Our history so far

Skill Pointers is part of Point Academic Research, a team focused on building tools that make expert guidance more accessible.

From Study Abroad research questions to a product

Skill Pointers began as a set of research questions about how people learn, practice, and build skills in fast-changing fields abroad. Instead of starting with a finished product idea, the team spent time talking with learners, educators, and managers to understand where existing consultancies fell short. The early methods and prototypes were small experiments, each testing a different way to give people clearer, more actionable guidance.

Building on our own Big Sky technology

As those experiments showed promise, the work moved from one-off prototypes to a more integrated product built on EDMI our edtech suite for admission consultation. That shift made it possible to combine research insights with a more robust technical foundation, so the team could iterate faster while still keeping quality and safety at the center.

Expanding the team

Over time, the project grew from a small core group into a cross-disciplinary team including product, engineering, design, research, and partnerships. Each new hire helped deepen the team’s understanding of how Point could support real people in real contexts.

Continuing to learn and adapt

Today, the work on Skill Pointers is still driven by the same principles that shaped the first experiments: talk to users, learn from what works and what doesn’t, and keep refining the experience so that guidance feels more human, not more complicated. The details of the roadmap will continue to evolve, but the direction is steady: making it easier for people to see where they are, where they could go, and what to work on next.

This history is intentionally high-level so it stays current as the product and team continue to develop. If you’re considering joining or partnering with Skill Pointers, it should give you a sense of the mindset behind the work and where the product is heading.