Although
Naiku didn't win the grand prize in the recent
Minnesota Cup competition, just garnering the division win has been enough to raise the company's profile considerably. And after a summer of winning more clients, expect to hear even more about Naiku in the near future.
The education start-up offers an online education assessment platform that benefits both student and teacher, according to Corey Thompson, the company's co-founder and chief executive officer. (See The Line's previous coverage on the enterprise
here.)
Since last March, the company has made impressive gains in traction. There are over 35,000 students signed up for the fall, representing a number of different school districts.
"We're establishing partnerships now, and I think the Minnesota Cup win was helpful as validation for what we're doing," Thompson says. "It just helps us as an early-stage company to get an audience with people in the schools."
Naiku has begun to turn the corner, from having to evangelize its technology to fielding calls from prospective clients. In other words, instead of knocking on doors, they're answering the phone.
"It's so nice to have people call because they've heard about what we do, instead of having to explain it all the time," Thompson notes.
Another big event in the past few months has been the development of a mobile device that can access Naiku's technology directly. Although the platform can be reached through an iPhone or iPad, not all students possess those, or can afford to buy them. The "clicker" developed by Naiku makes it more equitable for students and increases access to the technology.
With school just starting, and more and more customers calling, it seems that Naiku won't be a freshman company for long.
Source: Corey Thompson, Naiku
Writer: Elizabeth Millard