2024 Global Learning Challenge
Skalo: Empowering Educators for Inclusive Teaching and Timely Student Support with AI
What is the name of your solution?
Skalo: Empowering Educators for Inclusive Teaching and Timely Student Support with AI
Provide a one-line summary of your solution.
A K-12 AI platform that tailors education strategies for inclusivity and diverse learning needs, transforming barriers into bridges
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Bogotá, ColombiaWhat type of organization is your solution team?
For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
The challenge of educational inclusion affects millions of students worldwide. In Colombia, the stark reality is that despite educational progress, a significant proportion of students with learning disabilities, approximately 10%, are not receiving the support they need due to a complex interplay of socioeconomic, institutional, and resource-based barriers. This challenge is mirrored in Peru, where over 238,000 students are identified with special educational needs, struggling within a system that is often ill-equipped to cater to their diverse learning requirements.
Globally, the scale of educational inequity is both alarming and deeply entrenched. According to UNESCO, 258 million children and youth are currently out of school, and even those attending face barriers that hinder their learning. The United Nations projects that by 2030, hundreds of millions of school-going children will still be unable to read or write upon completing their education. These statistics are not just numbers; they represent individual futures compromised by systemic failures.
The factors contributing to this widespread issue include but are not limited to, inadequate access to quality education, particularly for those affected by poverty or displacement. In many low-income regions, schools lack basic resources, and teachers, though often dedicated, are not sufficiently trained to address the specific needs of neurodivergent learners or those with disabilities. This leads to a one-size-fits-all approach to education, which disproportionately disadvantages students who do not fit the traditional learning mold.
In addition to resource constraints, there are significant social determinants that exacerbate educational disparities. Malnutrition, inadequate healthcare, and insufficient family support can dramatically impact cognitive development and learning abilities. For instance, a child suffering from chronic malnutrition may face developmental delays that hinder their academic performance. Moreover, parents from low-income backgrounds may have limited time, resources, or educational backgrounds themselves, which can affect their ability to support their children's learning at home.
Another critical factor is the high teacher-student ratios prevalent in many schools, especially within underprivileged communities. In Colombia, for example, each support teacher is responsible for an average of 800 students, diluting the quality of education and attention each student receives. This overwhelming workload not only impairs the ability of educators to provide individualized attention but also leads to burnout and attrition among teachers, further undermining educational outcomes.
The problem is not limited to developing countries. Even in more affluent nations, educational systems struggle to effectively integrate and support students with diverse learning needs. The National Center for Learning Disabilities in the United States reports that a significant number of general education teachers do not feel adequately prepared to teach students with mild to moderate learning disabilities. This lack of preparedness can lead to students with learning differences being inadvertently overlooked or misunderstood in the classroom setting.
What is your solution?
Skalo is a pioneering K-12 educational technology platform that leverages machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) to foster personalized and inclusive learning environments. This solution empowers teachers to identify and support students with diverse educational needs, particularly those with disabilities or who are at risk of falling behind.
Skalo analyses a broad array of student data, including academic performance, behavioral assessments, and even socio-economic factors. This analysis is powered by ML algorithms that allow Skalo to identify students who require additional educational support, including those with special needs. The platform then utilizes AI to create individualized accommodation plans, reducing the guesswork for teachers and ensuring that each student's unique needs are met.
These accommodation plans are grounded in the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which advocate for flexible learning environments that can accommodate individual learning differences. Skalo streamlines the process of selecting appropriate accommodations for each student, whether it be adjusted teaching methods, the use of assistive technology, or customized learning materials. This targeted approach significantly enhances student participation, progress, and retention in the school system.
For teachers, particularly those who might feel overwhelmed by the prospect of addressing special needs without adequate training, Skalo is a vital aid. It provides a clear framework and set of resources that guide teachers through the process of creating and implementing effective accommodation plans. This support is crucial, as teachers often express concern and a lack of confidence when faced with the responsibility of educating students with special needs due to a lack of specialized training.
Skalo also champions collaboration by involving parents, specialists, and school administrators in the accommodation planning process. This ensures that the strategies devised are comprehensive and that every stakeholder has a voice in the student's education. Such inclusive practices foster a supportive community around each learner, essential for their academic and social success.
The platform's technology is at the forefront of educational innovation. ML algorithms are continually refined through feedback loops, ensuring that the system learns and improves over time. Generative AI is utilized to create bespoke educational content and materials, thereby reducing the administrative burden on teachers and allowing them to focus more on teaching and less on logistics.
Addressing challenges such as data privacy, integrating with varying school infrastructures, and providing ongoing professional development have been central to Skalo's evolution. Each obstacle has been an opportunity to enhance the platform's functionality and user experience. Skalo's commitment to privacy ensures that all student data is handled with the utmost care, complying with stringent security standards.
Skalo is a comprehensive, empathetic, and innovative solution that empowers educators to confidently support all students, particularly those with special needs. It reduces uncertainty and equips teachers with the knowledge and resources to foster an inclusive environment. Through Skalo, accommodations are no longer a matter of trial and error but a precise, data-informed process that upholds the dignity and potential of every learner, ensuring that no student is left behind.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Skalo is dedicated to serving a diverse community of K-12 students and educators, with a particular focus on those who are most underserved in the current educational landscape.
Educators: Skalo serves teachers, who are the cornerstone of the educational experience for students. These education professionals often contend with large class sizes and high workloads, especially in areas like Colombia, where support teachers are scarce. They are responsible for managing the diverse needs of hundreds of students, a challenge compounded by a lack of adequate training in dealing with such diversity, which can lead to high turnover rates.
Students: The primary beneficiaries of Skalo are students within the K-12 age range, especially those from low-income backgrounds who are often in institutions lacking in resources and support structures. These students face additional barriers due to socioeconomic and environmental factors that increase their vulnerability, such as poverty, displacement, or living in remote areas with limited access to quality education. Moreover, Skalo pays special attention to students diagnosed with learning difficulties and disabilities, who require more tailored educational approaches to succeed.
Impact on Educators: For teachers, Skalo significantly lightens the administrative load, enabling them to focus more on teaching and less on paperwork. By providing data-driven insights and evidence-based strategies, Skalo empowers educators to make informed decisions that recognize and address the unique needs of each student. This level of support is transformative, particularly in schools with high proportions of students with diverse learning needs. Additionally, by fostering better teacher-family relations and facilitating collaboration in educational planning, Skalo helps build a supportive network around each student.
Direct and Meaningful Improvement: Skalo's solution directly addresses the needs of its beneficiaries by:
- Reducing administrative burdens for teachers.
- Supporting the development of inclusive classroom strategies.
- Enhancing professional development opportunities for educators.
- Improving student engagement and learning outcomes.
Impact on Students: Skalo impacts students' lives by facilitating the creation of individualized accommodation plans, which are crucial for those with special needs. These plans are based on UDL principles, ensuring that accommodations are thoughtfully selected to enhance participation, learning progress, and continuity within the school system. As a result, students experience an educational environment tailored to their individual needs, allowing them to engage more fully and effectively in their learning journey.
Demographic Reach: Skalo's current operations are centered in Colombia and Peru. With plans to expand across Latin America, Skalo is poised to scale its impact significantly, prioritizing communities with high percentages of students with diverse learning needs.
Skalo serves to create a more inclusive and personalized educational landscape for both students and educators. By addressing the specific challenges of high teacher workloads, turnover, and the need for specialized training, Skalo directly enhances the educational experiences and outcomes for a vulnerable segment of the population, fostering an environment where every student has the opportunity to achieve their full potential.
How are you and your team well-positioned to deliver this solution?
I am intimately acquainted with the unique challenges faced by the communities we aim to serve through Skalo. As a team lead, my journey has been deeply personal and representative of the experiences within these communities. I'm not just an entrepreneur; I am a parent of twins, one of whom has cerebral palsy. This lived experience has provided me with firsthand insight into the barriers to learning and inclusion that students with special needs encounter daily. It's this personal connection that drives our mission to transform education through technology.
My co-founder, Marcela, and I share a passion for leveraging tech to make tangible social impacts, particularly in the field of education. Our combined experiences, mine rooted in the realities of parenting a child with special needs, and Marcela's in innovative tech product development, ensure that we are more than just solution providers — we are part of the community and deeply empathetic to its needs.
Our team's diversity is reflective of the wider community, encompassing professionals from various disciplines, all united by a commitment to education. We have a data scientist, a data engineer, a teacher specialized in inclusive education, and software developers, all of whom contribute a wealth of knowledge and personal experience to Skalo.
The design and implementation of Skalo have been guided every step of the way by community input. From the earliest stages, we used interviews, usability testing, and iterative feedback to understand the needs and challenges of educators and students. We weren't content with assumptions; we sought out the voices of those we aim to help and let their experiences shape our platform.
Our partnership with United Way, a global nonprofit renowned for its commitment to innovation in education, has been instrumental in the evolution of Skalo. This collaboration has enabled us to pilot our platform over two years within some of Colombia's most vulnerable communities. Working alongside United Way, we have immersed ourselves in the diverse educational landscapes of Colombia, from bustling cities to remote, resource-scarce towns. This experience has been invaluable; it has taught us that the needs of a child with disabilities in an urban setting differ markedly from those in a rural environment, where access to resources and qualified teachers is often limited. This partnership has anchored us in the reality of these communities, ensuring that our approach remains user-centered and responsive. We have not relied on assumptions to shape Skalo; instead, we have been guided by the lived experiences of our users, allowing us to tailor our platform to address the nuanced challenges faced by students, teachers, and families in these varied contexts. Through this deep community engagement, Skalo has evolved into a tool that truly understands and meets the needs of its users, embodying the essence of what it means to have a user-centered focus.
Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?
Use inclusive design to ensure engagement and better outcomes for learners with disabilities and neurodivergent learners, while benefiting all learners.Which of the UN Sustainable Development Goals does your solution address?
What is your solution’s stage of development?
GrowthWhy are you applying to Solve?
Applying to Solve is a strategic step for Skalo as we transition from our pilot phase to broader implementation. We recognize that while our foundation is strong, the path ahead presents unique challenges that Solve's ecosystem is uniquely equipped to help us navigate.
Financial and Market Barriers: We are at a crucial juncture where we must refine our pricing model to ensure sustainability and scale. Solve's capacity workshops and leadership coaching would be invaluable as we seek to expand our market reach and solidify our financial strategy for greater impact.
Technical and Data Utilization: Our commitment to leveraging the power of data is central to Skalo's effectiveness. Through Solve, we hope to gain insights into better data management and analysis, ensuring that our interventions are as impactful as possible.
Legal and Cultural Barriers: As we expand, we must navigate the complex legalities of new markets and the cultural nuances of diverse educational environments.
Partnerships and Learning: Building strong alliances and learning from others in the education ecosystem is vital. Solve's network of impact-minded leaders and curated networking opportunities offer the perfect platform for this. We aim to learn from peers, share experiences, and potentially forge partnerships that could amplify our efforts.
Monitoring and Evaluation: To refine our theory of change and impact metrics, we need robust monitoring and evaluation support. Solve's expertise in this area would help us build a comprehensive impact measurement practice, aligning our activities with our mission more effectively.
Exposure and Influence: Finally, the media exposure and conference presence that come with being a Solver team would significantly elevate Skalo's profile, attracting potential collaborators and supporters to further our mission.
Skalo is a transformative element within the edtech ecosystem, with the potential to create more inclusive classrooms in LatAm. However, we understand that the magnitude of change we aspire to can only be achieved by joining forces with like-minded entities. We are eager to be part of a community that collaborates to drive significant progress in education.
Being chosen as a Solve solution would offer us an unparalleled opportunity to tap into a network of innovative thought leaders and practitioners.Through Solve, we anticipate engaging in meaningful discussions that could spark new ideas and foster the development of strategic partnerships.These alliances, formed within the Solve community, could significantly amplify our efforts to maximize impact
In which of the following areas do you most need partners or support?
Who is the Team Lead for your solution?
Luisa Velez
What makes your solution innovative?
Skalo's innovation lies in its comprehensive, data-driven approach to inclusive education, using advanced AI and ML technologies to analyze and respond to the needs of individual students. By integrating multiple data sources, from academic performance to emotional well-being and socioeconomic conditions, Skalo provides a deep, multifaceted understanding of each student, enabling early and precise interventions.
This adaptive capacity not only improves educational outcomes for at-risk students, but also empowers educators with tools and knowledge to adapt their teaching methods to a diversity of learning needs. Additionally, by promoting a more inclusive learning environment, Skalo contributes to the creation of more equitable educational communities, where all students reach their full potential.
The Skalo implementation also stands out for its focus on collaboration and ongoing support, offering a platform for effective interaction between educators, students and families. This mutual support network is crucial to the success of any educational intervention, ensuring that the strategies used are implemented effectively and adjusted as necessary.
In the broader context of the market and educational landscape, Skalo has the potential to serve as a catalyst for change, demonstrating the viability and benefits of advanced technological solutions in education. By setting a new standard for inclusion, Skalo not only improves the quality of education for underserved students, but also raises challenges and opportunities for others in the education space to reconsider and restructure their own practices and solutions.
In summary, Skalo represents a significant advance in the search for a more inclusive, adaptive and equitable education. Its innovative approach to integrating technology into education, along with its emphasis on adaptation and collaboration, positions it as a model for future educational initiatives and has the potential to profoundly transform how learning needs are addressed and met in diverse educational communities.
Describe in simple terms how and why you expect your solution to have an impact on the problem.
The theory of change behind Skalo is based on adapting and making teaching more flexible using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to identify and support the individual needs of students, especially those at risk or with special conditions for your learning process. This innovative approach allows educators to adapt content and teaching methodologies, ensuring that all students, regardless of their personal circumstances, can access a quality, useful education.
By analyzing data such as academic performance, emotional well-being, and socioeconomic conditions, Skalo provides educators with actionable insights to implement teaching strategies tailored to the needs of their students. This not only improves the inclusion and participation of students in the classroom but also enhances their meaningful learning and comprehensive development.
To evaluate its impact, Skalo relies on specific indicators such as improved academic performance, increased student participation, and decreased dropout rates. These indicators not only reflect the success of personalized educational interventions but also allow for continuous adjustments to optimize pedagogical strategies.
The implementation of Skalo includes training educators in the effective use of the platform, continuous analysis of student progress, and adapting teaching plans to meet emerging needs. These activities are aimed at generating substantial short- and long-term changes in the educational ecosystem, from improving the responsiveness of educators to promoting more adaptive and inclusive educational systems.
The adoption of Skalo promises to not only positively impact the educational experience of students but also influence the evolution of the educational market. By demonstrating the effectiveness of technology in education, Skalo aims to inspire a shift towards more inclusive and effective educational practices, setting a new standard for learning in the 21st century. This change will not only benefit students with special needs but will also enrich the learning process for all students, contributing to a more equitable society prepared to face the challenges of the future.
What are your impact goals for your solution and how are you measuring your progress towards them?
Skalo's impact goals focus on transforming inclusive education through the implementation of artificial intelligence and machine learning, especially targeting K-12 students and public school educators working with underserved communities.
Thus, Skalo aims to achieve the following:
1. Improve the responsiveness of teachers to the diverse needs of students, using data analysis to generate educational strategies. This is measured by the percentage of educators actively using the strategies provided by Skalo to adjust their teaching methods.
2. Provide timely interventions for at-risk students, identifying unseen needs and offering necessary support. A key indicator here is the reduction in the number of students who obtain low grades in the evaluation processes, demonstrating with the increase in grades, the effectiveness of early interventions.
3. Encourage teaching strategies that adapt to the learning needs of students, creating a more interactive and inclusive learning environment. This is assessed through improved student participation and engagement in the classroom.
In the medium term, Skalo seeks:
1. Strengthen collaboration between educators, schools and families, leading to more effective improvement plans. This is measured by the number of collaborative initiatives between these interest groups.
2. Improve the alignment of the curriculum with the individual needs of students, ensuring a truly inclusive educational experience. This can be measured by the percentage of adjusted lessons based on strategies suggested by Skalo.
3. Increase the number of schools adopting Skalo, expanding its impact on both educators and students. This is evaluated by the number of schools and educators adopting Skalo.
In the long term, Skalo aims to:
1. Become a global standard for inclusive education, significantly impacting a large number of schools, educators and students around the world. It is measured by the number of countries and regions that adopt Skalo.
2. Substantially reduce the administrative burden for educators, leading to more focused teaching and better educational outcomes. This is evaluated by the reduction in time spent on administrative tasks by educators.
3. Be recognized for effectiveness in addressing diverse learning needs, fostering an inclusive and supportive learning environment. This is measured through surveys and studies that demonstrate the positive impact on learning outcomes.
These impact goals are aligned with global efforts to address educational disparities, particularly UNESCO Sustainable Development Goal 4 on Quality Education. Skalo not only seeks to improve access to quality education for all, but also address the socioeconomic conditions, learning difficulties and disabilities that affect students, especially in contexts such as Colombia and Peru, where challenges include diverse learning needs, learning disabilities and a high workload for support teachers.
Describe the core technology that powers your solution.
Skalo's current solution is underpinned by a robust technological framework designed to support and enhance educational inclusivity through advanced machine learning (ML) and algorithmic interventions. Our platform infrastructure includes:
- Web Infrastructure: A webpage hosted on WordPress, running on an EC2 instance with a domain name managed through Route 53.
- Frontend: Single Page Application (SPA) web applications developed with Ionic/Angular, hosted in AWS S3 buckets, with traffic distribution managed by Amazon CloudFront.
- Backend Architecture: A serverless backend utilizing JavaScript, with API Gateway integrating Lambda functions for seamless operation, SQS for message queuing, and Cognito for a secure user authentication system. CloudWatch oversees our logging system, while Trusted Advisor checks for service errors.
- Databases: We employ DynamoDB for its NoSQL database capabilities and MariaDB within Amazon RDS for relational database needs.
- User Management and Security: IAM for workforce user management, coupled with CloudTrail, SNS, and Amazon EventBridge for comprehensive tracking and activity notifications.
- Deployment and Maintenance: Our deployment pipeline includes Bitbucket and Jenkins for continuous integration and delivery, with CloudFormation and AWS-CDK for infrastructure as code, ensuring streamlined and efficient updates.
Leveraging these technologies, Skalo identifies students at risk and provides personalized accommodations, significantly improving the inclusivity and effectiveness of educational practices.
Building on this foundation, we are embarking on an even more ambitious project: the Generative AI Lab. This initiative aims to further empower educators by enabling them to generate and adapt content dynamically, tailored to the diverse needs of their classroom. The Generative AI Lab will enhance Skalo's existing capabilities, allowing for the creation of personalized learning materials that accommodate the wide spectrum of learning styles, abilities, and preferences found in modern classrooms. This forward-thinking project signifies our commitment to continually evolving our platform to meet the challenges of managing learning diversity, ensuring that every student receives the support and resources necessary to thrive.
This ambitious expansion through the Generative AI Lab represents a new horizon for Skalo, and MIT Solve presents an invaluable opportunity for mentorship and support as we navigate this challenge. The expertise and resources available through MIT Solve would be instrumental in refining our current solution and successfully integrating the Generative AI Lab, ensuring that our technology continues to lead the way in creating accessible and inclusive educational environments for all students.
Which of the following categories best describes your solution?
A new business model or process that relies on technology to be successful
Please select the technologies currently used in your solution:
If your solution has a website or an app, provide the links here:
www.skalo.co
How many people work on your solution team?
Full time staff
Luisa Velez: second-time founder with a finance background and an MBA from Duke University.
Andrea Ortiz: data scientist, holding a master's in applied physics, boasts extensive experience in AI, LLM, and ML
Diego Llanos: Chief Data Officer, Civil engineer, expertise in data architecture and processing.
Marcela Rojas: CTO, an industrial engineer with experience in product management and data
Karol Nossa: Philosopher and Master in Education. Experience in research in didactics, equity and diversity in education
Johan Carrillo: With a minor in physics and a role as a software developer
Felipe Castillo: An IT engineer and software developer.
How long have you been working on your solution?
Since its inception in 2021, the Skalo team has been dedicated to developing and perfecting its solution. For approximately 2 and a half years, efforts have been focused on using artificial intelligence and machine learning to transform inclusive education and student support. During this time, significant progress has been made in determining adjustments for teaching and in the early identification of at-risk students, demonstrating its commitment to continuous improvement and innovation in the educational field. As a result of this effort we have our two main products: Skalo Support and SkaloScan, tools that allow us to advance towards our objectives.
Tell us about how you ensure that your team is diverse, minimizes barriers to opportunity for staff, and provides a welcoming and inclusive environment for all team members.
Skalo, a digital platform designed to assist educators in managing learning diversity and inclusion in the classroom, exemplifies a proactive approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). By offering personalized adjustments and strategies for students facing academic vulnerabilities, Skalo not only aids in addressing immediate educational needs but also embodies the principles of equity by ensuring that all students have access to opportunities that cater to their unique learning requirements. This approach directly aligns with MIT's definitions of diversity, equity, and inclusion by acknowledging and addressing the diverse social, cultural, and identity-based attributes within the student body, thereby promoting an equitable learning environment where every student is given the chance to succeed.
The leadership team at Skalo, predominantly composed of highly skilled women with backgrounds in education and technology, demonstrates a commitment to diversity within its organizational structure. This is significant in the tech industry, where women are often underrepresented, especially in leadership positions. By empowering women in technology and filling leadership roles with female professionals, Skalo sets a powerful example of gender diversity and equity in practice.
Moreover, Skalo's focus on personalized learning strategies underscores the importance of inclusion by ensuring that all members of the learning community—regardless of their vulnerabilities or learning barriers—are welcomed, respected, supported, and valued. The platform's design for intuitiveness and ease of use for educators further enhances its inclusivity, enabling teachers to adapt teaching methods to meet individual student needs efficiently.
The impact metrics, such as the significant reduction in time spent by educators on planning personalized learning adjustments and the effectiveness of these adjustments, reflect Skalo's commitment to creating equitable learning environments. These outcomes not only benefit the students directly by closing learning gaps but also support educators in implementing inclusive teaching practices more effectively.
Skalo's strategic goals for diversity, equity, and inclusion seem to extend beyond the classroom, with the platform serving as a central hub for managing information on students with academic vulnerabilities. This approach facilitates collaboration among educators, therapists, and families, creating a comprehensive support system that underscores the importance of community in fostering inclusivity.
Skalo’s initiatives and the leadership team's composition exemplify a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. By leveraging technology to provide personalized learning strategies, fostering gender diversity in tech leadership, and creating an inclusive educational environment, Skalo demonstrates actionable steps toward minimizing barriers and promoting a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere for all team members and stakeholders. This model serves as an inspiring example for organizations aiming to integrate DEI principles into their operations and culture.
What is your business model?
Skalo operates on a model that seamlessly blends technological innovation with educational inclusivity, serving as an AI-powered assistant for educators. Our solution, a Software as a Service (SaaS) platform, is meticulously designed to enhance educational outcomes through a deep, data-driven understanding of student needs. Skalo's AI capabilities extend to identifying students at risk, enabling a proactive approach to support across various dimensions of vulnerability.
Key Customers and Beneficiaries: Our primary customers are educational institutions, including public and private schools, that are committed to fostering inclusive classrooms. The direct beneficiaries are students who face barriers to learning, including those with disabilities, learning difficulties, or those impacted by socioeconomic factors, and the educators dedicated to supporting them.
Products and Services Provided:
Data Analysis for Early Identification: By applying machine learning algorithms to analyze educational data, Skalo detects and predicts which students are most in need of support, identifying vulnerabilities due to academic, emotional, or physical challenges, and other factors.
Customized Support Strategies: Skalo offers tailored learning strategies and accommodation plans. This includes generating AI-crafted classroom activities and content that adhere to curriculum standards while accommodating classroom diversity.
Inclusive Education Recommendations: Our platform recommends accommodations to enhance inclusivity, grounded in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, ensuring all students can participate fully in their education.
Administrative Efficiency: Skalo streamlines administrative tasks for educators, simplifying the tracking of student progress and the effectiveness of implemented strategies.
Value Proposition: Educators want and need Skalo for its ability to transform the inclusivity of their classrooms effectively and efficiently. By providing early detection of students requiring support, alongside actionable strategies for inclusion, Skalo addresses a critical gap in traditional education systems. This not only aids in achieving better educational outcomes but also reduces the workload on teachers, enabling them to focus more on teaching and less on administrative tasks. The flexibility of our pricing model, including per-student tickets and annual subscription fees, makes Skalo an accessible and scalable solution for schools of varying sizes and economic backgrounds.
Revenue Model: Skalo's revenue is generated through sales to schools, employing a dual approach: an annual ticket per student for targeted inclusion support and an annual subscription fee for comprehensive access. This model has been refined based on our pilot phase learnings, offering flexibility to meet the diverse needs and budgets of schools. Our strategic partnerships with entities like United Way and education secretaries amplify our impact and market reach.
Our achievements, including initial sales and the fundraising of $450K from angel investors, underscore the demand and viability of our solution. Skalo's ambition to expand, driven by a proven market need exacerbated by the pandemic and a global shift towards inclusive education policies, positions us uniquely in the edtech landscape to deliver value to our customers and beneficiaries alike.
Do you primarily provide products or services directly to individuals, to other organizations, or to the government?
Organizations (B2B)What is your plan for becoming financially sustainable, and what evidence can you provide that this plan has been successful so far?
Skalo's financial sustainability strategy hinges on a dual revenue model targeting both B2B and B2G segments, refined through our experiences in the Colombian and Peruvian markets. In 2022, we secured our initial sales, generating $79K across 47 schools, validating our market approach and the demand for inclusive education solutions.
Our revenue streams are structured around:
- Annual per-student ticket at $25 USD for schools focusing solely on addressing inclusion within a subset of their student body. This model caters to institutions with limited budgets aiming to support specific students facing inclusion challenges.
- Annual subscription fees ranging from $4K to $10K, adjusted based on the school's size and socioeconomic status. This flexible strategy emerged from learning that a per-student charge limited the scope of our impact and did not foster the desired volume and recurrence of use. Shifting to a subscription model allowed us to offer a comprehensive solution that could be tailored to each school's needs, making Skalo an affordable and impactful option for entire student populations.
Recognizing the constraints of our initial pricing model, we pivoted to a more inclusive subscription fee that encompasses the entire school population, priced between $5K and $10K annually. This adjustment aims to accommodate the varying economic capacities of schools, especially public institutions with a defined annual budget per student that includes all educational costs. Our first 100 schools have embraced this model, paying $4K per year, demonstrating the viability and attractiveness of our pricing strategy.
Our ambitious goal is to achieve $10M in annual revenue by partnering with 2,000 schools within the next four years. This target is underpinned by a realistic assessment of the average fee we can command per school, taking into account the socioeconomic diversity of our client base. With the pandemic highlighting educational disparities and the global momentum towards inclusive education policies, Skalo is well-positioned in a growing market ripe for our AI-powered solution that benefits all students.
The success of our initial fundraising efforts, securing $450K from angel investors, coupled with our proven sales record, underscores the financial viability and market acceptance of Skalo. Our approach, which balances direct sales to schools with strategic partnerships with education secretaries, ensures a diverse and sustainable revenue base as we scale our impact globally.
Solution Team
-
Luisa Velez Skalo Tek
to Top
Our Organization
Skalo Tek