A learning platform developed by medical students in Leeds has achieved a major milestone by answering 20 million questions, with plans for significant growth on the horizon.
The platform, conceived by Dr James Gupta while he was studying medicine at Leeds University, initially started as an interactive app created to facilitate study sessions among students. With the help of his colleague, Dr Omair Vaiyani, an early version of the app allowed users to upload and practice questions in bite-sized chunks.
Dr Gupta initially set a price of £3 for the app, but it quickly gained traction when he decided to make it free, resulting in 15,000 downloads in just over six hours. Users ranged from medical students to pilots, martial arts instructors, special needs teachers, and even hobbyists, showcasing the platform’s wide appeal.
The potential for an educational business became evident when, in their final year, Dr Gupta secured a £60,000 deal with Oxford University Press to upload its medical content onto the platform. The medical content included thousands of questions for students and doctors, which the platform transformed into an engaging mobile and online experience. This rapid development saw the platform grow from zero to ten million questions answered in just three years. In the nine months following, another ten million questions were tackled.
Dr Gupta highlights the platform’s cross-sector usage, with custom features developed for diverse users such as the US Air Force and taxi services. The regulated nature of fields like financial services and healthcare enhances the platform’s utility for these sectors. Users can either utilise existing questions or upload their materials. There is a theory that revisiting content challenges the brain, leading to stronger neural connections similar to weightlifting.
The app’s algorithms are sophisticated, taking into account various factors such as historical user performance and critical content areas necessary for passing exams. Dr Gupta notes that users who select their study materials tend to improve by one grade, while those following the platform’s suggestions can improve by up to two grades within two months.
The company, headquartered in Leeds, currently employs four people and projects nearly a quarter of a million pounds in turnover this year. Dr Gupta plans to expand the workforce to 8-10 staff in the coming year, citing Leeds as an ideal location for this growth. The Leeds tech scene has significantly evolved over the past three years, and with four universities in the area, retaining qualified graduates is crucial. He emphasises the need to increase local awareness of the tech opportunities in Leeds to keep talent from migrating to larger cities.
The learning platform’s impressive growth trajectory and its impact across various sectors underline its potential. As it expands, the company remains committed to leveraging local talent and contributing to the burgeoning tech landscape in Leeds.