Throughout the MET program, I have explored an extraordinary range of emerging educational technologies, AI applications, and digital learning platforms. While many of these innovations help schools collect, organize, or analyze information, they also led me to a different question.
As schools become increasingly effective at collecting evidence, how do schools learn from the decisions they make?
That question became the foundation of my venture.
This project explores Toddle Intelligence, a strategic direction for Toddle, an established teaching and learning platform used by more than 2,500 K-12 schools worldwide. Rather than proposing another AI feature, chatbot, or analytics dashboard, the venture explores how connected evidence can support explainable decision-making, coordinated action, and continuous institutional learning while keeping educators responsible for every consequential decision.
If you are unfamiliar with Toddle, you may find it helpful to briefly explore the platform before viewing the venture:
The venture recommends a carefully bounded Canadian pilot in independent IB schools to determine whether Institutional Decision Intelligence creates measurable educational, operational, adoption, and commercial value before broader platform investment. The objective is not to automate educational decisions, but to determine whether explainable decision support can improve institutional decision quality while preserving educator judgment.
One of the most valuable aspects of this assignment was shifting my perspective from designing educational technology to evaluating it as an investor. Rather than asking, “What can AI do?” I found myself asking, “What evidence would justify investing in this idea?” That shift fundamentally changed how I approached the venture and became the foundation of the investment case.
Venture Materials
Elevator Pitch
Venture Pitch Presentation
Toddle Intelligence
Thank you for taking the time to review Toddle Intelligence. I appreciate your feedback and the opportunity to learn from your perspectives.
Hi Denise,
Great job. I watched your elevator pitch first, and I thought it was very strong and engaging. In a short time, you were able to explain the central problem, the proposed direction, and why the idea matters.
After reviewing the full material, what stood out to me most was the shift from simply adding another AI feature to asking how schools can learn from their own decisions. Toddle is built around connected evidence, and decision continuity, while still keeping educators responsible for important choices.
From an investment point of view, the proposal becomes more interesting because it does not require building an entirely new ecosystem. Toddle already has connected workflows, institutional relationships, and AI capabilities. This gives the idea a practical advantage and may reduce both adoption risk and implementation complexity.
I also liked the decision not to push immediately toward a full product launch. The proposed pilot across some schools feels disciplined and realistic. It tests several values before asking for a larger investment. That makes the venture more credible from an investor perspective because the next decision is based on evidence rather than optimism.
What I would still want to see is a stronger commercial picture. The proposal would benefit from clearer estimates of pricing, customer conversion, and the size of the potential market.
For me, this is not yet a case for large-scale product investment, but it is a strong case for funding the pilot.
Feedback
Feedback
Strengths – I like that there are clear future plans and specific goals. Your idea is also unique. This does seem like something that could be very useful in analyzing data and seeing patterns, especially since this is so hard to do in education due to the differences between students and classes.
Weaknesses – I am not sure if such a system can track the many variables in a school and would like to know the time requirements the staff would need to use this program. As such, I would want to see evidence of a successful trial before investing.
FEEDBACK
Hi Denise,
I think Toddle Intelligence sounds like a valuable idea, but I won’t be investing for several reasons, more about the presentation itself, not the idea.
First, I’ve never used Toddle, and I don’t know what it is or does. I gathered from your launchpad that it is an existing company, but there were no company links provided, and in the elevator pitch no screenshots of the software or explanation of what Toddle is. I had to do a Google search, then come back and rewatch with a more informed perspective. That small bit of missing information dissuaded me early on.
I was also hoping for specific examples of what Toddle does. What kinds of decision continuity is preserved, why is that valuable? Decisions about individual students, or demographics, or staffing? Who are the main users, teachers or administrators?
I feel that you make a strong case for Toddle Intelligence, and anyone who uses Toddle already would likely see the value immediately. However, as someone who has never used it, I’d revisit my investment decision if some concrete examples could show me the value, rather than tell me about it. Some small tweaks to the presentation of the content would absolutely make me reconsider.
Thanks
REVIEW
Hi Denise,
Excellent work on Toddle Intelligence! Your Elevator Pitch, Venture Pitch, and website were very professional, engaging, and easy to follow. I have never heard of Toddle LMS prior to your presentation, so I took some time to explore the platform as well.
What stood out to me the most was that your venture is an addition to an existing platform. With such a focused target, you were able to strategically identify a missing piece within the platform and project a clear next step in its evolution. I do believe that Institutional Decision Intelligence represents a strong strategic evolution for an existing platform particularly when it goes beyond simply adding another feature. The growth direction you have suggested for Toddle in your venture pitch is a strong example of moving the platform along the value chain.
I like the fact that you decided to start with a pilot project across a smaller selection of schools. This approach gives an opportunity to gather detailed feedback on the successes and challenges of the initial launch while allowing you to adjust direction where necessary with less financial risk. Creating evidence of success rather than relying on assumptions of success is a good steppingstone for the venture.
If I was part of the Toddle team, I would certainly consider recommending funding Toddle Intelligence as it seems like the next logical step in Toddle’s evolution. However, I would want to know clear details on how much additional revenue Toddle Intelligence could generate and whether existing Toddle customers would pay more for it. I also wonder what would prevent Toddle from simply building this themselves as part of their normal product development?
Excellent work and I really appreciated going through venture!
Feedback
Denise, As an elementary admin, I was especially interested in this idea because I can see the value in helping schools preserve decisions, connect evidence, and learn from previous reviews. I also really like that Toddle already exists, giving this venture a strong foundation and making it feel more realistic.
However, I agree with Jason’s point, that the pitch needed to explain Toddle more clearly. I had to do some research myself to understand what Toddle is, and I would have liked to see screenshots and specific examples of what decisions the system would support and who the main users would be. I also liked the clear success measures because, from an investor perspective, these are important. I would be interested in investing once a pilot validates that Toddle can reduce workload and improve decision-making in real schools.
FEEDBACK
Hi Denise,
I like that Toddle Intelligence goes beyond simply collecting more educational data and instead focuses on helping schools learn from the decisions they make. Building this into an existing platform also seems like a practical way to reduce some of the barriers associated with introducing an entirely new system.
My main question is whether schools would see enough additional value to pay for this functionality. I would want the pilot to demonstrate that the insights actually improve decision-making without creating additional workload for educators or administrators.
Thank you for this thought-provoking venture!
Thank you everyone for taking the time to review Toddle Intelligence. I really appreciated the thoughtful feedback and the different perspectives, particularly from those who were unfamiliar with Toddle. Based on your comments, I’ve updated the Launchpad introduction to include a brief explanation of Toddle and links to learn more about the platform before exploring the venture. My intention was to pitch directly to Toddle leadership and investors who would already know the platform, but your feedback reminded me that effective investor communication also requires meeting audiences where they are. I appreciate everyone who took the time to engage with the venture and challenge my thinking.