For teaching education a thing or two
47 Knewton
Education-technology startup Knewton is schooling the market in the future of learning technology.
“There’s only one big player in search or in social,”
says CEO Jose Ferreira. “In education, that’s going
to be Knewton.” The New York–based company
aced 2011 trying to make that boast come true.
Highlights:
OpenSky
WATCHANDLEARN
Knewton’s debut software, four years in the making,
lets students go at their own pace and personalizes
content to how they’re most comfortable learning.
MATH MAJOR
It launched last summer at Arizona State University,
where it’s being used by incoming students who are
preparing for college-level math in the fall. Deals with
Penn State, SUNY, and others followed.
EX TRA CREDI T
Knewton won a deal to power Pearson Education’s
math, science, and humanities tutoring software,
used by 9 million higher-ed students. “Knewton gets
better the more people use it,” Ferreira says.
FOR CREATING A SOCIAL,
CELEBRITY-POWERED
SHOPPING EXPERIENCE
“It’s a living, breathing shop built
just for you,” says John Caplan, founder
and CEO of OpenSky, a retail platform that
lets users receive a Twitter-like feed of recommended products from high-profile
curators they choose to follow. Within
months of its launch, the site is generating
$500,000 a week in sales and creating a
new kind of shopping experience for its
1 million members—and the celebrities
who inspire them. —DAN MACSAI
CYNTHIA ROWLEY
Designer
“I love that OpenSky
lets me curate things
that I like, and not
just things I designed
and manufactured.
That creates a great
testing ground for ex-
panding the Cynthia
Rowley brand. A lot
of the jewelry I’ve
posted, for example,
has sold much better
than I expected, so
I’m starting to think
about doing more
accessories at my
own company. Same
with home furnish-
ings. Because the site
is so personal, I can
really get to know my
followers’ tastes.”
Giles & Brother
Railroad Spike Cuff
Cynthia Rowley Spring
2012 Sunglasses
Zoku Quick
Pop Maker
PROP S T YLING: AELANA CURRAN FOR BERNS TEIN & ANDRIULLI; S T YLING: ROSE GARCIA, HAIR AND MAKEUP:
CHRISTINEHERBECK(ROWLEY,RUTHERFORD);STYLING:COURTNEYFUGLEIN,GROOMING:DAHLIAWARNER(FLAY)
For taking the wheel of the $2.5 billion
Indian bus-travel industry
RedBus 48
Several years ago, on a busy holiday weekend,
Phanindra Sama actually ran after some Indian bus
operators in a failed attempt to catch a bus home.
Now, says Sama, “I’m computerizing the bus industry.” His company, RedBus, spent years unifying the
system—bus operators, tickets, travel agents—and
this year unveiled an integrated platform that serves
more than 10,000 bus routes. Customers can view
open seats from multiple operators, purchase tickets,
and post ratings. Meanwhile, bus operators can track
seat availability in real time, and travel agents can
prebook passengers. RedBus tripled sales last year,
adding 4. 25 million riders.
