Amazy: With schools out for Summer, many teachers will be reflecting on the academic year, weighing up what worked and what didn’t. Make no mistake: technology plays a huge role in classrooms today. It’s safe to say the edtech sector is simply bursting with innovation and brimming with revenue. According to Statista, revenue in the online education market is projected to exceed 17 billion euros by the end of this year. In addition, figures from Wifi Talents show that in the UK alone, 63% of teachers use technology in their classrooms daily.

With this in mind, we turned our attention to some platforms looking to shake up the edtech sector. Amazy.uk is just one of those. It aims to help teachers build learning resources, track progress, and share ready-made materials with wider educational communities. The company was recently awarded the best edtech startup in Europe 2024 at the EdTechX Awards.

As part of our female founders series, we spoke with Kate Bodrova, CEO and creator of Amazy.uk, about her concept of moving countries and juggling entrepreneurship with parenting.

How did you develop the idea for Amazy.uk?

Before I took the plunge and started Amazy.uk, I spent about ten years as an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher. I’ve always been a huge fan of personalised education, and it took a lot of time and energy to create and organise course materials. When I talked to my colleagues, many mentioned that developing and storing educational materials is essential for boosting creativity, improving work performance, and achieving better academic results. Another bone of contention was that it often takes twice as much time to prepare materials for a 60-minute lesson because existing solutions are not user-friendly, cumbersome, and inconvenient. That’s when I realised things needed to change, so I set about establishing Amazy!

From working as a teacher, did you find you had many transferable skills that you could use to help build the app?

Of course! I found I had communication, community building, and everything else required. When building products for B2C, it’s essential to consider the community that will aid in growth. For Amazy, it was crucial to be a product loved by teaching communities worldwide from the very beginning. My teaching background is a significant asset. I understand what teachers want, so I maintain close communication with them. Having worked as a teacher, I have their trust. I empathise deeply with their challenges and take their problems personally because I’ve experienced them myself. This is invaluable when communicating with users. I act as a translator between Amazy users and the product team, and I speak the language of educators.

I see you jumped ship, moving from Russia to pursue your dreams in setting up the platform. How did you find that, and what challenges did you face in moving from one country to another?

Moving came with its share of challenges, especially in the beginning. It felt like I was building a new home from scratch, so it required much adjustment, flexibility, and learning. Moving to a new country means taking in a flood of new information and adapting to a whole new environment. In my case, it was even more intense because I was not only finding my way around the startup world but also adjusting to life as a mother of a toddler. It felt overwhelming at times, but the experience also brought a lot of excitement and adrenaline. London, with its cultural diversity and vibrant startup ecosystem, feels like the centre of the world, offering endless opportunities for growth and exploration.

In your opinion, what sets the platform apart?

Amazy’s flexibility is what sets it apart. Users can create a wide range of educational content, from short, targeted activities to comprehensive courses and learning experiences. This aligns with my love for freedom, which is embedded in Amazy’s core philosophy. Our goal is to empower educational content creators, providing them the freedom to express themselves, gain visibility, and thrive. We strive to eliminate every obstacle educators might face. All content created on Amazy can be modified, edited, and adjusted. Users can edit every letter, change colours, add new tasks, and mix and match parts of different courses to craft entirely new learning experiences. Amazy is also user-centered. This means that when teachers create and share courses publicly, content is added to their profiles. This acts as a digital business card, showcasing not only contact information and bios but also their real talents. It also allows others to see the type of learning experiences they create and helps them to understand their educational context.

What has the feedback been like from users?

Mostly positive, which is great! We are always in touch with our users, and I talk to them daily. Many educators share how Amazy has proved a game changer. They often mention its interface design and say that it’s very intuitive for creating content. Some users have noted that Amazy helped them increase their hourly rates and grow as professionals. A lot of feedback highlights how easy it is to keep everything in one place and how Amazy provides all the features needed to create excellent learning experiences. Of course, it’s not always butterflies and rainbows. Sometimes, there are technical issues, as with any early-stage startup. In such cases, we try to reassure everyone, be honest with our audience, and solve problems as quickly as possible.

Are you planning on adding any new features to it?

Yes, we are planning to add many new features! There is so much more we want to develop for the platform. This year, we are focused on introducing features that will enable our users to work with large audiences simultaneously. We are also integrating more AI tools to help educational professionals speed up their workflows and maximize their productivity. Additionally, we are dedicated to making the overall workflow easier and more intuitive for our users.

What advice would you give to other female founders looking to startup their own tech business?

If I had any advice, it would be to be brave. Don’t be afraid to explore new areas and talk to ambitious people with similar values. Also, make sure to ask questions, even if they seem silly. Stay curious and passionate. If you feel like you’re the smartest person in the room, change that!

Would you have any advice for busy mums, similar to yourself who are juggling entrepreneurship and family life?

I would say it’s important to express more gratitude towards yourself as you are managing two important and challenging roles simultaneously! Learn from your children; they have so much to teach us. They show us how to stay optimistic and start over when things go wrong, how to try new things, and how to marvel at the beauty of the world. When children run, they are not afraid of falling; they don’t even think of it. This fearlessness makes them the most passionate and fastest runners. Embrace that same spirit!

Last but not least, what are your ambitions for Amazy.uk over the next 18 months?

It is our goal to reach £15K in monthly revenue. I believe that achieving this milestone will not only enable us to accelerate our development, but build the best digital workspace for education professionals and content creators everywhere.