What Gets You Out of Bed in the Morning?
For Fritz Morris, founder of Brightmind, it’s not a cup of coffee, it’s a pang of hunger. Craving the breakfast of champions—the challenge of building an adult learning app that forges new territory in the career skills space—Fritz leads the effort behind Brightmind with the same hunger he’s approached his entire professional life: with the aspiration to achieve meaningful things, to do them well regardless of resources, and to surmount whatever obstacles he might encounter.
Brightmind is a digital learning app that creates a community around career skills acquisition. Still in beta, they are already drumming up interest in the Silicon Valley startup scene, as well as on a larger (global!) scale. They’re especially proud that their early adopters span the gamut: from Ivy League-educated professionals with 15+ years’ experience to recent college graduates.
Through the app, the users build a tight-knit learning community. They foster their own professional development with the relationships and tools they need to achieve their career goals.
Our mission is to break down the barriers to career exploration and training. We give professionals at any level the tools and network they need to reach the next level. - Fritz Morris, Brightmind CEO
The idea behind the app is a business pain that the startup team often felt throughout their careers: getting up to speed and staying current on the knowledge essential to a role. Below, Fritz gives us a glimpse into Brightmind’s inception.
You Need to Be Cheeky...
It was 1998. I was a recent college grad with a lot of ambition. I decided to pursue an opportunity to work as an associate at a venture capital firm. Unfortunately, my educational background didn’t exactly set me up for success: I had majored in International Relations and German. Although I had some basic financial modeling skills, it wasn’t enough to comfortably do my job. I had a steep learning curve. How I finessed my way into a job that was beyond my skill set I chalk up to the hubris of youth.
...But Not TOO Cheeky
Acquiring the skills I needed took a lot more time and effort than I had anticipated. I looked online (this was the early days of Google), plus sought out advice from senior staff and former college professors. Over the course of about a year, I built my professional skills to the point where I was fairly comfortable assessing deals on my own.
This first job wasn’t the only time that I punched above my weight class: over the next dozen years, my roles in education technology, gaming, and development technology meant I had to get scrappy to rebuild my core knowledge base and network. This was often a tedious process.
My motivation to build Brightmind stems from my interest in helping scrappy people from any background get ahead. Learning doesn’t stop when you get your degree. I want to help people find their career footing faster and stay on top of their game.
Brightmind vs. Online Learning vs. Learning Apps
We developed Brightmind with the learner (or rather, the lifelong learner) in mind: to give you the information you need when you need it and to include you in a community to inspire and motivate you.
We’re fundamentally different from other learning environments in two ways:
We Share Personalized Know-how
The traditional education model is based on the idea of a course, where students are required to complete a series of lectures. Typically taught by just one instructor, these courses shift the control of your educational experience to your professor.
In contrast, Brightmind users have the option of consuming as much or as little information as they want. If they’ve mastered the basics, perhaps they only want incremental information. Or, if they are still building their professional skills, students can engage with foundational skills instruction. Our community of scholars and students are always learning from our content, regardless of their career maturity. The student is in control of crafting exactly the right approach.
We Empower a Community of Peers, Experts, and Lifelong Learners
You can leverage the power of the Internet (and the digital learning solutions that leverage it) 24/7/365, right?
Wrong. Online courses, online certification programs, and instructor-led trainings often rely on instructor availability. What’s more, self-education through search and Q-and-A tools requires copious amounts of time. What this means for you is that even though information exists, it still might not be readily accessible.
Enter Brightmind. At its core, Brightmind is a vibrant and supportive community of experts and professional learners. We work hard to make Brightmind a welcoming, friendly place where people diverse backgrounds support each and champion one another's success.
There is a Better Way…
Brightmind introduces a new way to self-educate. Our vision is an open community where career climbers build and share foundational knowledge for any professional pursuit. It is a destination for lifelong learning where users pursue their own career dream along with like-minded learners, helping each other succeed.
Fritz and the rest of the Brightmind team are excited to welcome you to the family of learners. Join our beta, and let’s make history.