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Society has spent a lot of time bemoaning our digitally addled minds and goldfish-like attention spans, pointing the finger of blame at doomscrolling as the reason we can\u2019t just sit down and read a book or study for exams. But what if the solution isn\u2019t to stop scrolling, but to rethink what we\u2019re scrolling through?<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the bet startup ScrollEd<\/a> is making. The Palo Alto-based startup is pitching in the TechCrunch Disrupt Startup Battlefield 200 competition with the novel idea that if students won\u2019t open a textbook, the textbook should open itself up to them \u2014 as a scroll.<\/p>\n ScrollEd has built an app that allows the user to turn any text file \u2014 including dry PDFs or text books \u2014 into a feed that feels a lot like Instagram Reels or TikTok. As you scroll, the content shows up as AI-generated video, audio, text, or even interactive quizzes. Swiping up surfaces a new topic, while swiping sideways lets you go deeper into the one you\u2019re on, with a quiz waiting for you at the end.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe younger generation is increasingly going short form, vertical feed only (especially the 18 year olds we\u2019ve spoken to!), and this poses challenges for any kind of media that requires depth,\u201d Utsav Gupta, ScrollEd\u2019s co-founder, told TechCrunch in an email. \u201cWe want to meet them where they are\u2026We just have to be deliberate about how we use it and choose not to maximize engagement on the platform.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA short video can make you curious; following that curiosity can mean searching for another explanation or leaving the app,\u201d Gupta continued. \u201cWe wanted going deeper to be as easy as moving to the next video.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Gupta bootstrapped ScrollEd this year alongside his co-founder and wife Rebecca Neff after the two both noticed feeling dissatisfied after doomscrolling before bed. Both are students \u2014 Gupta studies AI and human purpose at Stanford, and Neff studies computer science at the University of\u00a0 Pennsylvania.\u00a0<\/p>\n The startup is targeting educational institutions, corporate training programs, and individuals who \u201cjust want something better to scroll on,\u201d according to Gupta.\u00a0<\/p>\n The company will launch its consumer business at Disrupt. (\u201cWe\u2019re hoping to \u2018disrupt\u2019 social media and short form!\u201d Gupta joked.)<\/p>\n ScrollEd is following a freemium model, combining a free consumer feed with a paid ScrollEd Pro subscription and annual institutional licenses. Institutions pay to deliver educational material through the platform, in exchange for reports about engagement, lesson progress, and other data.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the coming months, ScrollEd intends to focus on its consumer launch, building its lesson library and source-checking workflow, and developing pilots for institutions. The startup is also building infrastructure that will one day allow educators to assess individual learners and adapt to their needs.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe ambition is a social network that\u2019s better for you,\u201d Gupta said.<\/p>\n Check out ScrollEd and the other smart startups that TC\u2019s editorial team has vetted and you\u2019ll want to check out at<\/em> TechCrunch Disrupt, coming up October 13-15 in downtown San Francisco. You can find many more details, and tickets, right here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission<\/a>. This doesn\u2019t affect our editorial independence.<\/em><\/p>\n