Not someday. Not after they "get good at math." Right now. What if learning began not with worksheets or lectures, but with wonder? With a simple "I wonder why..." that leads to discovery?
THIS IS SIMILI. IT STARTS WITH WONDER.
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Where children see patterns everywhere—in music, games, nature, and yes, in numbers. Where learning begins with "I wonder..." and every answer leads to another question. Where math isn't a subject to survive, but a language to explore.
What if we valued the journey of thinking over the speed of answering? Where taking time to understand is celebrated, not penalized.
→ CURIOSITY THRIVES
What if every "wrong" answer revealed how a child thinks—becoming a stepping stone, not a barrier?
→ WONDER GROWS
What if every child had a patient thinking partner who listens, asks questions, and helps them discover their own path forward?
→ EVERYONE BELONGS
Watch a five-year-old divide candy fairly. Listen to an eight-year-old debug their Minecraft bridge. They don't have the vocabulary yet, but they have the wonder. That curiosity—that instinct to ask "why?" and "what if?"—is where all mathematical thinking begins.
We're not inventing new pedagogy. We're building on decades of research about how children actually learn to think mathematically.
THREE-ACT MATH
Start with perplexity, not procedure. Let students wonder "what's going on here?" before teaching them how to solve it. Math should feel like a story with tension, not a recipe to follow.
What we learned: Lead with curiosity. The question comes before the answer.
COGNITIVELY GUIDED INSTRUCTION
Children develop mathematical understanding through problem-solving that builds on their intuitive strategies. Teachers need to understand how students are thinking, not just what they answer.
What we learned: Listen to the thinking, not just the answer.
MATHEMATICAL MINDSETS
Math anxiety isn't about aptitude—it's about environment. When we remove timed tests, emphasize multiple strategies, and celebrate mistakes as learning moments, every child can thrive.
What we learned: Safety first. No timers. No red Xs.
CONSTRUCTIONISM
Children learn best when they're building something meaningful. Mathematical thinking emerges through tinkering, debugging, and iteration—not through memorization.
What we learned: Let students construct knowledge, don't transmit it.
MATHEMATICAL KNOWLEDGE FOR TEACHING
Teaching math requires specialized knowledge: understanding common misconceptions, recognizing the mathematical structure in student thinking, and knowing which questions to ask next.
What we learned: Questions are a craft. We study them.
A MATHEMATICIAN'S LAMENT
"Mathematics is the art of explanation." We've turned it into a set of rules to memorize. Real mathematics is creative, playful, and deeply human.
What we learned: Math is an art, not a checklist.
Simili is what happens when you take these insights seriously → and ask: What if AI could help us scale this kind of teaching?
Remember when you wondered how birds know where to fly? Or why bubbles are always round?
That feeling—that spark of "I wonder..."—that's where all great thinking starts. You already do this naturally when you figure out a tricky level in a game, or notice patterns in your favorite song, or experiment with building something new.
Simili is built for your wonder. It's a place where your questions lead the way. Where you can think out loud, make mistakes, and discover patterns everywhere—in music, sports, nature, and yes, in numbers too.
No grades. No timers. Just you, exploring ideas that make you curious.
→ IT STARTS WITH WONDER. YOURS.
Remember when your child asked "why?" about everything?
That wonder—that unstoppable curiosity—is still there. But too often, school teaches kids to fear being wrong more than they love being curious.
Simili protects and nurtures that natural wonder. It's a space where your child can explore, make mistakes, and think out loud without pressure. Where "I don't know... let me think" is celebrated. Where every question matters more than any answer.
Because confidence doesn't come from always being right. It comes from knowing you can figure things out.
→ IT STARTS WITH WONDER. LET'S KEEP IT ALIVE.
You know what real learning looks like.
It's that moment when a student's eyes light up. When "I don't get it" becomes "Wait... what if..." When wonder takes over and thinking becomes visible.
You dream of being there for every one of those moments. But with 28 unique thinkers in your classroom, time is your biggest constraint.
Simili gives you back time for what matters most. Our AI has 1:1 conversations that reveal how each student thinks—not just what they answer. You get simple, powerful insights about who's ready for what's next and who needs a different approach.
This isn't more data. It's clarity. So you can orchestrate those "aha" moments with the students who need you most.
→ IT STARTS WITH WONDER. YOU HELP IT GROW.
The breakthroughs of the next century won't come from memorization. They'll come from wonder.
From children who learned early that asking "why?" and "what if?" is more valuable than having the right answer. From thinkers who see problems as invitations to explore, not obstacles to overcome.
It's well-documented that the conceptual gaps preventing higher-order thinking begin in early grades—when curiosity gets replaced by compliance, when wonder gives way to worksheets. These gaps compound over time, creating costly barriers to future achievement.
Simili is an investment in preserving and developing wonder at scale. Our voice-first, Socratic AI is the first platform designed not to quiz children on what they know, but to nurture how they think—capturing and building on their natural curiosity before it's lost.
THEORY OF CHANGE:
IF we protect and develop children's natural wonder and curiosity in the early grades...
THEN we build the cognitive flexibility, resilience, and love of learning required for a lifetime of growth...
SO THAT they approach every challenge with confidence, asking "what if?" instead of "I can't."
→ THIS IS WHERE WE START WITH WONDER.
Not a tutor. Not a quiz. A thinking partner.
Children think faster than they type. Tone reveals uncertainty. Conversation is natural.
Questions unlock understanding. The path matters more than the answer.
Every child thinks differently. We meet each learner where they are.
We don't just check if answers are right or wrong—Simili listens for the thinking behind each response.
For every standard, we curate a database of typical misconceptions and analyze each student's reasoning trace to map where misunderstandings arise. For example, when a student says "three-fourths is bigger because 4 is more than 2," Simili recognizes the misconception—confusing numerator and denominator magnitude.
Simili automatically surfaces these misconceptions at the individual student level, making them visible to teachers. This empowers teachers to differentiate instruction based on the student's needs.
Yes. Every conversation maps to specific Common Core State Standards and learning progressions.
Teachers see which standards each student has mastered, which need support, and where gaps exist—aligned to what they're already teaching. Simili fits into your curriculum, not against it.
Before moving forward, Simili checks: Do you have the building blocks?
Can't compare fractions? Let's first visualize what "one-half" means. Struggling with division? Let's revisit equal groups. Every concept builds on solid ground, not shaky foundations.
We're inspired by research-based approaches like Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) and conceptual understanding frameworks.
Students explore patterns, make connections, and build meaning—not just memorize procedures. Deep understanding over surface-level answers.
Simili is designed for grades K-5, with a focus on building strong conceptual foundations in early elementary mathematics.
We're starting with 3rd grade fractions as our first R&D effort—where students encounter some of the most common and persistent misconceptions. As we learn and grow, we'll expand to other key topics across K-5.
Absolutely not. Simili is a thinking partner that gives teachers back time for what they do best.
Teachers get insights about how each student thinks, allowing them to orchestrate those "aha" moments with students who need them most. Simili handles 1:1 exploration; teachers provide human connection, guidance, and inspiration.
We're currently in the R&D and co-design phase, building alongside educators and students.
Next comes pilot partnerships with 3-5 schools. We won't scale until it's working—quality over speed. → If you're interested in early partnership, reach out below.
Privacy and safety are non-negotiable. We're designing with COPPA and FERPA compliance from day one.
Student conversations are used only to support their learning—never for ads, never sold to third parties. Parents and schools maintain full control over data access and deletion.
WE'RE IN THE HARD PART: R&D AND CO-DESIGN.
COMPLETED
200+ hours observing classrooms. 50+ teachers interviewed. 30+ families. Deep literature review of learning science and math pedagogy.
Key insight: The gap isn't content—it's conversation. Students need 1:1 thinking partners, not more worksheets.
IN PROGRESS
Building alongside educators and students. Weekly prototype tests. Rapid iteration on conversation design, question scaffolding, and error handling.
Current focus: What makes a voice interaction feel safe enough to think out loud? How do we detect confusion before frustration?
NEXT
Once we nail the core experience: partner with 3-5 schools. Small cohorts. Close observation. Measuring engagement, thinking quality, and confidence—not just scores.
Our commitment: We won't scale until it's working. Quality over speed. →
We're not looking for customers yet. We're looking for partners who believe this approach is worth getting right—funders who understand that the hard work happens before launch, not after.
TWO FOUNDERS WHO COMPLEMENT EACH OTHER.
PRODUCT STRATEGIST & FUTURIST
Brings learning science enthusiasm and deep fluency in the latest AI research. Asks: What becomes possible now that wasn't possible before?
Connects dots between cognitive science, LLM capabilities, and product design. Obsessed with making complex technology feel human.
EDUCATOR-TURNED-TECHNOLOGIST
10+ years of math instruction, coaching, and school leadership. Knows what actually works in classrooms vs. what sounds good in pitch decks.
Keeps us grounded in reality. When we get excited about a feature, she asks: "But will a 3rd grader in the back of the room on a Tuesday afternoon actually use this?"
One speaks AI. One speaks classroom. Together, we're building something that works in both worlds.
THREE THINGS ARE FINALLY TRUE:
LLMs can handle messy speech, detect confusion, generate Socratic responses in real-time.
Families expect digital learning that actually works. The pandemic changed everything.
The old model is breaking. Real solutions will be welcomed, not resisted.
If you believe every child deserves to keep their curiosity alive—to see themselves as thinkers, explorers, mathematicians—we'd love to talk. Let's build a future where wonder leads the way.
JOIN US →