The Early Technologies team helped transform Academy123 from an abstract business idea into a successful company which was later acquired by Discovery Communications. We were involved from the earliest stages, participating in the fundraising process and helping Academy123 raise over $5 million. We designed, prototyped, launched, and marketed over a dozen products over the course of three years, earning two industry awards. We architected and operated the day-to-day business, which involved managing a distributed workforce of over four-hundred teachers and quality control personnel. Lastly, we were deeply involved in the acquisition process, helping transfer all of Academy123’s intellectual property to Discovery.

How do you build an online destination for students that combines learning and fun, and accurately represents the Discovery brand?  Discovery asked us to re-think their portfolio of consumer-focused education products and propose new designs and strategies that are geared more specifically to the needs of its users.  The effort included re-designing a Windows-based content authoring tool for improved workflow and scalability, defining an online community where students and teachers could help each other, and revising online marketing campaigns to improve conversion and subscription rates.

America Online asked us to design and build an online homework help product that was offered to its millions of online subscribers.   AOL Step by Step Math quickly became the number one AOL education premium service and was critically acclaimed, earning the 2006 Distinguished Achievement Award from the Association of Educational Publishers (AEP).

The Early Technology team was asked to redesign the Admissions Essays corporate identity and web application, with the goal of becoming the leading online destination for admission essay and personal statement development services.   The web site redesign was effective in improving the purchasing process, resulting in a boost in overall sales.

The Auto-ID Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) asked the Early Technologies team to help communicate the virtues of a new technology standard used by next generation barcode chips.  The effort resulted in a variety of successful deliverables, including an extensive product web site, interactive flash presentations, and more.