Osmo was founded in 2013 by Pramod Sharma and Jerome Scholler. Pramod Sharma is the founder, and Jerome Scholler is the co-founder. Osmo is a company that has created around 30 applications to pair with their reflective technology for iPads. The company uses reflective artificial intelligence to provide children with a hands-on technology learning experience. The apps involve reading, math, gaming, coding and more.
Pramod and Jerome both worked for Google. Pramod worked on Google’s book-scanning technology. During this experience, Pramod began to better understand the connections between physical and digital. Jerome worked on functioning Chrome for Android users. They were both fathers to young children, who wanted to provide a hands-on experience for their children. They noticed their children were just staring at their screens all day. Therefore, they got to work and created this Osmo app. They started raising money through crowdfunding. The company called Byju ended up purchasing Osmo for $120 million in 2019.
Some of the higher-up employees of this company are listed below.
Jonathan Naeath is the Chief Operating Officer, and has experience with finance and operations. He primarily works on expanding companies globally.
Cherian Thomas is the Senior Vice President of International Business for Osmo. He has experience as a software engineer, game engineer, and with product management.
Shawn Smith’s position is in charge of Global Communications. She has experience with leading multi-million dollar campaigns for entertainment brands and franchises
I couldn’t find the board of directors, but I did find people who work in different positions. I find it very interesting that the people listed above, including the founders, do not have an educational background. Yet, I have used this app with my students, and it is very well done for an educational application. Of course, this company primarily generates money, but I do believe that it also generates good for society. It does allow students to be more hands-on with technology.
I also noticed that a substantial number of founders of educational companies do not have an education background. Many of the people who lead these start-ups seem to hail from engineering or business backgrounds. Some also have worked in other industries and are trying to fill a social need that they have identified through work in other areas. I know that educators have great ideas regarding products that would be beneficial for their students and I’m interested to know why more don’t pursue creating a start-up around those needs.
This is a great question, Katie. I think it comes down to the fact that educational tools necessitate a strong grasp of technology, software development, data analytics, and user experience design. While educators might have an excellent idea, founders with technical expertise possess a deep understanding of the underlying technology and its potential application in the field of education. Their proficiency enables them to develop effective tools that cater to educational requirements.
On a more personal level, teachers work HARD and it takes a lot of time and money to set up a successful start-up. Perhaps educators are more interested in providing a great in-class experience for their students that they don’t have the time to commit anymore time to a business venture.
Founding a successful educational technology company also entails entrepreneurial skills. This includes the ability to identify market opportunities, construct a solid and usable business model, secure funding, and navigate the competitive landscape. Educators may not always possess these specific skills or have a strong inclination towards engaging in entrepreneurship.
I’d be interested to see if anyone agrees with this or has a different opinion on the matter.
Scholler and Sharma seem to represent strong role-models for would-be entrepreneurs because they leveraged their professional knowledge to create a new product that addressed a concern they were both facing in their personal lives. I appreciate how the two founders of Osmo created a new product that blended their passion for technology with their desire to give their children physical learning experiences. It would have been interesting to know whether they approach their children’s teachers or other educators during the early develop days of the concept. Based on the selling price of their company, I think it is safe to say that they developed quite desirable IP.