YYeni AI
- For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models
- Namibia
Mission Statement:
YYeni AI is dedicated to transforming traditional classroom settings into personalized learning experiences for every student. Our mission is to make individualized education accessible worldwide, from schools to universities, particularly targeting students from 4th grade onwards in diverse educational systems and curriculums.
Vision Statement:
Our vision is to revolutionize the education system by adapting it to meet the unique needs of each student, thereby ensuring that every learner can thrive in a personalized learning environment. We aim to dismantle the barriers imposed by the one-size-fits-all teaching model, making education more inclusive, engaging, and effective.
Core Values:
Inclusivity: We strive to serve a global audience, ensuring that no student is left behind due to traditional limitations in education.
Adaptability: YYeni AI adapts to various curriculums and learning styles, meeting educational objectives in a manner that resonates best with each learner.
Engagement: We are committed to enhancing student engagement by aligning lesson delivery with individual learning preferences, making education both enjoyable and effective.
Empowerment: By equipping teachers with data and insights, we empower them to support their students more effectively, thereby enriching the educational experience.
Innovation: We continuously seek innovative solutions to improve and personalize the educational journey, challenging traditional methods to better meet the needs of today’s diverse student population.
Purpose and Objectives:
YYeni AI’s purpose is to provide a personalized tutoring experience for each student through their own devices, utilizing advanced AI to cater to diverse learning styles. Our objective is to improve learning outcomes, increase student engagement, and support teachers by providing them with actionable insights into their students’ learning processes.
How We Serve Our Target Population:
We serve our target population—students and educational institutions worldwide—by transforming every student’s device into a personal tutor. This approach not only addresses the diversity in learning preferences but also enhances understanding through interactive, Socratic methods and supports learning with visual and auditory resources. Our technology identifies areas where students struggle, enabling targeted interventions that are crucial for effective teaching and learning.
- Product
- Namibia
- No
- Pilot
Vitalis writes code, so he's in charge of product, research and development. As the lead, he is in charge of setting the overall vision and motivating the team to always make progress towards our goals and creates the strategy. He engages with stakeholders to establish partnerships. He is extremely passionate about education thus he inspires the team to keep moving forward.
My story starts in Namibia, tutoring classmates because of our packed classrooms and our unqualified teachers who just weren't cutting it. I used the internet in an impoverished village community to tutor my classmates after school for 2 hours a day and produced 6 A stars that year, the best in the school's history. In fact we were the best school in our region in Geography. Fast forward, and now I'm steering the ship at YYeni AI, on a quest to fix this age-old problem with some fresh tech.
It's simple: not enough personal touch. Enter Generative AI, acting like a super tutor in every student's pocket. This isn't about spoon-feeding facts; it's about sparking deep thought and curiosity, tailored just for them. Picture learning about complex subjects in ways that feel like they're made just for you.
To effectively articulate how our team lead and supporting team members are uniquely positioned to support the LEAP Project, given other priorities within our organization, it is crucial to highlight how this project aligns with our strategic goals and ongoing efforts.
The LEAP Project arrives at a critical juncture in our startup’s journey, as we are actively engaged in proving empirically that YYeni AI can enhance learning outcomes significantly—aiming for an improvement of at least two standard deviations. This endeavor involves conducting rigorous quasi-experimental studies with pilot schools and collaborating closely with government bodies responsible for education.
Our commitment to this research-intensive project is driven by three main organizational priorities: firstly, increasing revenue by selling our software to large private schools; secondly, continuous innovation through biweekly releases of new YYeni AI versions; and most importantly, accelerating our sales process to the Government of Namibia. Our goal with the government is pivotal—as public schools lack the financial capability to purchase YYeni AI licenses independently, securing a government contract would make them our largest customer.
In this context, the LEAP Project is not just another commitment but a strategic enhancement of our existing efforts. The project, by providing access to global experts in educational research, will refine our methodologies and bolster the scientific rigor of our pilot experiments. This enhancement is crucial for us to empirically demonstrate the efficacy of YYeni AI, thereby fulfilling a key requirement for government procurement.
Our team lead, deeply involved in the initial ideation and continuous development of YYeni AI, will dedicate 3-4 hours per week to personally oversee the LEAP Project, ensuring it aligns with our strategic objectives. Supported by senior staff—who also commit similar time and share a deep commitment to our mission—our team is set up to manage this project alongside other priorities effectively.
By structuring our efforts around these commitments, we maintain a focused approach that allows for impactful work on the LEAP Project without sacrificing the quality and progression of our other initiatives. Regular strategy sessions ensure all team members are aligned, facilitating a seamless integration of insights gained from the LEAP Project into our broader operations.
In conclusion, the LEAP Project is a natural extension of our current activities and is positioned high among our priorities due to its potential to significantly elevate our credibility and success in selling YYeni AI to the Namibian government. Our experienced and dedicated team, combined with a strategic allocation of time and resources, ensures that we are exceptionally well-prepared to support this project and achieve our goals.
- Women & Girls
- Primary school children (ages 5-12)
- Rural
- Peri-Urban
- Poor
- Urban
- Low-Income
- Middle-Income
- Other
- Level 3: You can demonstrate causality using a control or comparison group.
At YYeni AI, our mission is to transform the educational experiences of learners by providing personalized education tailored to their individual needs. This mission is particularly crucial in Namibia, where a significant challenge in education has been persistently highlighted by recent statistics. According to a 2024 report by The Namibian, the failure rates for Grade 11 students advancing to tertiary education or Grade 12 have been alarmingly high: starting at 81.5% in 2020, slightly improving to 81.2% in 2021, and still remaining high at 79% over the last four years. These stark realities underscore the urgent need for innovative solutions that can improve educational outcomes.
Our solution, YYeni AI, is designed to cater to the diverse learning needs of students by transforming traditional teaching methods and making learning personal and engaging. However, to implement this solution broadly, especially in public schools that lack the purchasing power, it is essential to prove its effectiveness empirically. Public schools, where the majority of struggling learners are enrolled, require government support for funding such initiatives. Therefore, demonstrating the efficacy of YYeni AI in these contexts is critical to securing government backing and broad implementation.
The need to strengthen the evidence base of our solution has never been more pressing. With the LEAP Project, we aim to employ rigorous research methodologies to produce concrete data proving that YYeni AI significantly enhances learning outcomes. This evidence will not only support our case for government partnerships but also help refine and optimize our solution for even greater impact.
Engaging in the LEAP Project at this time is strategic for several reasons:
Immediate Need: The educational crisis, illustrated by the consistent high failure rates, indicates an immediate need for interventions that can dramatically improve student performance.
Government Scrutiny: As the Namibian government is currently reevaluating educational strategies, this is an opportune moment to present a tested solution that can be part of these strategies.
Potential Impact: Successfully demonstrating the effectiveness of YYeni AI could influence educational policies, potentially providing hundreds of thousands of underprivileged learners with access to quality, personalized education.
By collaborating with the LEAP Project, we gain access to a team of experts who can help us refine our research methodologies and ensure that the evidence we gather is robust and compelling. This partnership will enhance our credibility and support our strategic goal of partnering with the government to deploy YYeni AI across Namibia’s public schools, thereby addressing the educational disparities that have long hindered the nation’s development.
Does the use of One-to-One teaching with YYeni improve learning outcomes on standardized tests among Grade 10, Learners in the selected subjects compared to traditional classroom group instruction?
Does the use of One-to-One teaching with YYeni make teachers more effective and feel more fulfilled in their duties compared to traditional classroom group instruction?
Does the use of One-to-One teaching with YYeni make learners high-order-thinkers compared to learners who receive traditional classroom group instruction?
Does the use of One-to-One tutoring with YYeni improve learner interest, attitudes, and time on task in the learning process compared to traditional classroom group instruction?
- Formative research (e.g. usability studies; feasibility studies; case studies; user interviews; implementation studies; process evaluations; pre-post or multi-measure research; correlational studies)
- Summative research (e.g. impact evaluations; correlational studies; quasi-experimental studies; randomized control studies)
For the upcoming 12-week LEAP Project sprint, YYeni AI seeks to harness the expertise and innovative spirit of the LEAP Fellows to achieve significant advancements in integrating AI technology into educational practices. Our desired outputs are crafted to not only validate the efficacy of YYeni AI but also to enhance its development and acceptance among critical stakeholders. The following are the specific outputs we aim to achieve through this collaborative effort:
1. Empirical Study Design:
- Develop a robust experimental design to assess the effectiveness of YYeni AI in improving educational outcomes in diverse classroom settings in Namibia. This design should include both qualitative and quantitative research methods to gather comprehensive data on student performance, engagement, and teacher feedback.
- Output: A detailed study blueprint that can be readily implemented to evaluate the impact of personalized learning through YYeni AI.
2. Framework for Continuous Optimization:
- Construct a dynamic framework that allows for the iterative refinement of YYeni AI based on real-time feedback and emerging educational needs. This framework should outline strategies for integrating new educational content, adapting to different learning styles, and scaling across various educational systems.
- Output: A strategic document detailing the process for ongoing development and enhancement of YYeni AI, ensuring it remains at the forefront of educational technology innovations.
3. Monitoring and Evaluation Tools:
- Develop comprehensive monitoring and evaluation tools that can continuously assess the performance of YYeni AI and its impact on educational outcomes. These tools should be capable of providing actionable insights that can guide further development and optimization efforts.
- Output: A suite of user-friendly tools for educators and administrators to monitor the progress and effectiveness of YYeni AI in real-time.
4. Stakeholder Engagement Strategy:
- Create a detailed strategy to engage with key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Education, potential implementing partners, parents, and other educational bodies. This strategy should articulate the benefits of YYeni AI and its potential to transform educational outcomes through personalized learning.
- Output: A comprehensive engagement plan complete with communication materials, presentations, and workshops designed to inform and involve stakeholders in the rollout of YYeni AI.
5. Comprehensive Report and Recommendation*:
- Compile the findings from the study and ongoing evaluations into a comprehensive report that highlights the successes and failures as well as areas for improvement of YYeni AI. This report should also include policy recommendations for the integration of AI in education, aiming to influence decision-making processes at the government and institutional level.
- Output: An in-depth report that not only showcases the potential of YYeni AI but also serves as a foundational document for discussions with government and educational leaders about its adoption.
These outputs from the LEAP Project will not only demonstrate the viability and effectiveness of YYeni AI but will also pave the way for its broader adoption and integration into educational systems, aligning with our mission to transform educational experiences and outcomes through technology.
Upon the successful completion of the 12-week LEAP Project sprint, YYeni AI plans to strategically implement the outputs to not only enhance our product but also to expand its impact within the educational sector. Our action plan is designed to be methodical and impactful, ensuring that the efforts invested in generating these outputs translate into tangible advancements in educational technology and practices. Here’s how we intend to implement each output:
1. Implementing the Empirical Study Design:
- Immediately following the project, YYeni AI will collaborate with partner schools in Namibia to launch the study outlined by the LEAP Fellows. This study will be critical in gathering data on the effectiveness of our AI-driven personalized learning platform. We will deploy the designed tools and methodologies to collect and analyze data, which will help us measure our impact on student engagement and learning outcomes accurately.
2. Adopting the Framework for Continuous Optimization:
- The framework developed during the LEAP sprint will be integrated into our product development cycle. This will involve setting up iterative processes where feedback from the ongoing studies and user interactions are continuously fed back into the system. This dynamic process will help in refining YYeni AI’s algorithms and user interface to better meet the evolving needs of students and educators. Regular updates and feature enhancements will be scheduled based on this framework.
3. Utilizing Monitoring and Evaluation Tools:
- The tools developed for monitoring and evaluating the performance of YYeni AI will be implemented across all our partner institutions. These tools will provide critical data that will allow us to monitor the efficacy of the platform in real-time, identify areas for improvement, and ensure that the learning experience is always optimized. Educators will also be trained on how to use these tools to get the most out of the YYeni AI system for their classrooms.
4. Executing the Stakeholder Engagement Strategy:
- With the engagement strategy in place, YYeni AI will begin a series of targeted communications and workshops with stakeholders. This will include presentations to the Ministry of Education, educational workshops for teachers, and informational sessions for parents. These engagements will be critical in showcasing the benefits of YYeni AI and gaining the necessary support and approval for broader implementation.
5. Distributing the Comprehensive Report and Recommendations:
- The comprehensive report generated will be distributed to all key stakeholders, including educational authorities, potential partners, and funding bodies. This report will not only serve as evidence of the effectiveness of YYeni AI but also as a persuasive tool for policy advocacy. We will use this report to initiate discussions with governmental bodies about integrating AI technology into the national educational curriculum.
In summary, the outputs from the LEAP Project will be the catalyst for a series of strategic actions aimed at scaling YYeni AI’s impact on education. By implementing these outputs effectively, YYeni AI will not only enhance its product but also contribute significantly to the advancement of educational practices through innovative AI technology.
The LEAP Project sprint is envisioned as a pivotal phase in YYeni's mission to redefine education through AI-driven personalized learning. Our anticipated long-term outcomes extend beyond immediate improvements to our platform, aiming for substantial, systemic changes in how education is delivered. These outcomes focus on scaling our solution nationally and internationally, ensuring equitable access to quality education, particularly for underperforming learners.
YYeni AI as an Organization:
1. Established Credibility: By successfully demonstrating the effectiveness and scalability of our AI solution through rigorous empirical research and strategic frameworks developed during the LEAP sprint, YYeni AI aims to establish itself as a leader in educational innovation. This credibility will be crucial in securing trust and fostering partnerships with key stakeholders, including government bodies and educational institutions.
2. Enhanced Product: The insights and feedback gathered through the new monitoring and evaluation tools will enable us to refine and optimize YYeni AI, making it more adaptive and effective at meeting diverse educational needs. This product sophistication will be critical as we expand into new markets and adapt to various educational systems.
3. Increased Support: The comprehensive report and recommendations generated will serve as foundational documents to attract further investment and support. This will facilitate expansion and continuous improvement of our services, enabling us to reach more learners and have a greater impact.
YYeni AI Solution:
1. Widespread Adoption: The long-term outcome of implementing the outputs from the LEAP Project is the widespread adoption of YYeni AI across Namibia and subsequently in other nations. By engaging government and implementing partners effectively, we aim to integrate YYeni AI into national educational strategies, reaching as many children as possible and ensuring that the benefits of personalized learning are universally accessible.
2. Improved learning Outcomes: As a direct result of our solution’s scaling, we anticipate significant improvements in educational outcomes nationwide. This includes higher engagement rates, better understanding of complex concepts, and improved academic performance, particularly among students who previously underperformed due to traditional teaching methods.
3. Educational Reform: The success of YYeni AI in improving learning outcomes will be instrumental in influencing educational policies. We aim to use our results to advocate for broader integration of AI technologies in education, promoting reforms that prioritize personalized learning approaches to address educational disparities and enhance learning accessibility.
Global Impact:
- Armed with proven success and a robust model for implementation, YYeni AI plans to take its solution to international markets, starting with countries that have similar educational challenges. By adapting our approach to fit various educational contexts, we aim to provide quality education solutions worldwide, ensuring that all students, regardless of their background or learning style, have the opportunity to excel.
In summary, the LEAP Project is more than just a milestone for YYeni AI; it is a stepping stone towards achieving a global transformation in education. The long-term outcomes we envision encapsulate not only the growth and success of YYeni AI but also the broader societal impact of making personalized education a standard across the globe.
Co-Founder & CEO
CSO/CFO