Built with Schools:
Founders' Edtech Field Notes

REAL JOURNEYS

How to Design Impactful EdTech

DECISION PATTERNS

EVIDENCE-INFORMED

How founders actually co-design with teachers and school leaders, in their own words.

Recurring choices for developing platforms and dashboards that serve school needs.

How founders leverage existing research and their own findings alongside commercial growth.

There are plenty of resources on the importance of evidence in EdTech.

What's been missing are real examples from edtech startups co-designing software with teachers and school leaders and turning educational research into evidence-based edtech.

A free hub of "field notes" from founders on that journey, from MVP to proven impact.

Research-Based EdTech Design

Most of what is known about your problem or idea can be accessed for free!
Use it to inform your design and avoid costly mistakes.

Designing Platforms and Dashboards for Schools

Case studies of co-designing software with teachers

EdTech Field Notes have been developed with and for impact-driven founders.

Whether you have a research-backed MVP, are building the evidence base for an established product, or you're somewhere in-between, these are for you if:

• You have a product or dashboard used by teachers or school leaders.

• You want to make product design decisions based on research.

• You need to build evidence of impact alongside commercial growth.

A couple of tips shared by later-stage founders, for those pivoting or starting to build impactful edtech.

Successful Teacher Dashboards

All the founders with a dashboard for teachers or school leaders simplified or even bypassed their dashboards entirely.

Find out how in the EdTech Field Notes .

Follow the Journey: Get the Updates

EdTech Field Notes will available here, as they are released.

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Questions about EdTech Field Notes

What will it look like?

The hub will grow into a library of patterns from across interviews with founders and case studies of their journeys designing platforms and dashboards with schools and based on research.

Is this really free?

Yes! The field notes are totally free and, like all resources I share, will be shared under a Creative Commons license.

When does it launch?

September/October 2026: Waitlist members get the first look and updates as the hub grows.

Who is behind it?

Hi there! If you're new here, I'm Rebekah Fant-Male of Laine Education, Positioning and Messaging Consultant for impact-driven education founders. I use research to inform my work, as well as my experience in schools and across commercial edtech functions.

Have the founders paid for placement?

No, there is no paid placement, sponsorship or sponsored content, just real founders sharing what they've learned.

How did you choose the founders?

Just over half of founders self-selected in response to a call I put out on LinkedIn. I then reached out directly to founders I knew would be strong examples, in order to balance perspectives across early and later-stage startups; data dashboards and learning platforms; and research-grounded and user co-designed development.

If you would like to share your own perspective or evidence journey, please do get in touch.

What will you send by email?

You'll receive EdTech Field Notes as they are released, then related articles and tips on building and positioning impactful edtech with schools (free, 2x emails/month, delivered via Substack).
Super easy to unsubscribe, but an edtech founder told me recently he finds it, 'genuinely useful'.