Every child deserves to be challenged.

Fast learners are dramatically underserved by today’s education system. The goal of modern education policy is closing achievement gaps, which requires holding back fast learners. We believe every child should be challenged, and the ones who could move faster should be allowed to.

Mentava supports kids who will become the scientists who end pandemics and cure cancer, the leaders who resolve intractable conflicts, and the innovators who solve resource shortages and send humans beyond the solar system. All of society benefits when we support and encourage excellence.

Mentava's mission is to create software that allows any child to learn at their own pace. And by “their own pace” we mean as fast as they want to go.

Kids who love learning often struggle to have their learning needs supported. When I was in kindergarten, a teacher accused my mother of pushing me academically and predicted it would end badly for me.

That teacher was wrong. Accelerating kids early, when the stakes are low, allows them to relax when the stakes are high.

From third through sixth grade I did independent study during math class, rejoining group classes in seventh grade for precalculus. It worked: I learned as fast as I wanted, and I never had homework.

Taking calculus in middle school let me relax in high school (and get into every college I applied to).

I had an amazing public-school education, but over the years I've watched the programs I benefited from get cut and eliminated.

For a child whose learning needs aren't being met, the proper support can be a lifeline.

Our mission with Mentava is to throw that lifeline to kids who are bored and stifled where they are, and to show the world how fast children are capable of learning.

Niels Hoven is the founder and CEO of Mentava. Prior to Mentava, Niels worked at Cloudflare, ClassDojo, and Pocket Gems, where he ran the highest-grossing mobile game in the world in 2011. He has a graduate degree in electrical engineering from UC Berkeley.