How one educator-turned-entrepreneur turned classroom frustration into a comprehensive learning platform.
INTERVIEW | by Victor Rivero
Chris Hull went from middle school social studies teacher to edtech entrepreneur after running headfirst into the daily headaches of fragmented systems and scattered data. Now, as Co-Founder and President of Otus, he’s on a mission to give educators what he once wished for himself: one clear, connected view of the whole student. With Otus, Chris is helping schools turn overwhelming data into actionable insights—freeing teachers to focus less on screens and spreadsheets, and more on what matters most: their students. Chris was recently named the 2025 EdTech Leadership Award winner in the Visionary category by EdTech Digest. In this exclusive, you’ll begin to understand why.
What inspired you to start the company? What challenges were you witnessing firsthand in education that made a solution like yours necessary?
My classroom experiences as a seventh-grade social studies teacher revealed a profound disconnect between educational technology and practical classroom needs. Upon receiving a grant for 1:1 devices, my expectations soared—surely these tools would enhance my efficiency and effectiveness. The reality proved disappointing. Assessment data existed in one system, grades in another, and behavioral observations elsewhere. This fragmentation created an impossible barrier to gaining a comprehensive understanding of each student. I was spending more time performing administrative tasks than with my students.
The issue became clear: abundant data existed, yet remained siloed across disconnected platforms. Teachers needed a unified system to view the whole student—academic performance, behavioral patterns, and life skills development together. This fundamental need became the foundation for Otus: a comprehensive platform where educators can access complete student profiles without wasting precious hours navigating between systems, finally making student data clear, connected, and actionable.
‘Teachers needed a unified system to view the whole student—academic performance, behavioral patterns, and life skills development together.’
Your platform is described as “built by educators, for educators.” How does this shape your approach? How has your experience as an educator directly influenced the design, functionality, and mission of the company?
Otus reflects the perspective of educators who truly understand the daily demands of the classroom. Every feature is designed to simplify, not complicate—to be the tool I wish I had when I was teaching. That means bringing assessment, data, and communication together in one place to empower educators, not overwhelm them.
Our mission has always been to equip educators with the tools and insights they need to support every learner. That is why our support team is second to none—many are former educators themselves. They speak the language of the classroom, understand the challenges, and are deeply committed to helping schools get the most out of Otus. We are not just building a platform—we’re building partnerships with the people we’ve been and the work we still believe in.
‘Every feature is designed to simplify, not complicate—to be the tool I wish I had when I was teaching.’
Data exists everywhere in education, but not always available in usable ways for district leaders, educators, and families. How are districts currently navigating student data, and how are you changing this approach? Why do you believe K–12 districts need to rethink how they use data?
Many districts operate with disconnected systems which fail to communicate effectively. Each platform serves a narrow purpose—attendance tracking, grade management, assessment analysis—yet remains isolated from complementary information. This forces educators and administrators to spend excessive hours assembling incomplete pictures from fragmented sources.
Otus transforms this approach by unifying academic, behavioral, and life skills data into a cohesive, accessible format. Our platform enables districts to shift from reactive data analysis to proactive strategy development. Through thoughtful organization, intuitive visualization, and practical application of information, schools gain comprehensive understanding of each student’s progress throughout their academic journey.
‘[Our platform] transforms this approach by unifying academic, behavioral, and life skills data into a cohesive, accessible format.’
Educational institutions must evolve beyond compliance-driven data collection toward insight-driven improvement cycles. When information becomes accessible and meaningful, educators spend less time searching for answers and more time implementing effective interventions. This paradigm shift transforms data from an administrative burden into a powerful catalyst for educational excellence.
How do you empower teachers and school leaders to make more informed decisions? Please walk us through how your solution translates complex student data into actionable insights for educators.
Otus centralizes information to eliminate friction between data collection and meaningful action. Teachers access comprehensive views of student performance by standard, examine growth trends across time periods, and monitor engagement patterns—all without generating multiple reports or navigating between systems.
For school leaders, Otus provides a district-wide view while also allowing a deep dive into specific classrooms, groups, or students. Administrators evaluate intervention effectiveness, assess alignment between instructional approaches and desired outcomes, and identify student groups needing additional support. The platform highlights patterns rather than presenting raw data, allowing educators to focus energy on developing responses rather than deciphering metrics.
‘The platform highlights patterns rather than presenting raw data, allowing educators to focus energy on developing responses rather than deciphering metrics.’
The translation from data to insight occurs through thoughtful visualization, AI-generated summaries, and purposeful organization. When a teacher opens a student’s profile, academic performance appears alongside behavioral observations and learning preferences. This comprehensive view reveals connections between different aspects of student experience, enabling more comprehensive and effective educational approaches.
How are you leveraging AI in ways meaningful for educators and students?
Otus implements AI as an assistant for educators, enhancing their expertise rather than replacing professional judgment. Our AI features transform data into discoverable insights, making valuable information readily accessible when needed most. Educators leverage these capabilities to uncover patterns previously buried in disconnected systems, extract meaningful signals from educational noise, and develop personalized learning supports based on comprehensive student profiles.
The platform enables educators to ask questions in plain English—”Which students demonstrate risk factors in mathematics?”—and receive clear, data-supported responses drawn from information already within Otus. This discovery-oriented approach transforms how educators interact with educational data—moving from passive reporting to active exploration. By making information more discoverable and deliverable at the point of decision, Otus saves precious instructional time, deepens understanding of student needs, and guides more effective educational practices.
AI serves as a partner in educational excellence, performing routine analysis and pattern recognition while educators apply professional expertise to interpretation and response. Through thoughtful integration of artificial intelligence, Otus amplifies teacher impact without diminishing the irreplaceable human elements of education.
‘AI serves as a partner in educational excellence, performing routine analysis and pattern recognition while educators apply professional expertise.’
How can AI be effectively used within the classroom? How are you using AI to save educators time and/or improve student outcomes?
Effective AI integration requires seamless alignment with existing educator workflows. Within Otus, AI supports critical functions such as assessment creation, performance analysis, and intervention planning. Educators can generate standards-aligned questions, receive support in evaluating student work, and access strategy recommendations based on performance patterns. Otus AI also helps synthesize student data, uncover trends, and guide actionable next steps—whether addressing learning gaps, providing enrichment, grouping students for targeted instruction, or streamlining tasks like crafting family communications.
By embedding these capabilities within the platform educators already utilize, Otus reduces time spent on repetitive administrative tasks. More significantly, the system helps teachers identify connections across domains—academic performance, behavioral indicators, cognitive strengths—to create personalized support for each learner.
‘By embedding AI within the platform educators already use, [our solution] reduces time spent on repetitive administrative tasks while helping teachers identify connections across domains.’
AI becomes valuable when serving as an assistant rather than a replacement, performing rapid analysis while educators apply contextual understanding and professional judgment. This balanced partnership enables more responsive, individualized education while preserving the human relationships fundamental to effective learning environments.
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Victor Rivero is the Editor-in-Chief of EdTech Digest. Write to: [email protected]
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