Gavin Cooney, CEO and Co-Founder of Learnosity, dives into the transformative power of AI in education. He discusses how Learnosity's innovative tools help reduce teacher workloads, particularly through efficient essay scoring at an impressive cost of one cent per essay. Cooney emphasizes the importance of specialized EdTech solutions over general AI tools, aiming to enhance, not replace, educator feedback. With a mission to empower 40 million learners, he shares his vision for the future of assessment in the evolving landscape of education.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Learnosity's Humble Beginnings
Gavin Cooney, CEO of Learnosity, started the company over a decade ago in a garden shed.
It has grown into an internationally renowned tech company, impacting 40 million users.
insights INSIGHT
AI's Impact on Assessment
AI-driven essay scoring offers more verbose, actionable feedback than teachers can provide.
This opens up new assessment possibilities, like assigning speeches, that were previously too time-consuming.
insights INSIGHT
Learnosity's AI Approach
Learnosity's AI essay scoring is built on LLMs, but as an integrated solution specifically for product builders.
Their technology uses data science to tune the model for accuracy and cost-effectiveness.
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As CEO and Co-Founder of Learnosity, Gavin Cooney still talks about the company he helped build over a decade ago with an infectious zeal. It’s easy to see why: what began as a project in a garden shed (a cliché maybe, but 100% true!) has matured into an internationally renowned tech company with a 200-strong crew of problem-solvers. Since Gav believes that all social ills can be remedied through education, his modus operandi is pretty simple: give education the standard of technology it deserves.
💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:
How Learnosity empowers EdTech platforms with AI-driven assessment tools.
The transformative role of AI in reducing teacher workloads and enhancing feedback.
What makes Learnosity’s essay-scoring tool uniquely efficient and cost-effective.
The importance of specialized EdTech solutions versus general AI tools.
Gavin’s vision for the future of AI and assessment in education.
✨ Episode Highlights:
[00:02:23] Gavin Cooney shares Learnosity’s global impact: 40M users and 19B questions delivered annually. [00:03:38] How AI-driven essay scoring saves teachers hours of grading time each week. [00:06:48] Learnosity’s cutting-edge AI achieves unmatched scoring accuracy at just one cent per essay. [00:10:25] Why Learnosity focuses on enhancing teacher feedback rather than replacing educators. [00:13:54] The balance between general AI tools and Learnosity’s specialized capabilities. [00:18:10] Learnosity’s strategic pivot to invest heavily in AI development and innovation. [00:24:02] Gav’s optimistic outlook on AI as the “100-year wave” reshaping education.
This season of Edtech Insiders is brought to you by Starbridge. 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 25 years of experience founding, investing in, and selling companies, Tuck believes you deserve M&A advisors who work as hard as you do.
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