] The adaptive algorithm that personalizes every student’s learning path
[00:17:27] Innovating the freemium model to keep learning free for teachers and schools
[00:27:53] Inside the Prodigy State Challenge: 4.2M students and 70,000 schools
[00:31:04] Using AI for smarter content creation and future tutoring potential
[00:43:30] What’s next: expanding beyond math to English and global game-based learning
😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders!
Follow us on our podcast, newsletter & LinkedIn here.
🎉 Presenting Sponsor/s:
Every year, K-12 districts and higher ed institutions spend over half a trillion dollars—but most sales teams miss the signals. Starbridge tracks early signs like board minutes, budget drafts, and strategic plans, then helps you turn them into personalized outreach—fast. Win the deal before it hits the RFP stage. That’s how top edtech teams stay ahead.
This season of Edtech Insiders is once again brought to you by Tuck Advisors, the M&A firm for EdTech companies. Run by serial entrepreneurs with over 30 years of experience founding, investing in, and selling companies, Tuck believes you deserve M&A advisors who work as hard as you do.
Ednition helps EdTech companies reclaim rostering and own their integrations. Through its flagship platform, RosterStream, Ednition replaces costly data providers and complex internal infrastructure with direct, secure connections to any SIS or data source. The result: scalable integrations, lower costs, and seamless experiences for schools and districts of every size. With Ednition: Reclaim rostering. Own your integrations. Cut the cost.
Innovation in preK to gray learning is powered by exceptional people. For over 15 years, EdTech companies of all sizes and stages have trusted HireEducation to find the talent that drives impact. When specific skills and experiences are mission-critical, HireEducation is a partner that delivers. Offering permanent, fractional, and executive recruitment, HireEducation knows the go-to-market talent you need. Learn more at HireEdu.com.
The AI-powered Podcast Player
