From Investment Banking to Impacting 12 Million Students: Claudio Sassaki’s Bold Journey in EdTech

Imagine leaving a secure career in finance to revolutionize education in a country facing deep inequality. That’s exactly what Claudio Sassaki did. As the co-founder of Geekie—a Brazilian edtech company that has touched the lives of over 12 million students—Claudio’s journey is a masterclass in passion, perseverance, and innovation.

A Leap of Faith Toward a Brighter Future

Claudio’s story began with a personal crisis. After a successful stint in the financial sector abroad, a family emergency brought him back to Brazil. Witnessing the stark inequalities in his home country, Claudio made a life-changing decision: he quit finance and dedicated himself to transforming education. With a teaching background inherited from his mother and personal experience in the classroom, he knew firsthand the challenges faced by students and educators.

The Birth of Geekie: Leveraging Technology for Mass Impact

In 2011, Claudio co-founded Geekie with a simple yet powerful idea: deliver high-quality education to a large number of students using technology. At a time when only a fraction of Brazilian students could master the basics of math and Portuguese, he saw an opportunity. Using machine learning and early AI techniques, Geekie offered a full digital curriculum covering 16 subjects for middle and high school. This innovative approach provided real-time data to teachers, parents, and students—empowering them to tailor learning and address challenges as they arose.

Overcoming Challenges and Finding the Right Model

The journey wasn’t easy. Claudio and his co-founder bootstrapped the company, navigated multiple funding rounds, and experimented with various business models—from B2C to B2B and even government partnerships. The early years were marked by trial and error. Claudio recalls how a “scarcity mindset” kept the team focused on what truly mattered: building a product that worked and solving real problems.

One of the pivotal moments came when Geekie integrated directly into a school in São Paulo. By working side by side with teachers, students, and administrators for two years, the team learned the true nature of classroom challenges and refined their solution accordingly. This hands-on approach not only built trust with clients but also drove rapid adoption—even in a market dominated by long-established players.

Key Lessons for Tech Entrepreneurs and Educators

Claudio’s journey offers practical insights for anyone looking to innovate in education:

Embrace the Personal Touch: Trust is the cornerstone of any successful venture. Claudio’s early clients came through personal referrals and hands-on engagement rather than cold calls. Invite your potential clients to experience your solution firsthand.
Leverage Scarce Resources: When funds are limited, creativity becomes your greatest asset. Claudio’s strategy of pairing paid users with free access for public school students not only increased user numbers but also enriched the data needed to improve the product.
Iterate from Within: Embedding your team in a real classroom environment can provide invaluable insights. Claudio’s decision to set up shop in a school helped him and his team understand and solve problems more effectively than remote research ever could.
Prioritize Clients Over Investors: For Claudio, having a committed client base was more important than raising large sums of venture capital. In education, where the stakes are high and sales cycles are long, real customer validation is key.

Looking Ahead: AI and the Future of Personalized Learning

Claudio’s work also highlights the transformative role of AI in education. He envisions a future where AI personalizes learning for every student, supports teachers, and streamlines administrative tasks. Whether it’s addressing language barriers or reskilling displaced workers, AI holds the promise of making education more inclusive and effective on a global scale.

Your Next Step

Claudio’s story is a powerful reminder that bold choices and relentless focus can lead to extraordinary impact. Whether you’re an educator, tech entrepreneur, or simply passionate about innovation in learning, there’s a lesson here for you: dare to tackle the toughest challenges, and use technology to make a real difference.

Ready to explore more about the intersection of technology and education? Dive deeper into the world of edtech innovations, share your thoughts, or start a conversation about how we can shape the future of learning together. Let’s build a better education system—one innovative idea at a time.