Science educator Jessica Silverman joins CEO Jared Schiffman as cofounder of Phenomena.
Building a company from the ground up is no easy feat. As a founder, you can look forward to countless hours of hard work, being responsible for the outcome of every decision the company makes (especially the bad ones), and experiencing set back after set back. It’s not a job most people sign up for unless they’re really passionate about an idea.
But for Jared and Jessica, the decision to become cofounders of Phenomena was a no brainer. Despite the challenges inherent in startups, they both believe deeply in Phenomena’s mission to make STEM fun and accessible for ALL kids through our unique approach to experiential learning. And just as importantly, they love working with the incredible team of developers and creators behind Phenomena who make coming to work every day an absolute delight.
As they say, “The joy is in the journey,” and Jessica is excited to join Jared and the Phenomena team on this exciting adventure. Keep reading to hear Jared and Jessica‘s thoughts on their partnership.
In Jared’s Words
I’ve shared a lot of wonderful news over the past year, but no news tops this. I’m proud and honored to announce that Jessica Silverman has agreed to join me as a cofounder at Phenomena.
The truth is we’ve been working together since late August and we’ve just now made it official. While the original plan was to do a three month test run, it was clear to me after the first week or two that Jessica is downright amazing and the perfect person to join me at the helm.
While she’s too humble to say so herself, I’m happy to brag for her. She holds a Bachelors in chemistry from MIT and PhD in microbiology from Tufts. She taught high school AP biology and AP chemistry for six years. And she was part of the core team at Harvard that launched LabXchange, a successful STEM aggregation platform backed by Amgen.
Beyond her obvious STEM skills, Jessica is an exceptional writer and communicator. She’s an amazing creator, director and editor. She’s a natural leader and a deep thinker. She’s also a real doer. I can’t count the number of time she says she’ll take on a task, and two hours later, it’s done, polished and ready to ship. It’s amazing to watch.
Jessica has the empathy of an educator and the strategic mind of a startup builder. In one meeting she’s advocating for the accessibility of our experiences and in the next she’s examining ways to lower our CAC or optimize our sales funnel.
Most importantly, Jessica and I are wonderful friends, colleagues and partners. We get along great, we collaborate well and we complement each other working styles. I feel so incredible lucky to have found her and even luckier to have her co-lead our exceptional team at Phenomena.
In Jessica’s Words
I think the best way for me to express how much it means to me to be a part of Phenomena is to start with a story.
I’ll never forget when Jared showed me a Phenomena experience for the first time. It was about relative velocity, a topic that sent shivers down my spine as I thought about all the failed physics tests (and classes, if we’re honest…) that haunted my academic career. Since high school, my encounters with physics have usually resulted in frustration and tears and I’ve made a concerted effort to avoid it ever since.
The objects in the experience began moving in different directions with different speeds, and Jared clicked from one to another, changing the frame of reference. And all of a sudden I got it. This concept that eluded me after semesters of physics was solidified in seconds. That’s when I knew Jared was onto something big and I was wholeheartedly onboard.
Joining the incredible team here at Phenomena feels like the culmination of my professional goal to develop learning experiences that build students’ confidence in their STEM skills. I became a high school teacher after completing my Ph.D. because I wanted to reach kids early in their learning journey, before they decided science was not for them. I live for those moments when kids finally have that “aha!” moment that opens up the door to new understanding and new possibilities.
Phenomena’s visual, interactive approach focused on building intuition is a powerful combination. It helps students not only learn and retain what they discover, but feel the joy inherent in STEM and so often lost in the pursuit of standards. And by making it easy for anyone to make these experiences with our Creator Tool, Phenomena has the potential to bring so many diverse voices into STEM education. As we build a community of creators, we’ll be creating a more inclusive, supportive learning environment than currently exists for students left behind in the learning process.
I’m honored to be a part of such an impactful project, and I wake up every morning excited to continue our work.
