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Learning starts with a story.

We design the strategy, engineer the software, and tell the stories that make learning stick.

FreshCognate is a boutique learning experience and educational software company. We combine deep instructional design with expert product engineering. Our team of educators, software engineers and media producers are lifelong tinkerers, reimagining how people learn.

We help organizations solve complex problems with custom learning content and educational platforms built for behavioral change. From partner certifications to product training, we shape the strategy, build and refine the technology, and measure the results.


Our Services

Six crafts, often practiced at once.

Product

Product

We build learning products that put human connection at the center, designing solutions that use technology to enhance—not replace—the irreplaceable human elements of education.

Engineering

Engineering

Our engineers craft systems centered on human connection and educational effectiveness, while seamlessly integrating AI capabilities where appropriate. Our tools are meant to ease and automate tasks while preserving space for meaningful learning experiences.

Instructional Design

Instructional Design

We design multimodal, interactive learning experiences rooted in proven pedagogy. Through thoughtful sequencing and compelling storytelling, we keep learners deeply engaged every step of the way.

Instructional Design

AI Orchestration

Our engineers co-built Sandpiper, a published, peer-reviewed AI-annotation system used by researchers at Cornell, MIT, and Carnegie Mellon to analyze millions of educational interactions at scale. We bring that same orchestration expertise to every engagement, building systems that surface data-driven insight into learning gaps and adapt to individual needs, always with human expertise kept at the forefront.

Instructional Design

Strategy + Scale

We partner with organizations ready to reimagine learning in the digital age. Our collaborative approach combines educational research with practical implementation, helping teams develop learning solutions that support human connection, and deliver on business objectives through thoughtful innovation and long-term partnership.

Video Production

Video Production

Our team has decades of experience in storytelling for social impact in education, public health and technology. We produce cinematic documentary films and dynamic educational videos that inform, engage and inspire.


The Future of Discourse Annotation

Sandpiper orchestrates multiple LLMs to produce reliable, highly accurate annotations at scale. Starting with tutoring transcripts, built for any field.

130% better performance than an AI chat interface

In partnership with the National Tutoring Observatory

Visit Sandpiper

Meet the Team

We work from several countries and too many time zones. The work rarely sleeps; we insist that people do.

Austin Oliver
Work Description
lead animator +
ui designer
Chris Conley
Work Description
video producer +
instructional designer
Daryl Hedley
Work Description
lead product engineer
Doug Pietrzak
Work Description
founder +
chief learning officer
Eric Cramer
Work Description
chief financial officer
Ian Burden
Work Description
site reliability engineer
Jorge Dias
Work Description
sr. software engineer
Maya Lagu
Work Description
head of learning strategy
Phillip Elie
Work Description
product manager
Reasha Sharma
Work Description
instructional designer +
chief of staff