Mentava's software-based tutor teaches kids as young as 2 to read. Unlike edutainment apps that are designed to be screen-based babysitters, Mentava's goal is to get kids to a 2nd grade reading level as quickly and efficiently as possible.
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Mentava’s story starts with the pandemic. All of a sudden, my wife and I became two working parents trying to share a 600 square foot 1-bedroom apartment with 3 kids, no childcare, no playgrounds.
My kids have always loved learning, but there was no way I could give them each the individual instruction they needed. So I focused on teaching them to teach themselves.
What surprised me was how well it worked. It was also much harder than it needed to be.
Even the best education software I could find had serious bugs, nonsensical UX, key concepts that the curriculum skipped, frustratingly sudden jumps in difficulty, bad adaptive engines - all problems that would be easily dealt with under the close supervision of a skilled teacher, but insurmountable for a child without that support.
As I struggled to support my kids’ learning needs, it was clear the world needed genuinely educational software that “just works” and allows a child to learn at their own pace.
And by “learn at their own pace”, what we mean is “as fast as they want to go”.
Taking a step back, why is this so important? What problem are we solving for?
Many parents don’t realize that modern education policy isn’t about helping every child reach their potential. The goal of modern education policy is closing the gap between struggling students and high achievers. It’s an important goal, but the end result is policymakers implementing universally unpopular policies that force teachers and schools to hold high achieving kids back.
Mentava’s mission is to accelerate learning. If we can build software that “just works”, and allows a child to learn at their own pace, we can provide options to kids whose learning needs aren’t being met by their schools.
We believe that every child deserves to have their learning needs met. They should be challenged, and have the opportunity to learn something new every day.
But if kids can’t read, they can’t learn, so that’s our first goal: teach kids to read as quickly and as effectively as possible. Compared to private school, or a personal tutor, our software-based learn-to-read tutor is more effective, more convenient, and cheaper. And it’s available now, for preschoolers..
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@nielshoven It's been amazing to watch you build this. Excited to use it for our own kid when they're old enough!
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Maker
@cushmachine Thanks so much! This is just the starting line, we'll have some pretty awesome stuff cooked up when your kids are ready!
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Maker
@nielshoven excited to show off what we’ve built so far!
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Maker
@chris_kot It's been an awesome journey and we're just getting started!
@nielshoven Making reading fun is critical, I see a lot of kids are spending more and absurdly more time on screens scrolling without getting anything to learn.
This can absolutely change the narrative of things(hopefully)
All the best guys!
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Great idea and great execution. Been following Mentava for a while. Maybe I will try it soon :)
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Maker
@signed_adam Thanks! If you're on the fence, check out our free Alphabet Sounds ebook! In addition to being a great way to build phonemic awareness, it's got some activities to test how your kid might response to our software
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@nielshoven Niels if my son spoke English, I would already be a paid customer! But I still have a little time
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Maker
Kids move at the speed of light while the education system seems always outdated. It has been great to have contributed to the journey of building this app. The future of education can be much better, fulfilling and delightful if it's with the aid of the right tools. So much ahead!
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Maker
@ale_de_lio Thanks for being there from the beginning!
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Maker
I've had a blast building something that is already benefiting smart kids, who need agency over their learning more than ever. Let's get this to more people 🔥
Congrats on the launch! Is it only American english?
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Maker
@consequences Yeah, we've architected it so we'll be able to support other languages/accents eventually, but for now all the letter sounds have a pretty neutral American accent
Really excited to try Mentava with our kids.
$500/month isn't cheap - is that per kid or per account?
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Maker
@caleb_delbegio That's per child. Parents have told us that we're more effective than the live tutor they were using before us. I think we're the best, but there are cheaper options, like the 100 Easy Lessons book, Reading Eggs, or Reading . com,
@caleb_delbegio@nielshoven Similar thought here. It may be more effective than a tutor...but I don't have to oversee the tutor. Kids who are able to read can use tablets independently, but kids that are 2 or 3 are not using them along. If nothing else, they accidentally press buttons, turn off the device by holding it wrong, etc. Comparing to a tutor doesn't resonate for me (and the 100 Easy Lessons book is 15 bucks per family, one time—not even in the same solar system as $500/mo).
I appreciate the desire to price for value, and to position as a premium product. It could work for products for older kids, who can work independently and whose learning can be subsidized by backpack grants/etc. But when I see $500/mo as the price for this product, it makes me thing "I'm never going to buy that thing because even if they run a 50% off sale it's still too expensive." (And if you run sales more than 50%, then your rack rates are illusory/deceptive, and I don't want to be your customer.)
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love the concept of empowering kids to take control of their own learning. The focus on reading as a foundation is spot on. Kudos to you and the team!🙌
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Maker
@masonderekholloway Thank you! Our ultimate goal is to unlock independent learning for many more kids, so reading is just the first step toward that vision. We've got so much more to build 😀
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