Seed funding helps Quick Key grow

Good news last week for our client Quick Key!
Educational technology venture firm ARC Capital Development has invested $100,000 of seed capital in Quick Key’s testing and assessment app. The program, built by Rocket Farm, essentially transforms a phone or tablet’s camera into an optical scanner, letting teachers use their mobile devices to quickly scan and grade multiple-choice bubble sheets. The app tracks performance by student, by class, and even by question.
For about Quick Key and the process of building the app, check out our recently released Quick Key case study. But here, let me share a few thoughts about our collaboration.
Because we love a good challenge, figuring out how to make the scanning work was a lot of fun for us. But, even more, we liked working with founders Isaac van Wesep and Walter Duncan because, for them, Quick Key is as much a mission as it is a business. Mobile technology, Isaac points out, is too often available only to students who already have all the advantages – those in well-funded, high-performing schools. Isaac and Walter wanted to build an app that would help out any teacher with access to a smart phone.
“Our mission is to create technology that is designed by real educators and make it available to as many teachers and students around the world as possible,” Isaac told me.
ARC and Rocket Farm aren’t the only ones excited by the potential. Last year, Quick Key ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to raise $20,000 toward finishing the app development process; they ended up surpassing that goal and receiving contributions from more than 300 backers.