Venture: Lectera
Lectera ‘An International Platform For Fast Education’ is a MOOC platform focused on teaching micro credentialing skills aimed at being immediately applicable to life or career.
Lectera is unique in that the online learning platform not only offers micro credentials but also publishes an online magazine and features knowledge testing quiz samplers. These serve to effectively both give you and idea of what you might be interested in, what you want to learn and effectively hook your interest. There is a mix of free and paid courses so users can test the water without financial commitment. The platform also claims to incorporate AI, homework checkers and eliminate the need to human involvement. The mantra: for those who want to gain maximum knowledge in the minimum time.
Founder: Mila Smart Semeshkina
Mila Smart Semeshkina is an entrepreneur, business leader, marketing and communications specialist that struck out with a vision to create an online learning platform ed tech start up at the right time (2020). Not having a tech background makes her all the more fascinating as a tech founder, she leads people and ideas. She holds less traditional views on education which lend themselves well to this micro credentialing venture and dovetail well with the needs of modern lifelong learning. She is ‘triggered’ by the word impossible!
Reflection
I am very interested in MOOCs, it is a competitive space and Lectera while a newcomer came into the market with what I would consider to be unique ideas and strategy. I love the fact that Mila is from a small rural village and bootstrapped her life through her own intelligence and drive.
Websites sourced:
http://www.technology-innovators.com/lectera/
https://www.lofficiel.cy/business/inspiration-success-with-mila-smart-semeshkina
https://www.harpersbazaararabia.com/hbanews/how-mila-semeshkina-is-changing-the-education-landscape
Two things that caught my interest with this founder as I read through your post and that is that she doesn’t have a tech background and the micro credentials. It has been refreshing to read new founders that are coming into the industry with all different backgrounds and experiences and have been able to find a spot in a very competitive industry.