Startup to SXSW

When Quizling, a Canberra based Ed-tech startup pitches at SxSW in Texas this March, University of Canberra alumna and Quizling co-founder Dion Oxley will be facing the crowd. With 14,000 teachers, education leaders and investors, SxSW is an amazing achievement for Quizling, which began on a dining room table in Canberra's inner north.

Graduating in 2010 with a Graduate Diploma in Education, Dion found that her degree at the University of Canberra, while intensive, gave her a solid grounding to begin her career in the local education industry. She began teaching at Mt Stromlo High School and Dickson College, before co-founding Quizling in 2014.

“I guess the seeds for Quizling were sown back in 2010, when I met my co-founder Damien Trask. We were both late for an ed-tech lecture over in building 5 and, finding ourselves locked out of the room, began talking. We discovered a shared passion for education, technology and the places learning could go! Education was a bit slow to the technology revolution, but  by 2010 things were getting exciting! Damien and I kept revisiting the idea, but it wasn’t until 2014 that we actually said “let’s do this!” We wanted to create something for our classrooms that solved the problems we experienced. Quizling was the solution.”

Quizling, a free app, uses a fun quiz interface to connect learners all over the country with resources from leading national institutions such as the National Gallery of Australia, the National Library of Australia, the Royal Australian Mint and the National Sports Museum at the MCG. It works on the fundamental nature of curiosity about the world. People can’t help but answer a quiz question, and that in turn starts a process of wondering.

“The idea that anyone can download an app and play, create and share is what makes Quizling so special,” says Dion.

It brings the broader community together; students, teachers, parents and museums. Quizling enables schools and classrooms to break out their silos and share learning and creating.

So while the NGA can create a quiz on a collection, a school student can create a quiz based on how they see that collection and their learnings, then share it on the app or through social media and that can be played by students around Australia.

Armed with their big idea and basic platform, Quizling was one of five teams selected for the inaugural Griffin Accelerator; a bootcamp for start-up companies. This gave Dion and Damien the opportunity to be noticed by Sydney Angels and Capital Angels, giving them the support and funding they needed to accelerate growth, and take the app to new heights.

“With both Canberra and Sydney Angels investors, Quizling has been fortunate to get smart money; investors who are involved, who share their experiences and who have been really hands on.”

That’s not to say it has always been smooth sailing. Dion has learnt many lessons along the way in building a start-up.

"The big lesson for me came as a woman in a tech startup. There are not many of us. Sydney Angels has a good track record of investing in companies with female founders. Sylvia Tulloch, an entrepreneur and Angel Investor, is on our Board; we have great women around but we need more.”

Now working full-time on the app, Dion’s day involves everything from working with the museums and institutions for quiz content, talking to schools and teachers and reviewing feedback from the students.

"Canberra is an exceptional place to start a business," she says. “The wide range of organisations we get to work with means we meet incredible people, who give us ideas and feedback,and access to amazing collections."

Canberra has all the benefits of a great international city, but with a really strong community - people still have time for a coffee!

A huge advocate for Canberra, Dion believes that there is a really supportive ecosystem there that differentiates itself from the business capitals of the world like Sydney and New York. With great support from the ACT Government, CBRIN and local, national and international businesses, it’s the perfect platform to meet people and develop ideas.

Dion believes that the app is successful because of the firsthand experience she and Damien had as teachers - and the addictive nature of the game.

“We had one guy play a quiz 600 times! The gameplay and the look and feel of the app all make it a really engaging experience, but in the end, I think that people are curious and a little bit competitive. We want to know about the world, we want to learn and Quizling is a really great learning tool.”

While Quizling continues to expand across Australia, the duo will head to SxSW in Texas this March, as the only team outside of North America. The annual event is a celebration of film, media and music through conferences and festivals which attracts tens of thousands of inventive people, and will give Dion and Damien the opportunity to reach an international audience. Already receiving positive feedback from overseas, this event will escalate Dion’s five year plan of taking Quizling abroad.

Quizling has a big vision, a great product and is really scalable – it’s made to go global!

Expect to hear more from Dion and Damien in the future. Download Quizling here.

Words by Stephanie Cossetto