Build the community, then build the business. For Amir Nathoo, Co-Founder and Head of Outschool, success didn’t come from just creating a great product. In the early days, the focus was on building a strong, engaged community. Outschool, the online marketplace offering live, small-group classes for kids, found its initial traction not only by offering a range of learning opportunities, but by connecting with families and teachers in a deeply personal way.
By tapping into a community of secular homeschoolers and leveraging networks like Facebook and Yahoo groups, Outschool quickly established a word-of-mouth strategy that drove growth. As Amir shares, it was about asking the right questions, gaining referrals, and creating a vision for a flexible, dynamic educational system that would supplement traditional schooling.
Today, Outschool is more than an educational platform. With over 100,000 classes and growing, it’s a marketplace that empowers kids to explore their interests through interactive, live video sessions. Outschool’s success comes from its commitment to building a thriving community first—one that values learning outside of the traditional classroom, making education more accessible, dynamic, and fun for kids everywhere.
