Fresh off the back of LinkyThinks winning a spot on Tech Climbers’ 2024 Ones to Watch list, we speak to Co-Founder and CEO, Dan Rosenberg.
Founded in Manchester, LinkyThinks is an education resource platform designed to make children love learning, feel more confident, attach self-esteem to different parts of their learning experience, and build on skills to navigate the world more freely.
“We’re not even a year into our tech journey and we’ve been listed on one of the country’s greatest and most prolific tech related company lists.”
Jewish brothers Dan and Alexander Rosenberg developed LinkyThinks’ first tech product in 2023 to support primary school teachers and parents to teach children life skills alongside what is typically taught in schools. Dan tells us: “We identified that one of the biggest issues with the Western education system is that we teach children how to pass exams but not how to navigate life. It means that the modern children who are growing up on screens – rather than interacting with human beings – have atrophying critical thinking, communication, social, and emotional skills. We found a way to teach those skills at the same time as creative writing, comprehension, vocabulary building, and other English language and literacy skills. Since launching in January 2024, it’s been used by thousands of teachers and tens of thousands of parents all over the English-speaking world to build skills to help them thrive, not only in the classroom but at home as well.”
Tech Climbers’ Ones to Watch list showcases the top performing product led technology businesses across the UK and shines a light on the up-and-coming businesses with bags of potential on track for future success. In December, LinkyThinks was awarded with a place on Greater Manchester’s list: “We’re not even a year into our tech journey and we’ve been listed on one of the country’s greatest and most prolific tech related company lists. It’s like the Forbes 30 Under 30 for tech businesses, so it’s huge for us!”
The feedback from parents and teachers has been overwhelmingly positive, Dan tells us about one particular testimonial he received from a user of LinkyThinks: “A little girl called Aliyah really struggled socially during COVID. When lockdown was lifted, she had anxiety and couldn’t leave the house. She wasn’t thriving at school or at home, and her parents and the teachers were really concerned for her mental health. Her parents found LinkyThinks and enrolled her in some of her some of our confidence and critical thinking classes. And by the end of the course, she felt far more confident as she’d faced her fears and no longer felt the anxiety that she felt about leaving the house or spending time with friends. She’s now 13 and is thriving socially and academically and building friendships; but most importantly, her parents say that she’s a happier person. Ultimately, that’s what we try and do.”
Dan believes that teaching children non- academic skills can reveal untapped potential. LinkyThinks’ helps to do this by providing children with confidence and communication workshops, physical learning resources, in- person workshops and classes, and educational videos and tutorials: “Children can leave formal schooling with good grades, but if they don’t know how to look another person in the eye, how to hold a conversation, or communicate themselves effectively, they’re not going to have access to the opportunities that they could have.”
Teaching these life skills is acknowledged in educational settings, but Dan feels they’re often put on the backseat due to ease and convenience: “It is possible to teach children these skills in school, but it’s difficult and we typically avoid difficult things in society. You can pass over so many aspects of education
to technology these days, but that doesn’t use personal engagement. Children aren’t learning these skills as much at home anymore, because they’re spending more time on games, screens, and apps – which leads to unanticipated issues. My children’s generation could spend their entire life on an iPad screen and have no interest in going outside whereas when I was their age, I learnt so many skills just by being outside with my friends.
“There are many companies that make a lot of money teaching transferable job relevant skills to adults, because the skills gap between school and work is huge. At LinkyThinks, we figured we can address a huge proportion of that by teaching those skills to seven- to 11-year- olds.”
Whether it’s preparing your child for entrance exams such as the 11+, or you’re just looking for a way to teach your children valuable life skills, visit the LinkyThinks website to see how it can help you!
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