Igniting Relationships Based on Trust

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Frank-David Cohen, Co-Founder of Klassroom, located in Paris, France.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Klassroom creates communication platform solutions that bridge the gap between schools and homes. The Klassly App is a mobile and web communication platform for teachers, students, and guardians. It functions like the most popular social media platform with the added benefits of security and privacy. The app achieves the balance between accessibility and respect for privacy by offering all the features families need to truly engage with the classroom community and feel involved in the day-to-day at school.

Students grow as a whole, emotionally, socially, and academically when they receive consistent support from all their grown-ups. The Klassboard is the dashboard to manage this communication for the district to the school admin, the teachers, and the entire community.

Tell us about yourself

One of my close childhood friend and I found ourselves in a similarly difficult predicament. We were both divorced with young children, and we each struggled to maintain the involvement in our kid's school life we wish we had. Not having full custody, you can miss out on a lot of their day-to-day at school and communication opportunities with the teachers. We decided to collaborate and created an app for parents to be included in school in a way that would make teachers' lives easier. We thought they could benefit from our support too. To make sure it was a success, we worked with our children's teachers so the app wouldn't be invasive and gave teachers full control on how they would manage their class, to enable or not notifications, comments, scheduling access, and appointment availabilities. The app grew over time, and today we still continue to develop features based on teacher feedback and needs. For example, we added video conferencing during the pandemic and school closures.

I believe in the importance of this mission. A healthy relationship with my child's teachers has transformed my impact in the classroom with some of my son's biggest challenges. Once kids know parents have a relationship with their teacher, a new foundation of trust is added to the classroom dynamic. Parents knowing the good and the difficult times that happen in school is a magical motivation for students. Without even realizing it, I went from being engaged as I intended to feeling involved in my kid's life in a whole new way.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

We received a lot of testimonies from teachers that started using the app. It's hard to narrow it down to one accomplishment. We get the most amazing feeling when we hear that kids' lives have been transformed since using the app to connect. Teachers have told us parents went from being completely detached to actively bringing their children to school. They felt respected for their work and validated. Kids got to attend school every day because families saw with their own eyes how much learning happens, and they made efforts they wouldn't have otherwise.

Teachers told us the app saved their school year when the pandemic hit and school closures forced remote learning. Parents were able to continue and keep track at home of the efforts that were made. It's an incredible feeling to know that this project will impact kids' entire lives because it's transformed their school experience from a young age.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

We have to choose which way to focus our growth each step of the way, and there are so many great suggestions we receive from parents and teachers, so sometimes it can be hard to decide which idea to start with.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Find a need that you have, and create a solution; it's likely you're not the only one with that need, and the closer it hits home, the more involved you will be in creating an efficient solution.
Don't give up; you will make mistakes, and you will have to readjust as you go, but keep trying.
You have to trust those that are helping you and build something together if you really want it to work.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://klassroom.co/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/klassly/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/klassly/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Klassroom
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/klassroom/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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