Society has spent a lot of time bemoaning our digitally cluttered minds and goldfish-like attention spans, pointing the finger at doomscrolling as the reason we can’t just sit down and read a book or study for a test. But what if the solution wasn’t to stop scrolling, but to rethink what you’re scrolling through?
That’s what startup ScrollEd is betting on. The Palo Alto-based startup is participating in the TechCrunch Disrupt Startup Battlefield 200 contest with a novel idea: if a student doesn’t open the textbook, the textbook should be automatically opened to the student as a scroll.
ScrollEd has built an app that allows users to turn any text file, including bland PDFs and textbooks, into a feed much like Instagram Reels or TikTok. As you scroll, content appears as AI-generated video, audio, text, and even interactive quizzes. Swipe up to see new topics, swipe sideways to dig deeper into the current topic, and end with a quiz.
“Younger generations are increasingly relying solely on short-form, vertical feeds (especially the 18-year-olds we spoke to!). This creates challenges for all types of media that need depth,” ScrollEd co-founder Utsav Gupta told TechCrunch via email. “We want to meet them where they are…We just need to think carefully about how we use it and choose not to maximize engagement on the platform.”
“Watching a short video can create curiosity, and following that curiosity may lead you to look for another explanation or exit the app,” continued Gupta. “We wanted to make it as easy as moving to the next video to understand more.”
Earlier this year, Gupta launched ScrollEd with co-founder and wife Rebecca Neff after noticing that they were both frustrated after doomscrolling before bed. Both are students. Mr. Gupta studies AI and human purpose at Stanford University, and Mr. Neff studies computer science at the University of Pennsylvania.
The startup is targeting educational institutions, corporate training programs, and individuals who “want something better to scroll through,” according to Gupta.
The company will launch its consumer business with Disrupt. (“We want to ‘disrupt’ social media and shortform!” joked Mr. Gupta.)
ScrollEd follows a freemium model that combines a free consumer feed with a paid ScrollEd Pro subscription and annual institutional license. Educational institutions pay to distribute educational materials through the platform and in return receive reports on engagement, lesson progress, and other data.
In the coming months, ScrollEd plans to focus on its consumer launch, building out its lesson library and source checking workflow, and developing a pilot for educational institutions. The startup is also building infrastructure that will one day allow educators to assess individual learners and adapt to their needs.
“Ambition is a better social network for you,” Mr. Gupta said.
Check out ScrollEd and other smart startups vetted by TC’s editorial team. Check it out at TechCrunch Disrupt, October 13-15 in downtown San Francisco. More details and tickets can be found here.
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