Guest session · Digital Entrepreneurship
Nottingham University Business School

From a classroom problem
to a digital innovation

How My Smart Teach is helping to transform assessment and learning

Dr Sharzad Majlesi

Entrepreneur · CEO & Co-founder, Unique Tech Solution Ltd
Creator of My Smart Teach

November 2026

Today's session

By the end of this session, you should be able to…

01

Explain how a real-life problem can become a digital venture

02

Connect my journey to your lecture: digital entrepreneurship, the AI economy, external enablers, AI business models and the reputation economy

03

Understand what it really takes to bring a digital innovation into people's hands

Your question: Dr Noke asked you to bring one question about my journey or my business. Keep it ready: we will answer it at the end.

Quick question: Who has ever waited a long time for feedback on their work? How did it feel?

Who am I?

Teacher, researcher and entrepreneur

My path was not a straight line, and that became my strength.

Physics

BSc Engineering Physics, Sharif University of Technology

Teacher

Physics & maths · 1,500+ students · Best Teacher award

Industry

Operations, finance (CFO) and staff training

Entrepreneur

Co-founded two companies (2006 and 2015)

Business & research

MBA (Distinction) & PhD in Financial Technology, University of Nottingham

AI in education

Research, University of Birmingham

Today

CEO & co-founder, Unique Tech Solution (2024) · Creator of My Smart Teach

“Every stage gave me a tool I use today.”

Lecture link Entrepreneurs bring together different knowledge and experience

Why education needs change

Teachers need time, and students need feedback

Teachers' time is under pressure

Marking, feedback and administration take many hours every week, often in the evenings and at weekends
Heavy workload is one of the main reasons teachers give for leaving the profession
When a teacher leaves, students lose experience, relationships and continuity

Source: Department for Education, Working Lives of Teachers and Leaders survey

Feedback drives deep learning

Timely, specific feedback is one of the most powerful influences on learning
Good feedback explains why, not only what, and this builds deep understanding
Late or general feedback arrives when students have already moved on

Source: Hattie & Timperley (2007), The Power of Feedback

The question for innovators: How can digital technology give teachers back their time, and give every student better feedback?

Lecture link AI as a General Purpose Technology: like electricity, it reshapes whole sectors, including education

Digital entrepreneurship in practice

From paper to digital: My Smart Teach as an example

“a subcategory of entrepreneurship in which some or all of what would be physical in a traditional organization has been digitized” — Hull et al. (2007)

Traditional marking (physical)		With My Smart Teach (digital)
Piles of paper scripts carried home	→	Photo or scan uploaded in minutes
Teacher marks each page by hand	→	AI suggests marks against the teacher's own mark scheme
Short comments, often days or weeks later	→	Personalised feedback on every question, quickly
Marks written in a notebook or spreadsheet	→	Automatic progress data and learning gaps
Teacher decides	→	Teacher still decides: reviews, edits, approves

Lecture link Hull et al. (2007); Kraus et al. (2019): moving an asset or service into digital form

Why now?

The problem is old. The technology that solves it is new.

1990s

I live the problem as a teacher. No computer can read handwriting, maths working or diagrams.

about 30 years

Today

AI reads images and handwriting. Generative AI explains and gives feedback.

ChatGPT reached 100 million users in about 2 months, faster than any technology before

Four waves of the digital economy (from your lecture)

Internet economy

1995–2010 · connectivity

Platform economy

2010–2020 · networks

AI economy

2020–now · machine intelligence

Autonomous economy

emerging · AI agents

▲ My Smart Teach is here

▲ moving towards it: a panel of AI assessors, with the teacher in control

Lecture link External Enabler theory (von Briel et al., 2018) · "Why now?" · Four waves of the digital economy

Step 1 · The problem

I knew the problem as a teacher

A laptop costs £360 after a 20% discount. What was the original price?

£360 × 1.2 = £432

✗

£360 is 80% → 360 ÷ 0.8 = £450

Why? The discount is taken from the original price.

In physics and maths, the final answer is not enough

Teachers need to see the student's working, reasoning, calculations and diagrams.

A cross (✗) shows the answer is wrong.

Feedback explains why, and what to do next.

The real story: teachers want to give this feedback to every student, but marking takes the time they need for teaching.

Lecture link Opportunity recognition: great opportunities start from real problems

Step 2 · Research before product

We listened before we built

We did not start with “Let's build an AI product.” We started with a question: “Where can AI genuinely help schools?”

600+

UK schools reached through our research outreach (University of Birmingham, 2025)

~100

educators listened to, through surveys and in-depth interviews

What teachers told us

Marking and feedback take a large part of their time

Handwritten work is the hardest part to assess quickly

They want AI that is fair, safe and under their control

They need practical training to use AI with confidence

Lecture link Problem discovery before solution · listening to users (customer discovery)

Step 3 · Finding the gap

Real school work is handwritten, and that was the gap

Problem

Assessment is essential, but manual marking is slow, and feedback often arrives late or too general.

→

Gap

Most digital tools mark multiple-choice or typed answers. But real school work is handwritten: multi-step maths, reasoning and diagrams. Teachers need marking that follows their mark scheme and gives credit for the method.

→

Opportunity

Automate the repetitive part of marking, give fast personalised feedback, and keep the teacher's professional judgement.

Real innovation solves the hard, real-world version of the problem, not the easy demo.

Lecture link Value creation in digital business models · finding a gap in the market

Step 4 · The innovation

How My Smart Teach works, with the teacher in control

1

Upload: the teacher uploads photos or scans of student work, plus the mark scheme

2

Read: AI reads the handwriting, including maths and diagrams

3

Check: a panel of AI assessors marks each answer against the same criteria, and the results are compared: “Reflective Consensus”, our patent-pending method

AI 1

AI 2

AI 3

→ consensus

4

Flag: anything unclear or uncertain is highlighted for the teacher

5

Approve: the teacher reviews, edits and approves, then personalised feedback goes to each student

AI proposes. Teachers decide.

Our review screen: the AI's reading, the mark and the feedback. The teacher can edit and approve.

Lecture link Human–AI collaboration · from the AI economy towards AI agents

I will explain the product in one slide, because today is about the journey. The teacher uploads the students' work and the mark scheme. AI reads the handwriting, including maths. Then comes our innovation. We do not rely on one AI answer. A panel of AI assessors marks the same answer, and we compare the results. It is like moderation in a school department: several markers, one mark scheme. We call it Reflective Consensus, and it is patent pending. Anything uncertain is highlighted for the teacher. The teacher approves, and every student receives personalised feedback. [Point to the screenshot] Here is our real review screen, with the same laptop question. You can see the AI's reading, the mark and the feedback, and the teacher can change anything. My short summary is: AI proposes, teachers decide.

Step 5 · Protecting the innovation

Patent pending, and a strong position

Patent pending

UK patent application filed on 12 June 2025

Why we protected it: to secure our technical method, to show our long-term commitment, and to build confidence with partners and funders.

What gives an AI start-up a strong position?

Intellectual property

Patent-pending Reflective Consensus method

Domain knowledge

Real teaching experience; designed for UK curricula and mark schemes

Trust

Research partners, schools and teachers who help shape the product

Responsible data use

School data used only with consent (UK GDPR): trust first

Discussion: For an AI start-up, what is the strongest protection: a patent, data or trust?

Lecture link How AI companies capture value: data advantages, network effects, ecosystem lock-in

Step 6 · Building and testing

From idea to a working product

Idea

MVP

School pilot

Feedback

Learn &
improve

Our team built a minimum viable product (MVP)
Early testing with educators and families
School pilot in East Yorkshire: selected modules piloted; 13 teachers joined and gave feedback
Teachers found it easy to use and said it gave useful insights into their students' learning
Every round of feedback makes the product better

Why this is possible today: AI lowers the cost of building, so a small, skilled team can create and test a powerful product quickly.

Lecture link "Why now?": AI lowers barriers to venture creation · faster prototyping · AI-native start-ups

Step 7 · Recognition and funding

Winner · Innovate UK Women in Innovation Award 2025/26

“My Smart Teach: AI-Powered Marking and Live Feedback for UK Schools and Families”

87%

assessor score

£71,000

Innovate UK funding for Unique Tech Solution Ltd

12 months

funded development programme: August 2026 to July 2027

What the application asked us to show

the problemevidencewhat is newcustomersinclusionrisksmilestonescommercial plan

Assessors highlighted

A clear problem, user-centred design, a strong innovation and a clear milestone plan, and the potential to grow into higher education and professional training

Funding routes:innovation grantscrowdfundingangel & venture investors

Lecture link Funding innovation: crowdfunding in the lecture; innovation grants are another route

One of the proudest moments of our journey was winning the Innovate UK Women in Innovation Award. Our application scored 87%, and Innovate UK is supporting our company with £71,000 of funding. Our 12-month funded development programme started in August 2026. [Click] Writing the application was a great learning experience. We had to explain the problem, the evidence, what is new, who the customers are, the risks and the plan. It made us think like a real growing business. [Click] The assessors highlighted our clear problem, our user-centred design and our innovation. They also saw potential beyond schools, in higher education and professional training, which means universities like this one. [Click] In the lecture you saw crowdfunding as one way to fund innovation. Innovation grants are another excellent route.

The impact

What digital innovation gives back to education

Teacher teaching while My Smart Teach marks exam scripts

Marking happens in the background, so the teacher can focus on teaching.

For teachers

Time back: less marking, more teaching
Time for creativity and individual support
Better wellbeing, which helps keep great teachers

For students

Fast, personalised feedback on every question
Feedback that explains why, building deep learning
Learning gaps found early

For schools & families

Clear progress data
More accessible learning support at home

Beyond schools

The same approach can support higher education and professional training

Less time marking. More time to inspire.

Lecture link Digital innovation creating value for society, not only for business

Now let me show you why I am so passionate about this. When we save teachers' time, we do not only save hours. We give them time for what really matters: creativity, inspiring lessons and talking to the student who needs help. It also supports their wellbeing, and that can help keep great teachers in the profession. For students, fast and personalised feedback means they understand why they made a mistake. That leads to deep understanding and deep learning, not just memorising. And this is not limited to schools. The same approach can support universities and professional training. Imagine your own assignments marked fairly, with personal feedback, in a few days instead of weeks. [Click] This is why I believe digital innovation can start a real revolution in education. Less time marking. More time to inspire.

Business model

Creating and capturing value in an AI start-up

Our users:TeachersStudentsSchool leadersParents & families

AI business models from your lecture → our approach

Freemium	Free early access to the assessment module for individual teachers
Enterprise licensing	Partnerships and pilots with schools and trusts
Services	AI training for teachers (UTS Training Academy); customisation for selected partners
Subscription	A growth route for teachers and families

Is it a multi-sided platform?

Not a “matchmaker” like Uber or Airbnb. It is a focused solution that creates value for several user groups at once. Not every successful digital business has to be a platform.

First-mover position

One of the first to bring AI marking of handwritten work to UK schools, with the opportunity to shape the market.

Lecture link How AI companies make money · multi-sided platforms (Hagiu & Wright, 2015)

Trust and reputation

In education, trust is the most important currency

Reputation: how we built trust as a new company

Research partnership with universities (Birmingham and Nottingham)
Peer-reviewed paper accepted at the 5th Global Conference on Innovations in Education, Nottingham, November 2026
Innovate UK Women in Innovation Award winner
Gold Member and Lab Ambassador, Ingenuity Lab, University of Nottingham
Personal brand: linkedin.com/in/mysmartteach, with 16,000+ followers

Responsible by design

The teacher sees the original work next to the AI's reading
A panel of AI assessors checks every answer
The AI shows its reasoning, and the teacher approves every mark
UK GDPR: schools decide what is shared; data is used only with consent

Think: If you were a head teacher, what would make you trust a new AI company?

Lecture link Reputation economy · "You are a brand" (Peters, 1997) · black-box algorithms and trust

In the lecture you learned that reputation is a kind of currency. In education, this is especially true. A school will only share children's work with a company it trusts. [Click through] As a new company, we built trust step by step: through research with universities, a peer-reviewed paper at an international education conference here in Nottingham, the Innovate UK award and the Ingenuity Lab community. And personal branding is real. My LinkedIn address is literally "mysmartteach". When people trust the founder, they are more open to the product. [Click] Dr Noke also talked about black-box algorithms. Our answer is transparency. The teacher sees everything, the AI explains its reasoning, and the teacher approves every mark. INTERACTION (1 min): If you were a head teacher, what would make you trust a new AI company?

The entrepreneur's reality

Finding the solution is half the journey. The other half is helping people to change.

What first movers learn

A new category needs market education: first, people must see what is now possible
Change takes time: people trust the way they have always worked
Schools make careful decisions about children, budgets and time
Even the best technology needs people to adopt it

How we bring people with us

Practical training and support (UTS Training Academy)
Co-creating with forward-thinking schools through pilots
Teachers stay in control, so AI feels like a helper, not a threat
Building evidence and partnerships step by step

Diffusion of innovations (Rogers, 2003)

We start here: early adopters

Innovators

Early adopters

Early majority

Late majority

Laggards

Lecture link Opportunities and challenges of digital entrepreneurship · "Is it sustainable?"

Now I want to share something every entrepreneur in this room should know. As an entrepreneur, you can find the gap, understand the problem and design an excellent solution. That is the exciting part. But it is only half of the journey. The other half is helping people to change. As a first mover, we are creating something new. Before people can buy it, they need to understand what is now possible. And change is not easy. People trust the way they have always worked, especially when a new digital tool enters their daily routine. Schools also make careful decisions, because they protect children and budgets. [Click] So we bring people with us. We train teachers, we co-create with forward-thinking schools, and we always keep the teacher in control, so AI feels like a helper, not a threat. [Click] Diffusion of innovations theory tells us to start with the early adopters. That is exactly what we do. My message to you: the best idea is not enough. Real innovation happens when people use it.

Lessons for digital innovators

Six lessons from my journey

1

Start with a problem, not a technology

Real problems create real value.

2

Listen before you build

Research with real users shapes the right solution.

3

Empower people

The best AI makes human experts stronger.

4

Solve the real-world version

Real data is messy. Design for it.

5

Protect and communicate your value

Patents, funding applications and reputation all tell your story.

6

Bring people with you

Adoption is part of innovation: train, support and build trust.

Teacher's problem→Research: 600+ schools→Patent-pending innovation→MVP & pilot→Innovate UK award→Growth: schools, families, HE

Lecture link Today's concepts in practice

Your turn

Let's discuss

Vote Should AI ever give a student a final grade without a teacher checking it?

YesNoIt depends

Debate Will AI democratise entrepreneurship, or create new digital monopolies?

Democratise

Today a small, skilled team can build a powerful AI product.

Monopolies

The largest AI models belong to a few very large companies.

What everyday problem have you noticed that could become your next digital innovation?

Lecture link “Will AI democratise entrepreneurship, or create a new generation of powerful digital monopolies?”

Thank you

“Innovation does not start with advanced technology. It starts with a problem that truly matters, careful listening, and the courage to build and learn.”

Less time marking.
More time to inspire.

Your questions: the ones you prepared for today

mysmartteach.com linkedin.com/in/mysmartteach

Dr Sharzad Majlesi
CEO & Co-founder, Unique Tech Solution Ltd · Creator of My Smart Teach