AnkiHub is an EdTech startup created to help students study with flashcards. It is a web application and add-on that fully integrates with Anki to facilitate mass collaboration, real-time updates, and much more. We were hired to develop a software to share decks, allowing collaborative updating of deck contents, whilst making the learning process more efficient and effective.
Anki is an open-source software for studying using flashcards that uses spaced repetition strategies to determine which cards should be reviewed at a given moment. Students widely use it, especially medical students.
One of the founders of AnkiHub, the AnKing, produces content on many platforms to help students and owns one of the most famous medicine Anki study decks in the USA. He built a strong community, with people constantly using and suggesting improvements. However, managing and distributing the decks was complex and tedious.
So, it is no surprise he shortly identified the cooperation issue and partnered with a (former pre-med) software engineer, with whom he had the idea to build an 'Anki cards GitHub.' And that's how Ankihub was born.
AnkiHub is a web application and an Anki add-on that fully integrates with Anki to facilitate mass collaboration and real-time updates. Its goal is to make the best evidence-based learning and memorization strategies accessible.
The challenge was to create an Anki-integrated software that allowed deck creation with uncomplicated distribution in which users could easily suggest modifications and upload/download updated versions.
At the beginning of the partnership with AnkiHub, the startup was still in the process of organizing its product, teams, and areas. Despite seeming simple, the integration with Anki was complex, requiring an API client that interacts with a cross-platform GUI with an intricate tech stack (Python, QT, Rust, and JS).
Our goal was to deliver a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) within 3 months of development to validate the product's technical feasibility and market interest.
MVP LAUNCH
As there was no prototype, we allocated one of our Product Designers to create the first sketches. These initial mockups worked as the project foundation, giving the client a tangible product vision.
In the early stages, it was essential to have an experienced Labcodes Tech Leader to make the development cycle structured, ensuring a steadfast progression.
We launched a test version of the product where users who paid in advance could evaluate the product and give suggestions for improvements and bug reports.
POST RELEASE
After launch, we switched focus to improve previous features and implement new ones. Our common goal became making the students experience with the product even better.
With business growth, the necessity of expanding the Labcodes team became clear and we went from two to seven people within a year. We allocated specialists from three areas to cover different aspects of the product and its evolution process.
So, in addition to full stack developers, we needed:
As a larger team we conducted a Lean Inception session with the stakeholders to outline product vision, identify target audiences, understand competitors, and recognize opportunities and challenges.
Collaboration beyond product development was instrumental in for a strategic business management based on data and metrics. As a result, the existing process became better structured, communication leaner, and previous challenges easier to deal with.
“Everyone at Labcodes Software Studio is incredibly smart, friendly, and hardworking, collaborating both virtually and in person.”
Andrew Sanchez
Co-Founder
NOWADAYS AND FUTURE CHALLENGES
Today our efforts are dedicated to optimize study time and simplify the platform, ensuring users can start learning faster and stay engaged throughout their educational journey.
We are developing tools using cutting-edge technology, including large language models (LLMs), OpenAI, and GPT, to enhance the user experience with AnkiHub.
These tools will enable us to provide personalized and adaptive learning experiences, leveraging data-driven insights to tailor study recommendations to each user's unique needs and preferences.
Additionally, we are creating features to allow partnerships with trusted medical schools and organizations.
In 2023, there was a 350% increase of active memberships (paying users), and a 348% increase of monthly recurring revenue.
In 2024, AnkiHub reached a number of over 100,000 registered users, a 2.3% decrease in churn, and more than 70,000 subscriptions across the platform's 1,234 decks (and growing).
Besides those metrics, we identified the client’s satisfaction with our effort and that this partnership really contributed to the business growth, considering the gradual team expansion.
“Labcodes taking our app to market, growing our user base, and identifying and developing new key features were some of the measurable outcomes that demonstrated success for us.”
Andrew Sanchez
Co-Founder
