Steve Toy currently serves as CEO of Memrise, the London-based language learning app with over 70 million users worldwide. Steve has been sitting at the intersection of education, artificial intelligence, and mobile applications for quite some time, and has also been involved in adult literacy for almost his entire professional life.
1. Tell us about your company and the problem it solves, or its benefit to learners or educators.
Memrise is solving a two-fold problem for language learners. The first problem is helping people actually speak a language. Too many systems, including the biggest name brands, help people learn words but don’t prepare them to converse in a language. Memrise ensures learners can move beyond memorization and actively use the language in real conversations.
The second problem is tailoring learning to a user’s goal. Some people want to learn for travel reasons, others for work, and still others to communicate with people in their community. Different goals require different vocabularies, and a one-size-fits-all curriculum doesn’t help people accomplish their goals efficiently. Memrise’s atomized dictionaries allow us to focus lessons on the words and phrases that matter most to each user’s specific objectives, making learning more relevant and effective.
Our solution revolves around the Learn, Immerse, and Communicate (LIC) approach, designed to build vocabulary, provide rich context, and enable learners to confidently practice speaking.
With our Learn stage, users build a strong vocabulary foundation through adaptive learning and spaced repetition, using native-speaker videos that go beyond simple flashcards. Immerse provides real-world listening practice through curated videos featuring everyday language usage, enabling learners to hear words in different contexts, accents, and expressions—just like they would in a natural environment. Finally, the Communicate phase involves engaging in conversations through Membot, a chatbot that tailors practice based on each learner’s current vocabulary, ensuring they use the words they’ve learned.
To reinforce this learning, we also offer AI-powered Buddies that focus on grammar, sentence building, translation, and cultural nuances, making the learning journey holistic and deeply practical. Every learner’s journey is unique, powered by our “Atomized Dictionaries” which allow personalized learning, immersion, and conversation based on each individual’s progress.
Ultimately, Memrise helps learners overcome the fear of speaking, build practical language skills, and connect learning, immersion, and conversation in a way that most other platforms can’t. We bridge the gap between knowing words and using them in real communication, empowering millions of users to become confident speakers of a new language.
2. Tell us about your area of expertise and how your knowledge or work enhances the field or the EdTech industry.
My area of expertise comes from a unique blend of my experiences in education, AI, and mobile technology. This combination has uniquely positioned me to lead Memrise in its mission to revolutionize language learning. The education portion of my journey began in the adult literacy world, where I developed a deep understanding of the challenges faced by adult learners and the various strategies that lead people to success. This experience has been foundational in shaping my passion for education and my approach to using technology to solve real learning challenges.
I first acquired my AI expertise at EY, where I worked on deploying AI to solve complex, real-world problems across various industries. This experience taught me how to leverage AI effectively and ethically, providing me with the tools to integrate AI into educational platforms to enhance learning outcomes rather than merely automating processes. At Memrise, this knowledge has been instrumental in building an AI-powered infrastructure that supports personalized learning experiences from the ground up.
My experience at Apalon, where I managed a portfolio of over 50 mobile apps, has also played a crucial role in shaping Memrise’s approach. Leading Apalon taught me how to scale mobile technology to reach millions of users while maintaining a personalized experience—something that is key to Memrise’s mission. Mobile technology is an essential channel for delivering educational content, and my background has enabled us to create a user-friendly platform that effectively integrates advanced AI features at scale.
This unique combination of expertise in education, AI, and mobile technology allows me to contribute to the EdTech industry at a time when technology is changing everything.
3. Explain a problem in running an EdTech company or selling products or providing service in the space that is related to the work you do.
One of the major challenges in running an EdTech company like Memrise is balancing scalability with personalization—two aspects often at odds in the education space. On one hand, scalability is crucial for ensuring that millions of learners worldwide can access and benefit from our platform. On the other hand, true learning success comes from personalization—tailoring the learning experience to each individual’s needs, goals, and pace. Finding an effective way to achieve both is a persistent challenge.
The heart of the issue is that most EdTech companies, when trying to scale, often end up providing a “one-size-fits-all” solution. This approach might help reach large audiences, but it lacks the adaptability needed for each learner to truly thrive. At Memrise, we are constantly trying to overcome this trade-off.
Our work at Memrise, particularly with our AI-driven atomized dictionaries, is all about solving this problem. By breaking down language into individual words and phrases and using AI to dynamically adapt the content to the learner’s progress, we can provide a unique learning journey for every user. This means that whether someone is learning for travel, work, or personal growth, Memrise can adapt to meet their specific needs—all while reaching millions of users globally.
Another challenge is bridging the gap between engagement and effective learning. Many educational platforms focus on keeping users engaged through gamification or flashy features, but this doesn’t always translate to genuine learning progress. With my experience in managing mobile apps at Apalon, I learned how to create engaging products, but at Memrise, we strive to ensure that every engagement also contributes meaningfully to learning outcomes. Our AI-powered features, such as real-time conversation practice and immersive content, are designed to captivate users and push them toward fluency in a purposeful way.
Boiling it down I’d say that the biggest challenge is ensuring that the advanced technology we deploy—whether AI, mobile interfaces, or interactive content—serves the primary goal of education, rather than just being technology for its own sake. It’s about maintaining the focus on meaningful learning outcomes. This delicate balance between personalization, scalability, engagement, and real educational impact makes leading an EdTech company both challenging and incredibly rewarding.
4. What are 3-5 specific tips to solving that problem?
Here are a few suggestions to address the challenge of balancing scalability with personalization in EdTech:
- Leverage AI for Adaptive Learning: Use AI to create adaptive learning experiences that cater to individual learner needs in real time. AI can analyze user behavior, track progress, and adjust content accordingly, ensuring that each learner receives a personalized experience without requiring manual intervention. At Memrise, our AI-driven atomized dictionaries help tailor vocabulary lists to each user’s goals and progress, making personalization scalable.
- Build Modular Content: Break down learning content into smaller, modular units—such as individual words, phrases, or topics—that can be recombined to suit different learning paths. This approach makes it easier to create personalized learning journeys based on the specific needs of each learner while maintaining a scalable content library. Memrise’s atomized approach allows us to dynamically adapt content without needing to develop entirely new materials for every user.
- Focus on Engagement that Drives Learning Outcomes: Ensure engagement features are directly tied to learning progress. Gamification and interactive elements should not just entertain but also reinforce learning. For example, Memrise’s real-time conversation practice is designed to be engaging while pushing learners to apply their knowledge practically. Aligning engagement features with educational outcomes helps balance user retention with meaningful progress.
- Use Data to Inform Personalization: Collect and analyze user data to understand how learners interact with the platform, where they are struggling, and what content is most effective. Data-driven insights can be used to continuously refine and improve personalized learning paths, ensuring that the system remains responsive to individual needs even as it scales to serve more users.
- Design an Infrastructure Ready to Evolve: Build your platform with scalability and adaptability in mind from the start. At Memrise, our infrastructure is designed to rapidly integrate AI innovations, allowing us to evolve and stay ahead of the curve. Investing in a flexible architecture ensures that the platform can adapt to the changing needs of learners and the latest advancements in technology, allowing you to scale effectively while maintaining personalization.
5. What other advice do you have for professionals working in EdTech?
Here are a few pieces of advice that aren’t unique to EdTech and can help one navigate the complexities of any industry:
- Embrace First Principles Thinking: To create truly innovative and impactful solutions, thinking from first principles is essential. Break down complex problems into their fundamental components and challenge existing assumptions. By building solutions from the ground up rather than relying on established norms, you can create unique approaches that better address the needs of learners. This mindset is particularly useful in a rapidly evolving field like EdTech, where conventional methods may no longer be effective.
- Practice Ownership: In all areas of life, Ownership is crucial to success and, dare I say, happiness. When faced with challenges or setbacks, ask yourself, “What did I do or not do that led to this situation?” and “What can I do to make it better?” Taking ownership empowers you to proactively solve problems and adapt to changes. This mindset encourages a culture of responsibility, where every team member is committed to delivering the best possible learning experience for users.
- Adaptability is Key: The EdTech landscape is constantly changing, with new technologies, methodologies, and learner expectations emerging all the time. Being adaptable is not just about reacting to change but anticipating it and preparing for it. Build flexible systems and processes that allow you to pivot when needed, and encourage a mindset of experimentation and iteration within your team. Adaptability ensures that your platform remains relevant and effective in meeting learners’ evolving needs.
