Comedian helps launch ‘Pinterest for education’


A new company called Pindex – launched this month – has created an online learning platform to help teachers and parents find high-quality, educational media online.

The platform is being dubbed the “Pinterest for education” due to its format’s similarity to the image-sharing social media website.

In an effort to boost interest in STEM education, the site’s content is focused on science and technology, including informational videos about colonising Mars, using robots and drones and fun science experiments.

UK comedian, Stephen Fry – who is expected to feature in several videos on the site – spoke about the Large Hadron Collider, dark matter and extra dimensions in Pindex’s debut video.

Fry, who provides creative direction for the project’s four-person team, said it was worth remembering the power of the Internet “to inform and educate, lucidly and entertainingly” at a time when the online world “seems to centre around trolling, bullying and trivialising”.

“We'd like to welcome teachers, professors and anyone with a passion to share the most engaging and captivating material at pindex.com,” he said in a statement.

John Leaver, one of the co-founders, told The Telegraph.co.uk that the idea for Pindex was born “out of frustration with the dull, dry material” his 10-year-old daughter often brought home from school.

“Making every topic engaging is a huge task - too much for any one person,” Leaver explained.

“Pindex enables teachers and professors to share their best material. Working together like this is the only way to solve the problem.”

Leaver, who met Fry while filming a video for a charity, said it was a pleasure working with the comedian, who he said was “genuinely enthusiastic” about education. 

“We're fortunate to not need financial investment at the moment. We'll start talks with investors fairly soon, but there's no rush,” Leaver said, adding that as the company expands, it will grow its library by curating more material from external makers. 

“We’ll soon be inviting bloggers and YouTube educators to curate material on Pindex, as they research topics, so their audiences can learn in more depth.”