KnowRe

About KnowRe

KnowRe is an education technology company that provides an adaptive online learning platform focused on mathematics for students from grades 1 through 12. The company was established in 2012 by founders Yong Jae Kim, David Joo, and Jongho Shin. The venture originated from an offline math academy started in Korea in 2008. David Joo's interest in education was influenced by his father, who was a professor, and his personal enjoyment of teaching.

The company’s core business revolves around its proprietary artificial intelligence and deep learning technology. This technology is engineered to identify individual learning gaps in students. When a student answers a question incorrectly, the platform analyzes the steps taken to pinpoint the specific concept they need to reinforce. Based on this analysis, the system algorithmically generates a personalized curriculum with additional practice materials to address those weaknesses. This digital process mimics a teacher reviewing a student's work to understand their thought process. For educators, the platform provides a Teacher Dashboard with comprehensive, actionable data on student and class progress, allowing for timely intervention and lesson plan adjustments.

KnowRe’s product, Knowre Math, incorporates gamification elements such as quests, challenges, coins, and badges to engage and motivate students. A key feature is the "Walk Me Through" technology, which offers real-time, scaffolded support and instruction. The platform also introduced the "Knowre Success Score," which measures student achievement by considering the level of support they utilized, offering teachers more nuanced data beyond simple correct or incorrect answers.

Initially, KnowRe targeted the U.S. schools market directly, even winning the "Best Instructional App" award in a competition by the New York City Department of Education. However, due to the challenges of selling directly to schools, the company shifted its business model. Its current strategy focuses on licensing its software to other educational service providers, such as tutoring center networks like Sylvan Learning and after-school learning centers. This B2B licensing model constitutes the majority of the company's revenue. In 2018, Daekyo, a major South Korean education company and an existing partner since 2013, acquired a majority stake of approximately 80% in KnowRe. This acquisition was a natural extension of their partnership, which had already led to the creation of the "Summit Math" program used in Daekyo's learning centers.