The One About Philip and Geni
Plus, Chicago tech optimism, upcoming events, and more!
Thank you everyone for your continued support of this newsletter. My goal is to create a platform to showcase great founders building great companies right here in Chicago.
I think our city is flying under the radar a little bit. I keep hearing from founders who say they considered setting up shop in SF or NY or Miami but instead chose to come to Chicago and have had no regrets.
There is a growing network of smart, gritty founders here ready and hungry to usher in a new era of unicorn companies. Once capital catches on, I truly believe Chicago will start to turn heads.
Founder Spotlight
This month’s spotlight features Philip Montgomery, Co-Founder of Geni, a platform that allows teachers and parents to transform assignments into fun, personalized activities tailored to each child’s interests. Continue reading to learn more about Philip’s story!
Windy City EdTech (WCE): What does your company do? What big problem are you trying to solve?
Philip: Half of all students are fully disengaged in the classroom, while 66% of teachers and parents report feeling overworked. There’s a growing need for a tool that makes assignments more engaging without adding to their workload. Geni allows teachers, parents, and guardians to instantly transform boring assignments—like grammar worksheets—into fun, personalized activities tailored to each child’s interests.
WCE: Can you share the story behind the founding of your company? What inspired you to start it?
Philip: Geni began when my co-founder, Tiger, approached me and said he was starting an education startup and wanted my help. After eight hours brainstorming ideas for an MVP, I shared a story from when I was 14 and helped my 6-year-old sister, Cyndy, learn to read after she fell behind in school. For over a month, I tried getting her to read standard children’s books like Green Eggs and Ham, but she seemed to prefer to eat the book than read it. Frustrated, I grabbed a random book off our shelf and rewrote it on construction paper, changing the main character’s name to Cyndy and the others to fairies. I expected her to immediately throw it away, but she loved it, and after making more personalized stories, she started reading above grade level. When I finished the story, Tiger said, “That’s our product.” We realized not everyone has an older brother to craft personalized stories, but we can do it with AI.
WCE: What sets your product or service apart from others?
Philip: There are a lot of AI tools that are great at making generic worksheets, but none actually focus on providing that personalized element to their assignments. The future of education is not found in making the same assignments that people have seen for the last 100 years, but in creating tailored education experiences that maximize the potential of every child.
WCE: How can our community help you?
Philip: If you are a parent, teacher, or anyone else, please try out our app! https://geni.zone/signup
WCE: Why are you building in Chicago? What do you love most about the city?
Philip: We are passionate about helping students in Chicago because not long ago we were those kids—navigating Chicago public schools and struggling with subjects that didn’t click. That’s why we are building here: to support students who remind us of ourselves.
WCE: Do you have one or more co-founders? How did you meet? What are each of your superpowers?
Philip: I have one co-founder, Tiger Wang. We met working on research at the University of Illinois. Tiger is a wizard behind the terminal. He can turn fuzzy ideas into fully implemented products with a snap of his fingers. I’m the guy who can get a whole room to focus on Geni when I talk about it. As my mentor, Professor Elias Korpas, says, “Philip is good at building empathy.”
WCE: What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in building your company?
Philip: There have been more downs than ups working on this startup over the past year. We've gone through teams, products that turned out to be dead ends, and just general drama. Throughout all of this we have stuck together and are stronger for going through it.
WCE: What are you most proud of with your startup?
Philip: There was this moment recently when I visited a school that was using Geni. A third-grader walked up to me and she asked “Can I type in Britney Spears?" I told her she could and her face lit up like a Christmas tree with the biggest smile you’ve ever seen. That is the thing I am the most proud of.
Check out our previous founder spotlights!
Upcoming Events
EdTech Institute of Chicago x Future of Higher Education (FOHE) Fall Happy Hour
Nov. 7 from 5:30-7:30 pm CT
RSVP (Luma)
Join us for a vibrant evening of connections and conversation at the joint social happy hour hosted by Future of Higher Education (FOHE) Chicago and the EdTech Institute of Chicago!