Hoja AI

What a year it has been at Hoja AI! Here are some of our top reflections Pavan Konanur Katherine Tatarinov Fouad Yaseen Shahzad Ahmed Mehak Fatima Suhaib Rathore Talha Z. Muhammad Arslan #edtech #startup #aiforgood

Thank you to Pavan Konanur, CEO and co-founder of edtech company, Hoja AI and chair of the UK Lazaridis Dean’s Advisory Council, who joined students in Dr. Salar Ghamat’s MGTA601: Machine Learning for Business, a core course in the Lazaridis Master of Science in Management Analytics program. Pavan shared inspiring insights on how Hoja AI is leveraging generative AI to personalize educational supports, tailoring content to students' needs and interests for better engagement and a positive learning experience. Their tagline is “Your personal AI study buddy.” His discussion offered a glimpse into the ways AI can support the future of education, and connected to course concepts related to predictive modeling, human-AI interactions, and using data to support business decision-making. Thank you, Pavan, for coming back to campus to share your experience and knowledge with our students!

We started Hoja a little more than a year ago, and let me tell you, the journey has been anything but smooth. Whet building a startup from scratch what could possibly go wrong? Well, a lot 😂. But hey, that’s what makes it exciting—you can’t avoid challenges, so you might as well embrace them. Take this gem of a memory from our very early days. Back then, I was a one-person tech army, writing scripts for everything - ingesting courses, deleting test users, and trying not to break things. One day, I heroically decided to clean up the chats of test users. Except, instead of just deleting their chats, I managed to delete everyone’s chat history 😳😂. Thankfully, we only had a few dozen users at the time, so the damage was limited. Lesson learned: always double-check before hitting Enter. Bonus lesson: learn to stay composed in the face of such crises - you’re going to need it. Fast forward to today, and things are looking a lot less chaotic (well, most of the time). We’ve grown to over 10,000 signups, built a much more solid tech stack, and automated enough processes to ensure I’m not stuck reliving the horrors of my chat-deleting days. Risks? Still here. Challenges? Still plenty. But the truth is, no matter what you do, things will go wrong - it’s how you handle the chaos that counts. Trust me - once it's all handled, you'll laugh at it later. I'd love to hear about your experience where things went sideways but left you with a lesson (and laughs). #entrepreneurship #startuplife #techchallenges #innovation

And we're off to the races! In this week’s edition of our newsletter, our CEO Pavan Konanur explores our early traction with Hoja Education is evolving, and so are the tools we use to empower learners. At Hoja AI, we're paving the way for a future where learning is tailored, engaging, and impactful. 🚀 #aiineducation #edtech #learningapp #personalisedlearning #aitutor

🎉 Celebrating a Double First Birthday! 🎉 One year ago, two amazing journeys began: the birth of my daughter Isabela Nova and the launch of my company, Hoja AI. Both have taught me more than I could ever imagine, and today, I want to reflect on these two "startups" that came to life in December last year. Having a baby and building a business have surprising parallels. Here are a few funny lessons I've learned from growing these two "little beings": 👶 It starts with a beautiful idea From imagining Isabela’s first smile to Hoja's mission of personalizing education, the early excitement is unparalleled. 🚼 Growing pains are real With Isabela, there are teething troubles (literally); with Hoja, there are pivots, bugs, and late-night brainstorming. 🍼 Nappy changes Both require a lot of cleaning up—and quick responses to unforeseen messes! 💤 Sleepless nights Be it soothing a crying baby or perfecting a pitch deck, the grind is endless (and rewarding). 🌱 The joy of watching them grow Whether it’s Isabela taking her first steps or Hoja onboarding its first users, every milestone feels monumental. 🤝 It takes a village All of this has been possible because of the unwavering support of friends, family, and loved ones—my ‘co-founders’ in parenting. It’s been a journey full of adventures and challenges, but it’s driven by the hope of a brighter future. Here’s to all the parents, entrepreneurs, and everyone growing something meaningful—your hard work is making the world better, one step at a time. #Startups #Parenting #Hoja #PersonalizedEducation #AI #Entrepreneurship

Discover a compelling new guest article by Eilif Trondsen on the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in vocational education and training (VET). Dr. Trondsen explores both the vast potential and the significant challenges of implementing AI in VET settings, drawing on global examples and innovative solutions. Discover how institutions like Stanford University and companies such as Siemens are leading the way with AI-enhanced learning experiences. From technical upgrades to cultural shifts, learn about the strategic approaches that are shaping the future of vocational training. Dive into Dr. Trondsen’s expert analysis for a deeper understanding of how AI can create more effective, accessible, and responsive education systems. #vocationaleducation #ai #AIinEducation #Learning #educationtechnology #AItransformation

Hoja AI is excited to announce its membership in the NVIDIA Inception Program. 🚀 This marks a major step in our journey to revolutionise education with cutting-edge AI solutions. Hoja AI is continuously evolving to innovate, collaborate, and elevate learning experiences by incorporating input from the best and the brightest. Watch this space for more #HojaAI #NVIDIAInception #AIInnovation #EdTech #AIinEducation #AIforGood #AIinLearning -------- Note: © 2023 NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo, and NVIDIA Inception Program are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.

🚀 **AI + Education: A Grand Experiment with 300 Students!** 🎓🤖  This semester, I took a bold step with over 300 bachelor’s students in my course *Innovating for the Grand Challenges*. The mission? Test-drive an AI-powered study companion to supercharge their learning journey. Enter: Hoja AI—a tool designed to bridge classroom theory with personalized, on-demand learning.  📊 The Results Are In! After 8 weeks, here’s what students had to say:   - 💡 *80% felt it aligned well with class discussions.*   - 🌟 *50% rated its helpfulness 4+ out of 5.*  While the AI made revisiting complex ideas easier, it also taught us valuable lessons: too much repetition = boredom, and tone matters.  ✨ My Key Takeaways: 1️⃣ AI shines as a partner, not a replacement.   2️⃣ Feedback is fuel for growth (both for the tool *and* the course!).   3️⃣ Personalization needs balance—students crave variety and depth.  👉 Curious about what worked, what didn’t, and what’s next? Check out my blog post for the full story and my vision for the future of AI in education.  💬 Have you tried AI in your classroom or workplace? Let’s swap notes in the comments!  

Meet the team

Our cofounder Shahzad Ahmed shares his thoughts on what AI means for teachers. What is your opinion?