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Amir Nathoo is reimagining the future of education by building products that put students at the center of their learning experience. As the Founder and CEO of Outschool, Amir has created a marketplace for remote, personalized, interest-based learning that’s challenging traditional K-12.

In this episode of CRAFTED., we explore how Amir founded and grew Outschool, including the 15x spike in usage during the pandemic.

Post-pandemic, alternative education and homeschooling continues to rise. As Amir says: “The idea that a single institution could fulfill all of your kids' needs or all of all kids' needs is completely unrealistic…. Mass personalization is needed.” And he sees Outschool as the integration layer for all those teachers, students, and institutions.

You will learn a ton from Amir’s approach to product development and disruption.

Key takeaways for product builders:

1. Start with a Niche Audience, Then Expand

Amir and Outschool began by targeting a specific group—secular homeschoolers—who had unmet needs in education. By serving this niche well, they achieved product-market fit before scaling to a broader audience.

2. Co-Creation, FTW
Outschool's initial product was shaped through customer co-creation and iterative development, testing small features before scaling them.

3. Solve Real Problems, But Keep Early Stakes Low
While Outschool addressed a critical need (supplemental education), they started with interest-based, "low-stakes" classes. This allowed them to test and refine their offering without the pressure that would’ve come with offering “core” classes.

4. Build a Two-Sided Marketplace with Balance
Creating a thriving marketplace like Outschool required balancing teacher supply with student demand. Amir emphasized solving the “chicken and egg” problem by manually curating both sides early on.

5. Pay Attention to the Market and Adapt Quickly
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Outschool responded quickly by offering free training sessions for schools who needed to understand remote learning, scaling their platform, and adding free classes to serve families in need.

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CRAFTED. is produced by Modern Product Minds, where CRAFTED. host Dan Blumberg and team can help you take a new product from zero to one... and beyond. We specialize in early stage product discovery, growth, and experimentation. Learn more at modernproductminds.com

Hilary Mason is a world-builder. She’s a serial entrepreneur, machine learning expert, and now, as the founder and CEO of Hidden Door, she’s creating immersive experiences where fans can interact with their favorite characters from books and movies.

The choose-your-own-adventures style games are an amazing blend of AI and human creativity — and Hilary is passionate about both:

On this episode of CRAFTED., we discuss what AI is good at and how to create a great marriage of human and machine. And Hilary is not holding back…

Listen for a masterclass on building with AI and building with creativity and soul.

• (02:00) - – This moment in AI: figuring out the right use cases and design patterns
• (05:00) - – Founding Hidden Door
• (09:00) - – Why “controllability” is so important
• (11:00) - – Enabling fans want to play with their favorite characters
• (13:00) - – Why text-based games are so great
• (15:00) - – Behind the scenes of how Hidden Door builds for fun
• (19:00) - – AI has caused a moment of “industry-wide product design chaos”
• (23:00) - – Industries and use cases where AI will be really good; where it won’t
• (25:00) - – Effective ways to get beyond AI mediocrity
• (28:00) - – Why Hilary thinks prompts will soon go away
• (31:00) - – Hilary’s liberal arts background: English + Computer Science
• (33:00) - – Why we need philosophy and soul along with the data

Where to find Hidden Door:

• https://www.hiddendoor.co/

Where to find Hilary Mason:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilarymason/
• X: https://x.com/hmason

Where to find Dan Blumberg:

• Website & newsletter: https://www.crafted.fm
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dblums/
• X: https://x.com/dblums

CRAFTED. is produced by Modern Product Minds, where CRAFTED. host Dan Blumberg and team can help you take a new product from zero to one... and beyond. We specialize in early stage product discovery, growth, and experimentation. Learn more at modernproductminds.com