Quick Key was born from a conversation between entrepreneur Isaac van Wesep and his friend, teacher Walter Duncan. Duncan, a strong proponent of daily student quizzes, was frustrated with the time-consuming process of hand-grading or relying on expensive scanning machines. He envisioned a simple solution—what if his phone could quickly scan and grade answer sheets?

The more they discussed it, the more they realized the potential of this idea. Their goal was to create a tool affordable for all teachers, from low-income schools to affluent institutions. By making regular testing more accessible, they believed Quick Key could help bridge the educational divide between rich and poor.

“A lot of education technology is wonderful and useful, but only accessible to the 1 percent of students and teachers in well-funded schools,” explains van Wesep. Determined to change that, they set out to turn their vision into reality.

They partnered with Rocket Farm Studios to bring their concept to life, impressed by the team's quick RFP response, creative portfolio, and hands-on discovery process. Lacking a detailed technical plan, van Wesep and Duncan relied on Rocket Farm to translate their vision into a clear set of requirements and a simple, intuitive app experience.

Two major challenges stood in the way of their vision: developing a smartphone camera that could accurately scan answer sheets, and ensuring the app worked in both online and offline environments—crucial for teachers in rural and underconnected regions.