#5 Flashcards to Futures: Voovo’s Mission to Increase Grades and Exam Pass Rates

Let's dive into the Insight, Inspiration & Impact behind Voovo with Benedek Szilágyi

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• WSA Winning Year: 2024

• Award: WSA European Young Innovators

• Category: European Young Innovators

• Founders: Benedek Hermán, Benedek Szilágyi, Christopher Gyurka, Alex Dósa

• Country: Hungary

• On WSA website: https://wsa-global.org/winner/voovo/

In this episode of Edge of Impact, hosted by Odeta, listeners are treated to an inspiring conversation with a winner of the European Young Innovators Award 2024. Benedek, a 23-year-old entrepreneur from Budapest, Hungary, shared the founding story of Voovo, an education technology startup revolutionizing how students learn through flashcards. This blog post dives into the episode, spotlighting Voovo’s origin, its mission, its impact, key insights into running a startup, ambitious future plans, and invaluable advice for aspiring founders.

The Founding Story: From Neuroscience to Flashcards

Voovo’s journey began with a spark of curiosity from the co-founder, a neuroscience major in medical school in the U.S. Fascinated by how humans memorize and learn, specifically through techniques like active recall and spaced repetition, he noticed a gap: these proven methods weren’t widely adopted in accessible, user-friendly tools. “He was enchanted by the whole idea of repetitive learning and he couldn’t answer why not that many people use it,” Benedek explained about his co-founder also Benedek.

This insight led to action. Unable to find an app that met his needs, Benedek Hermán, now CEO of Voovo envisioned a solution: an app leveraging flashcards to make learning fast, automated, and effective. He teamed up with his longtime friend, Benedek Szilágyi, the guest of the podcast, who brought a finance background to the table. Their bond, forged in their teenage years in Hungary, became the foundation for collaboration. After an initial hesitation, our guest Benedek Szilágyi joined Voovo after the minimum viable product (MVP) was built with early traction. In the beginning, Voovo was an app for voice-recorded flashcards and over time has evolved into automated, diagram-based tools for students.

Mission and Impact: Transforming Learning for All

Voovo’s mission is clear: to enhance learning efficiency and retention through scientifically backed methods, making education more accessible and effective. Initially targeting higher education students, particularly in science fields like medicine and biology, the app gained traction with over 22,000 monthly active users worldwide. Its early differentiator was an automated diagram feature, allowing users to upload images e.g., a heart diagram, and instantly generate flashcards by hiding key terms for active recall.

However, the team soon realized their B2C app was primarily attracting top-performing students, those already proactive about learning. “Only the best of the best were using our app,” the founder noted. This insight prompted a pivot in early 2025 toward a B2B model with Voovo Classroom, targeting schools and universities. By partnering with institutions like Semmelweis University, a leading European medical school, Voovo now integrates with classroom curricula, converting lecture materials into flashcards and quizzes. The result? Over 1,000 students are set to use the app starting January 2025, with 92% of students in pilot programs engaging daily, bridging the gap between high and low performers.

The impact is tangible: improved retention rates, reduced exam failure, and a shift in learning culture. Teachers gain visibility into student progress, enabling early interventions, while students, especially those previously disengaged, adopt proactive habits. Voovo’s promise to schools is bold yet proven: “We are going to raise retention rates and lower exam failure rates.”

Key Insights into Running a Startup

Benedek shares a treasure trove of insights into startup life, drawn from Voovo’s journey:

• Adaptability is Key: The pivot from B2C to B2B was a response to market feedback, top students loved the app, but the broader student body needed a push from educators. This agility kept Voovo relevant.

• User Feedback Drives Iteration: While hard data (e.g., exam scores) is valuable, the team leans heavily on qualitative feedback from students and teachers to refine their product.

• Labels Matter: In a world where AI can do anything, user experience (UX) and clear positioning (e.g., “this is for flashcards”) trump raw technology. People prefer tools tailored to specific needs.

• Community Boosts Credibility: Acceptance into Techstars, a prestigious accelerator, was a game-changer, unlocking funding (over €500,000) and industry connections that validated Voovo’s potential.

Future Plans: Scaling Impact Globally

Looking ahead, Voovo aims to multiply its impact by expanding its classroom model globally. With pilot projects in Europe, the U.S., and Southeast Asia (e.g., Singapore), the team is tailoring its approach to diverse educational systems from those innovation-averse to those that have dedicated e-learning teams. The goal is to “diminish the gap between good-performing students and bad-performing students,” fostering a unified learning culture within classrooms worldwide.

While the B2C app remains operational under a freemium model - free up to 500 flashcards, the focus is shifting. The team is experimenting with niche B2C segments, like biology students or even moms creating flashcards for kids, but the bulk of resources are now fueling B2B growth. The vision? To transform how entire institutions approach learning, then inspire students to adopt these habits beyond the classroom.

Advice to Other Founders: A Triangle of Success

The founder’s advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is a succinct, interconnected trio:

• Be Intellectually Honest: Acknowledge your strengths, admit mistakes, and maintain transparency with co-founders to avoid breakdowns in communication—the silent killer of startups.

• Communicate Effectively: Master dialogue with co-founders, mentors, and strangers at conferences. Opportunities often hinge on a single conversation.

• Stay Brave and Agile: Embrace the freedom to pivot or reinvent yourself. “Tomorrow you can be anything,” he emphasized, urging founders to react boldly to data and market shifts.

This “triangle” of honesty, communication, and bravery forms a resilient foundation for navigating the unpredictable startup landscape.

Conclusion: A Young Innovator’s Vision

At just 23, Voovo’s co-founder embodies the spirit of the European Young Innovators award, turning insight into action with global potential. From a neuroscience-inspired idea to a classroom revolution, Voovo is redefining education one flashcard at a time. As the team gears up for its next chapter, their story is a reminder that impact starts with curiosity, thrives on adaptability, and scales with purpose. For startup founders tuning into Edge of Impact, this episode is both a blueprint and an inspiration proving that age is no barrier to changing the world.

Listen to the full episode of Edge of Impact to hear more from this remarkable innovator and others shaping the future.

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