Middle and high school students can be both an easy and challenging audience to reach. While they may readily download video games, convincing them to engage with educational apps can be a tough sell. However, French startup Revyze has managed to defy the odds and attract one million users over the past two years. In fact, their app even reached the coveted #1 spot for free downloads in Apple’s App Store in June.
Revyze has gained significant traction in France, with one-third of all 9th graders turning to the app for last-minute schoolwork before the national middle school exam. The app boasts over 2,000 content creators who have shared 40,000 videos and quizzes, attracting a total of 150 million views. This success has also helped Revyze secure funding, with a recent seed round of €5.5 million ($6 million) led by Speedinvest and Moonfire.
The funding round saw participation from Motier Ventures, Station F (where Revyze is currently headquartered), Illka Paananen (co-founder of Supercell), Riccardo Zacconni and Sebastian Knusson (co-founders of King), and Nickey Skarstad (from Duolingo). The startup had previously raised a €2 million pre-seed round in 2022.
While Revyze has gained significant success in France, it hasn’t been as smooth of a ride in the U.S. When the startup first launched, it aimed to build the “TikTok of education.” While TikTok does host some educational content, its feed is saturated with various other types of videos, making it challenging for students to find focused educational content.
Recognizing the challenges TikTok faced in the U.S., Revyze saw an opportunity to position itself as an alternative, education-focused platform. The team decided to launch the app in the U.S. in 2023, with the goal of targeting students preparing for the SAT, the main college admissions test.
However, the startup quickly realized that simply targeting students during periods of exam stress wasn’t enough to drive consistent user growth. There was a lack of content, and it wasn’t tailored specifically to the SAT tests. The team went back to the drawing board and reworked the product to create a more engaging experience throughout the year.
Revyze transformed its app from a feed of vertical videos focused solely on studying to a more versatile platform that draws inspiration from both TikTok and Duolingo. They introduced a feature called “capsules,” curated by top content creators, which organize content around a single topic. Similar to a lesson in Duolingo, there is a beginning, middle, and end to each capsule, giving users a sense of achievement when they complete it.
Revyze also added gamification features to capsules, allowing users to earn coins by coming back each day and completing quizzes. These coins can then be used to unlock new capsules. The startup also introduced a creator monetization program, enabling top creators to earn a portion of the coins spent on their capsules.
Although Revyze has yet to monetize its app, it plans to introduce paid access to extra features, personalized analytics, and social features in the future. These additional features will give users the option to unlock content more quickly and provide a source of revenue for the startup.
Currently, Revyze is focused on finding product-market fit and growing its user and content creator communities. The startup’s community of content creators is diverse, consisting of both top-performing students eager to share their knowledge and teachers looking to reach a wider audience.
The startup’s inclusive approach is evident when it invites its creator community to events at Station F, where individuals from different backgrounds and age groups gather with the common goal of helping students learn differently. This collaborative and diverse environment fosters innovation and helps drive the success of Revyze.
In conclusion, Revyze has managed to overcome the challenges of targeting middle and high school students with its educational app. By reworking the product to provide a more versatile and engaging experience, the startup has attracted a significant user base in France and is steadily growing in the U.S. With its unique approach to education and continued focus on product development, Revyze has the potential to become a leading platform for students seeking educational resources.
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