The Company
Rote Done Right.
Root-1 is interested in effective & engaging solutions related to learning. We started off targeting algorithmic transformation of middle and high-school content — our XWords app was the first result. Since then, we’ve moved on to work on detailed event tracking, user/expertise profiling and machine learning in an effect to build better language learning products, initially focused on the vocabulary space. We bring to bear large scale public resources, such as web repositories, news headlines and images, as well as game theory and motivational tools.
The Team
Vibhu Mittal
Tried to learn at USC, OSU, IIT. (Failed, and taught at CMU.) Acquired unbounded optimism at Google.
Adam Stepinski
In spite of studying at Rice, knowing multiple languages, and working at Google (wonder wheel, real time search) he ended up at Root-1. (But don’t feel too sympathetic: he co-founded it).
Ketan Kothari
After a BS in Electrical Engineering and an MBA, got a real job at Apple, where he learnt how be an entrepreneur, started AlphaSmart and had a fun ride taking it public. After which spent the last 5 years trying to figure out if the whole Apple, AlphaSmart thing was accidental.
Manish Kothari
Got a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Electrical Eng, and an MBA for good measure. His streak of confusion abated when he went back to grade school through his previous startup, AlphaSmart.
Doug Banks
A BS from UPenn and a MS from UC Berkeley weren’t enough to dissuade Doug from working on ads at Google. Not feeling quite fulfilled, Doug quit Google to teach at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto for a couple of years. He’s also previously worked at Booyah on social games.