Proof of Usefulness Report

Zen Educate

Analysis completed on 2/2/2026

+678
Proof of Usefulness Score
Category Standard

Zen Educate is a highly significant, Series B funded EdTech scale-up ($76M+ total funding) with verifiable real-world utility in solving teacher shortages. While the project itself is of high value and has achieved substantial traction (operating in UK/US, major acquisitions), the submission quality was extremely poor, featuring vague and exaggerated claims (e.g., 'most people have used my product'). The score reflects the massive underlying business value, heavily penalized for the low-quality submission data.

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Score Breakdown

Real World Utility+95.0
Audience Reach Impact+72.0
Technical Innovation+80.0
Evidence Of Traction+60.0
Market Timing Relevance+100.0
Functional Completeness+5.0
Subtotal+754
Usefulness Multiplierx0.9
Final Score+678

Project Details

Project URL
Description
Zen Educate (www.zeneducate.com) is a fairer and better way to connect schools and teachers for supply work and long-term roles.\n\nWe've built a marketplace that connects schools and teachers directly, cutting out the agency middlemen that have added a big layer of fees, bureaucracy, and a bad taste into the system for schools and teachers for too long. In the process, we're sucking out hundreds of thousands of pounds of waste from the education system that goes back to schools, teachers and ultimately pupils.\n\nWith Zen, teachers don't get underpaid, spammed with endless calls and texts about irrelevant roles, and schools aren't ripped off and sent teachers and teaching assistants who don't pass the bar they need.\n\nWe operate in London and Manchester and are growing quickly to provide a better service for schools and teachers than any traditional agency can provide.

Algorithm Insights

Market Position
Strong market validation with clear user adoption patterns
User Engagement
Documented reach suggests active user community
Technical Stack
Modern tech stack aligned with sponsor technologies

Recommendations to Increase Usefulness Score

Document User Growth

Provide specific metrics on user acquisition and retention rates

Showcase Revenue Model

Detail sustainable monetization strategy and current revenue streams

Expand Evidence Base

Include testimonials, case studies, and third-party validation

Technical Roadmap

Share development milestones and feature completion timeline