Broonie

Meet Broonie.

Broonie is an innovative educational technology company that empowers schools with secure, tailored artificial intelligence solutions. We understand that schools have unique requirements when it comes to adopting AI tools, particularly in areas of data protection and content safety. 

Our core offering is Intelligence as a Service (IaaS) for educational institutions. We work closely with schools to implement and host private AI services that are fully controlled by the schools themselves. This approach ensures that all data remains secure, GDPR compliant, and protected from third-party access. 

Broonie's platform allows teachers, students, and parents to access powerful AI tools across the school community with the confidence that their information is safeguarded. By providing this secure AI infrastructure, we enable schools to harness the benefits of artificial intelligence while maintaining the highest standards of data privacy and content appropriateness. 

Our mission is to facilitate the responsible integration of AI in education, empowering schools to enhance learning experiences without compromising on security or ethical considerations. 

The Team

Max Norris

Vidminas Mikucionis 

Colton Botta 

About Us

Max: A Ph.D. candidate researching Large Language Models and AI in education, Max's academic pursuits are complemented by a fascination with linguistics. He particularly enjoys the challenge of learning Sinitic language dialects, such as Cantonese. When not immersed in studies or languages, Max finds solace on the water, pursuing his passion for sailing. 

Colton Botta: A Marshall Scholar from the United States, Colton is a Ph.D. student investigating how to design ethical and responsible generative AI for use in the classroom. His background includes roles at two successful startups, one of which has achieved a multi-billion dollar valuation. Outside of his professional life, Colton competes as a professional inline hockey player and speedcuber. 

Vidminas Vizgirda: A Ph.D. student in Human-Computer Interaction. Vidminas' research investigates how teachers find, use, and share educational resources. Outside of academic studies, Vidminas is usually travelling, playing board games, or working on DIY and side projects. 

These three individuals, each with their unique backgrounds and interests, have come together in a startup venture. They share a common passion for education and a belief in the transformative potential of AI in this space, setting the stage for their collaborative efforts in educational technology. 

Problem

Broonie addresses the critical challenge of providing schools with tailored AI solutions that prioritize data protection, content safety, and institutional control. We offer Intelligence as a Service (IaaS) specifically designed for educational institutions, enabling schools to harness AI's benefits while ensuring GDPR compliance and data security. Our platform allows the entire school community to access AI tools safely, bridging the gap between advanced technology and the unique needs of educational environments. 

Solution

Broonie, using Large Language Model agents, harnesses data from curricula, lesson plans, and student work to help teachers with tasks like writing pupils’ reports, identifying pupils' strengths and weaknesses, and writing formative feedback, ultimately improving educational outcomes and reducing teacher workload. 

Market

We are a B2B service. Our customers are educational institutions such as schools, school districts, government bodies, and private educational networks. Broonie targets the “Class aid and teacher support” segment of the European EdTech market, valued at $46.09 billion in 2022 and projected to reach $106.42 billion by 2028. Our beachhead UK EdTech market (valued at $6.73 billion in 2023) includes 570,000 teachers as potential end-users of our platform. 

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