This Pinay Techpreneur Makes It To The Prestigious MIT LEAP 2023 Challenge! You Could, Too

Mom and technopreneur Joanne Sison is excited about the future and she has every reason to feel so.

Mathayog, an online after-school K to 12 Math platform which she started developing 2020 made it as one of 20 finalists in the prestigious MIT LEAP 2023 Challenge.

The MIT LEAP Challenge, organized by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Solve and the Jacobs Foundation, is a highly competitive initiative that identifies and recognizes groundbreaking and scalable projects in education technology.

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PH’s poor performance in Math

Joanne, a Marikina pre-school owner and math teacher for more than 20 years, pushed for the development of Mathayog in 2020 upon learning of the country’s poor ranking in the 2018  Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) where the Philippines placed second to last in math out of 79 countries.

She attributes the problem to several factors, including learning deficiencies where Filipino children under age 10 still lack basic reading skills, big student-teacher ratio in classrooms, student’s lack of foundational skills to grasp new math concepts, and, more recently, learning losses due to the pandemic.

 

 

Joanne was already in her late forties and her son in his teens when she first developed Mathayog. While she considers herself a late bloomer in the tech space, she believes it was her passion for math that drove her to pursue Mathayog.

“Teaching mathematics has allowed me to truly understand the needs and challenges students face when it comes to learning the subject,” she says, adding that being an entrepreneur taught her valuable essons in organization, leadership, and even basic business accounting, “all of which have been incredibly beneficial in the startup world.”

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From idea to viable product

From just being an idea-stage startup, Joanne was able to develop Mathayog into a viable product with the help of partners and startup incubators that provided her with mentors, networks, business development workshops, and funding opportunities among others.

“I had to find the right partners who shared my passion and values. Then, there was the Technology Business incubation phase, which was a crucial step in shaping Mathayog where we needed to come up with a minimum viable product to test the waters and get the ball rolling,” she shares.

“I've faced moments of self-doubt, just like many successful women out there. Impostor syndrome is common, but it doesn't define us. We need to believe in ourselves, our abilities, and our potential to learn and grow.” —Joanne Sison

Mathayog was first incubated in 2021 at the Miriam College-Technical Business Incubator (MC-TBI) which is housed under Miriam College’s Henry Sy, Sr. Innovation Center. Joanne credits MC-TBI for giving her startup a boost in terms of credibility and reputation in the business world. It also became the bridge for her to get the much-needed grant from the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) to propel her startup’s development plans forward.

Today, Mathayog has made big leaps in fine-tuning its platform to improve students' word problem-solving skills through personalized instruction and feedback. It utilizes AI with proven teaching methodologies to make mathematics engaging, interactive, and accessible to learners of all levels. It also paved the way for her to set-up Eduk.ai corporation with Mathayog as a flagship product. Under Eduk.ai, she will eventually introduce a range of AI-powered educational platforms, covering reading, entrance exam reviews, professional exams, and even continuing professional development.

All these progress that she has made since its first incubation allowed Mathayog to be chosen for the MIT LEAP 2023 Challenge among 242 global applicants.

"This recognition further validates our mission to revolutionize mathematics education and provide students with the tools they need to succeed in the digital age,” says Joanne.

Under the MIT LEAP 2023 Challenge, the Mathayog platform will get the opportunity to be accelerated and improved by a dedicated team and strengthen its evidence-based solutions as it engages in a 12-week LEAP Project sprint.

Free incubation for women-led idea-stage startups

MC-TBI is currently looking for the next Mathayog. It will incubate idea- to early-stage startup for free under “The Nursery”, its six-month incubation program that provides early-stage support for women entrepreneurs like Joanne who want to scale up their ventures. These support include capacity-building workshops, mentoring, networking events, training on business development and legalization, as well as funding opportunities as they transition their business ideas into a minimum viable product.

Being a techpreneur can be intimidating at first, but Joanne gives these tips on how to balance women’s many roles and finding that perfect time to start your own tech venture:

1. There's no one-size-fits-all approach to becoming a techpreneur or mompreneur.

The key is to figure out what works best for you and your family, and trust that as your kids grow, there will be time for your dreams and business ventures.

2. Shift away from the do-it-all mentality.

Embrace the idea of finding capable partners and team members to work with. You don't have to know everything, but be open to learning from others and your experiences.

3. Everything doesn't have to be perfect all the time.

“I've faced moments of self-doubt, just like many successful women out there,” says Joanne. “Impostor syndrome is common, but it doesn't define us. We need to believe in ourselves, our abilities, and our potential to learn and grow.”

Application to MC-TBI’s “The Nursery” incubation program is open to women-led startups that can develop solutions in the areas of educational technology, food, and wellbeing. Successful applicants will be part of the Cohort 5 incubatee program that will commence in September 2023. The deadline for application is on August 25, 2023. Applicants may connect with MC-TBI through their Facebook page or email mcibanez@mc.edu.ph.