The Power of Voice for EdTech: Martyn Farrows, COO of SoapBox Labs

Jul 1, 2020

Today’s guest on The EdTech Startup Show Podcast is Martyn Farrows, COO of SoapBox Labs.

Martyn is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of SoapBox Labs (www.soapboxlabs.com) an award winning deep tech company that specializes in developing voice technology for kids. Proprietary and built from the ground up, SoapBox Labs' accurate, safe and age appropriate voice technology powers immersive play and learning experiences, including literacy and language learning tools, for kids from 2 to 12 years old. 

Martyn has a Ph.D in European politics and is an experienced public speaker on the topic of children's digital privacy, the future of AI and the use of voice technology in education.

Martyn has been a member of the Irish Government’s Data Forum since its inception in June 2015. He was previously Director of the Learnovate Centre, a strategic investment by the Irish government to establish Ireland as a global centre of excellence in learning innovation.

Highlights from my conversation with Martyn Farrows:

• Why voice technology is a great way to foster agency in children
• Why Martyn considers himself a mix of Pulp Fiction’s Winston Wolfe and Winnie the Pooh.
• Voice as an “enabling technology”
• How educators can start learning about how to implement voice and AI into their teaching tools
• Potential future uses of voice technology in literacy and language learning
• Martyn shares some interesting insights and observations from how SoapBox Labs’ voice technology is being used through their partners
• How SoapBox Labs deals with concerns and issues around privacy

Important links from this episode:

• SoapBox Labs
• SoapBox Labs on Twitter
• SoapBox Labs on LinkedIn
• Send SoapBox Labs an Email at [e-mail]
• Martyn Farrows on LinkedIn
• Lingumi
• Alexa
• Florida Center for Reading Research
• Yaacov Petscher
• Reach Every Reader Project
• Child Data Citizen
• Lex Fridman
• See SoapBox Labs' Voice Technology in Action with Lingumi

Want to hear from other entrepreneurs discussing voice tech in education?

• Philip Cutler - PAPER
• Bryanne Leeming - Unruly Studios

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