September 23, 2024 • 34min

Niels Hoven: Teaching Two Year-Olds to Read Like Second Graders

Pattern Breakers

Niels Hoven, founder and CEO of Mentava, joins Mike Maples Jr. to discuss his educational technology startup. Mentava aims to accelerate K-12 education, with its first product focused on teaching two-year-olds to read at a second-grade level. The company's ambitious goal is to ensure every child has the opportunity to learn as fast as they are capable, addressing a growing frustration with the current education system's focus on closing achievement gaps rather than helping high-achieving students reach their full potential.

0:00

-0:00

Key Takeaways

Mentava's mission is to provide accelerated K-12 education, focusing on teaching preschoolers to read quickly and efficiently
The startup aims to meet the learning needs of high-achieving students that are often neglected in the current education system
Mentava's approach is disruptive by starting education early (age 2) rather than trying to replace the entire K-12 system
The company gained unexpected traction after a critic's tweet went viral, leading to $25,000 in pre-orders overnight
Mentava tapped into parents' frustration with the current education system's focus on closing achievement gaps rather than helping every child reach their potential
The startup's early success demonstrates the power of a clear mission that resonates with early believers
Mentava's strategy avoids direct competition with the K-12 system, instead providing supplementary accelerated learning
The company faces challenges in market size and adoption but believes in the impact of its mission

Introduction

Niels Hoven, founder and CEO of Mentava, joins Mike Maples Jr. to discuss his educational technology startup. Mentava aims to accelerate K-12 education, with its first product focused on teaching two-year-olds to read at a second-grade level. The company's ambitious goal is to ensure every child has the opportunity to learn as fast as they are capable, addressing a growing frustration with the current education system's focus on closing achievement gaps rather than helping high-achieving students reach their full potential.

Topics Discussed

Mentava's Mission and Product (03:12)

Niels Hoven explains Mentava's focus on accelerated K-12 education, highlighting the disconnect between modern education policy and the goal of helping every child reach their potential. He states:

The current goal of education policy is to close gaps between high achievers and struggling students
Many school districts have eliminated opportunities for high-achieving students to excel
Mentava aims to meet the learning needs of children who want to learn faster than the current system allows

"A lot of parents don't realize that the goal of modern education policy is not actually to help every child reach their potential. The goal of modern education policy is to close gaps between high achievers and struggling students." - Niels Hoven

Origins of Mentava (05:09)

Hoven shares his personal motivation for starting Mentava:

He has four children and wants to ensure they have the same learning opportunities he had
His father fought for his access to accelerated learning opportunities when he was young
He believes the biggest opportunities to accelerate learning are in the early years of education

"I want to make sure that my kids are having their learning needs met in school and the specific way that it happened for me." - Niels Hoven

Product Development and Launch (13:20)

Hoven discusses the unexpected launch of Mentava's product:

A political activist criticized Mentava on Twitter, leading to viral interest
Within 24 hours, they received enough pre-orders to cover a month's cash flow
The team scrambled to launch the product within a week, despite being months away from their planned launch

"Haters do the best marketing." - Niels Hoven

Tapping into Parent Frustration (17:11)

Hoven explains why Mentava's mission resonated so strongly with parents:

Growing understanding that schools are not supporting high-achieving kids
COVID-19 pandemic gave parents a front-row seat to their children's education
Shock at the "dumbing down" of curriculum to the lowest common denominator

"I think there is a growing understanding, especially from parents of high achieving kids, that schools are not supporting their kids in the way that they thought they were." - Niels Hoven

Mentava as a Movement (19:07)

The discussion explores how Mentava is more than just a product, but a movement:

Early customers are animated by belief in Mentava's vision
The company is shifting back to messaging focused on their greater mission
They aim to attract customers excited about the mission who will be patient with product development

"We want the customers right now who are excited about our mission and are going to cut us a little bit of slack in where the product is right now." - Niels Hoven

Disruptive Innovation Strategy (24:57)

Hoven and Maples discuss Mentava's approach as a disruptive innovation:

Mentava is not trying to replace the entire school system
They are unbundling a small piece of academics (1 hour per day) to accelerate learning
The company is disrupting tutoring more than schools

"Maybe we're disrupting school a little bit, but I'd say what we're really disrupting is tutoring." - Niels Hoven

Avoiding Direct Competition with K-12 System (28:04)

The conversation explores how Mentava avoids direct competition with the K-12 system:

Starting education at age two avoids comparison with traditional schooling
This approach allows Mentava to demonstrate results before children enter the school system
It forces schools to address the reality of accelerated learners

"If we can sell to them and get that conversation started early and then start having a conversation about you thought that your kid was not being left that far behind by the current backwards school policy. Now that you see what they're capable of, what all these other kids are doing now, now maybe we can, now maybe we can force some of these conversations about how much, how we've been failing these kids by not meeting their learning needs." - Niels Hoven

Challenges in Education Reform (29:42)

Hoven discusses broader challenges in education reform:

The need for competition and accountability in the school system
The importance of providing alternatives to public schools
The unfairness of forcing children to remain in a system that doesn't meet their needs

"It's not fair to my child to say, you just have to be here and sit here and be bored for, you know, 18 years of your childhood, because, you know, that's, that's your duty." - Niels Hoven

Demonstrating the Impossible (31:32)

The discussion touches on how Mentava is demonstrating what many consider impossible:

People initially react with disbelief to the idea of two-year-olds reading
Seeing real results changes perceptions of what's possible
Mentava aims to build the evidence rather than relying on existing research

"When I say, you know, kids should be doing calculus in 8th grade, kids should be reading at age two, et cetera, et cetera, most people are going to hear that and be like, this person is crazy. He's just making stuff up that isn't possible. But then you start to seeing it happen for real, and then people start to realize, oh, this is possible. This is the world that I want to live in." - Niels Hoven

Challenges and Future Outlook (32:45)

Hoven acknowledges the challenges Mentava faces and discusses the company's future:

Uncertainty about market size and adoption
The difficulty of the problem they're tackling
The importance of working on a mission with impact

"I think working on a mission that has impact that you believe in, just so many good things come out of that. It makes fundraising easier, it makes hiring easier, it makes marketing easier. People get excited about what you're building and want to be part of that movement." - Niels Hoven

Conclusion

Mentava represents a bold attempt to disrupt the education system by providing accelerated learning opportunities for young children. By focusing on teaching two-year-olds to read and avoiding direct competition with the K-12 system, the company has found a unique approach to addressing the needs of high-achieving students. While challenges remain in terms of market size and adoption, Mentava's early traction demonstrates the power of a clear mission that resonates with frustrated parents. As the company continues to develop its products and demonstrate results, it has the potential to spark important conversations about how to best meet the learning needs of all students, particularly those capable of accelerated learning.