Episode #299: Reimagining Tutoring as a Student Success and Career Development Tool

Samyr Qureshi, Co-Founder and CEO of Knack, returns to the podcast to unpack how his team is reshaping peer tutoring into a powerful engine for student success and workforce readiness. With a tech-enabled, Uber-style platform, Knack empowers high-achieving students to tutor peers while building soft skills and resumes. Samyr and Dustin explore the evolution of tutoring in higher ed, the role of AI in academic support, and how innovative partnerships are driving equitable outcomes across the student lifecycle.

This episode includes a sponsored question in partnership with Brian LeDuc, founder of Learning, Designed — a consulting practice and newsletter focused on helping higher ed institutions design more student-centered systems and strategies.

You can subscribe to the newsletter here.

Guest Name: Samyr Qureshi, Co-Founder and CEO, Knack

Guest Social: LinkedIn

Guest Bio: Samyr Qureshi is the Founder & CEO of Knack, the leading peer-to-peer learning platform partnering with top campuses such as Georgia Tech, University of Florida, University of Utah, University of Connecticut, and dozens of others. Knack has raised $20M in venture capital, most recently closing their Series B, from investors like New Markets Venture Partners, Jeff Vinik (Tampa Bay Lightning NHL Team Owner), Precursor Ventures, ETS (creators of GRE), Chegg, ASU Enterprise Partners, and many other well-known education venture investors and corporations. Currently based in St. Petersburg, Florida, Samyr previously worked as an Account Executive in the Emerging Technology division at Gartner and also formerly served as an iOS Advisor at Apple.

Samyr was born in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and immigrated to the US with his mother and sister at the age of seven. Landing in Florida, he grew up in the Tampa Bay area, enrolled in and served as Student Body President at St. Petersburg College while in high school, and ultimately went on to University of Florida earning a Bachelor’s degree in Law & Criminology. Samyr has been named in Forbes 30 Under 30, honored as the Emerging Tech Leader of the Year by Tampa Bay Tech, has been featured in Tampa Bay Magazine’s Top 10 Under 40, Pi Kappa Phi’s Thirty under 30, and was also named in University of Florida’s 40 Gator Alumni Under 40 in 2021. When he’s not traveling, Samyr loves to play guitar, write music, and spend time outdoors.

- - - -

Connect With Our Host:
Dustin Ramsdell
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustinramsdell/

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
The Higher Ed Geek is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!

Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.