Disruptive technology is re-shaping most parts of our life, whether it’d be how we consume media, order taxis, handle our personal finances or drive our cars. Now it seems like the education market is set to follow in the path of other disruptive technologies.

With MOOCs alarming the big universities around the world of a changing education landscape, other companies are focusing on the way we learn. Simnik is an educational technology company that offers industry-level digital game-based learning that is relevant to the way 21st century kids use technology and experience learning. By offering products that are robust and accessible to teachers and students alike, Simnik’s educational goal is to meet and exceed the requirements set by the Common Core State Standards Initiative.

Simnik’s vision is to bridge the digital divide and bring K-12 education into the 21^st century. Simnik is navigated with the aid of a unique avatar (a specially designed character that represents the user’s presence in various learning environments). Through immersion, open-ended exploration, and collaboration, the students will connect with the material on a concrete personal level, experiencing the material and acquiring knowledge at their own pace.

Simnik claims they develops true game-based learning, not mere “gamification”. The rules of the games are intrinsically connected to the educational content, resulting in intuitive experiential learning. Through intelligent game design, the students will find the material relevant to their own lives and engage on a deeper level. The immersive, exploratory nature of the game environment inspires students to pursue knowledge and define their own learning experiences.

Going global:
Simnik recently accompanied beSUCCESS to Israel as one of ten Korean startups that won the chance through the ‘K-APP Global Hub Program’ to go to Israel for an intensive week of seminars, business matching and networking. When speaking about the biggest benefits of the trip to Israel, Gabe Salgado, CEO of Simnik said: “In addition to some important professional connections, we were able to connect with several experienced mentors and discuss the issues of our company from a wide range of perspectives. This was an invaluable experience. Through discussions with new contacts, we got some real business development eye-openers.” Simnik are determined to have their beta in a limited number of schools in the USA and English-speaking international schools in Korea by this spring, with or without funding. “With funding, we can get our prototype into classrooms within three months for testing. Game development requires extensive testing and data collection and analysis. Short of funding, we will be able to develop our games at a slower rate and do internal testing, and a limited beta test in the spring”.

Gabe Salgado says that educational technology is in an experimental phase but that no one is really getting it right. “There is a huge demand in schools for technology that addresses the way 21st century kids learn and interface with information. However, just about every ed-tech project for schools makes the same mistakes. This is primarily because the product is tailored to market to teachers, yet it actually fails both the teachers and the students. A product that is palatable to school management is not necessarily acceptable to kids.”

Simnik’s solution is to create a student progress analytics tool for teachers that reports on their learning. Most importantly, Simnik will work out-of-the-box with no teacher training. For students, Simnik feel that children deserve an education that harnesses their motivation to explore, collaborate, create, and learn by doing.

More about this article series
The KAPP article series will cover each of the 20 startups that took part in the KAPP Global Hub Program, which took Korean startups to two global startup hubs, and is followed with a series of targeted workshops to ensure that the relationships and experience gained during the overseas trips was fully leveraged. 10 startups went to Singapore to discover the South East Asian markets, build partner relationships and gain investment for global growth. The other 10 companies went to Israel to engage with, and learn from, experts in one of the World’s most prolific high-tech centres.

Previous articles from this series:
Vol. 1: AppDisco - Korea’s #1 mobile Ad Company, Enjoying Continued Growth
Vol. 2: Malang Studio - Gamifying Alarms For Global Success
Vol. 3: Memebox - Koreas Leading Beauty Curation Service gunning for Thailand
Vol. 4: iamschool - Leading Communicative Innovation in the Education Sector
Vol. 5: Between - A SNS Just For You And Your Significant Other
Vol. 6: WePlanet - Reinventing The Age Old Journal
Vol. 7: SinglePet - Breaking New Ground For Pet Owners
Vol. 8: AHIUK - Bb, A New Feature Packed Video Sharing App
Vol. 9: Jellycoaster - Buddy Up Gamifies Your Social Diary
Vol. 10: MyRealTrip – The AirBnB of Travel Tours
Vol. 11: Easyworks Universe – The Visual Resume

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