Pokémon to Prodigy: How Game-Based Learning Captivated 20 Million Students with Rohan Mahimker

Nov 17, 2025

Rohan Mahimkar, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Prodigy Education, shares how his childhood gaming passion led to creating a game-based math platform used by over 20 million kids. They discuss Prodigy's unique 'motivation first' approach and an innovative freemium model that helps schools keep costs down. Rohan reveals how adaptive algorithms personalize learning and details the massive Prodigy State Challenge, which engages millions. He also explores future integrations of AI and plans to expand beyond math, ensuring global access to engaging education.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

University Project Turned Global Game

Rohan and Alex built Prodigy as a fourth-year University of Waterloo engineering project inspired by Pokemon and tedious worksheet tutoring.
They tested a rough prototype with kids after graduation and found it resonated, prompting them to continue development.

INSIGHT

Motivation First Drives Learning

Prodigy follows a "motivation first" philosophy: engagement drives time on task, which drives learning.
Long-term sustained engagement produces larger learning gains than one-off forced practice.

ADVICE

Separate Game Mechanics From Curriculum

Decouple game mechanics from educational content to prevent students from gaming the system.
Keep math assignment control with teachers so students can't avoid required skills.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Send us a text

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!

🎉 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.