Miyagi Labs

What do they actually do

Miyagi Labs runs a consumer learning platform with two main live offerings today. First, an SAT prep hub where students can take a short score predictor, practice with question sets and full-length timed exams, track progress, and follow a suggested study plan; the site advertises 5,000+ SAT questions and realistic exam flows (SAT Practice Center). Second, a course generator that turns existing content—YouTube playlists, uploaded videos, PDFs, or audio—into an interactive course with auto‑generated summaries, quizzes, flashcards, and a chat/voice AI tutor (site and Courses page; YC launch).

Primary users are students prepping for the SAT and creators/educators who want to convert lectures or playlists into courses, with the team publishing a growing library of public courses (they promoted “100+ public courses”) to make ready‑made study content available (YC company page; Launch HN; tweet). The platform also includes a few gamified trainers (e.g., chess, blackjack) for practicing decision‑making, consistent with their practice‑driven learning approach (site).

Who are their target customer(s)

• High‑school students preparing for the SAT: They struggle to diagnose weaknesses and want accurate, realistic practice exams with clear next steps. They need targeted practice, score prediction, and feedback to focus study time effectively (SAT practice center).
• Learners who watch lectures/YouTube but don’t retain material: Passive video watching doesn’t provide quizzes, summaries, or a guided study path. They want auto‑generated assessments and spaced review to make learning stick (course generator).
• Independent creators, professors, and online educators: Converting raw videos/PDFs into structured lessons, quizzes, and flashcards is time‑consuming. They want fast course creation plus built‑in practice and feedback for students (YC launch).
• Small businesses or L&D managers: Training videos sit unused without assessments, personalization, or progress tracking. They need a quick way to turn internal videos into interactive, measurable courses (YC launch post).
• Tutors and small tutoring centers: They spend time creating practice materials and repeating the same feedback. They want automated practice generation and scalable, personalized feedback for many students (YC company page).

How would they acquire their first 10, 50, and 100 customers

• First 10: Onboard local teachers, tutors, and students from the founders’ education network to use the SAT hub and course generator; convert a real class playlist into a live course and capture outcomes and testimonials (SAT, course generator).
• First 50: Direct outreach to YouTube educators and small tutoring centers with short demos; offer free or discounted course conversions plus referrals, post demos in SAT/teacher communities, and publish converted public courses to drive organic student signups (course generator).
• First 100: Turn early case studies into pilot programs with tutoring businesses and high‑reach SAT creators (revenue share, co‑branded courses) and run targeted LinkedIn outreach to L&D managers for short pilots converting internal training (YC launch).

What is the rough total addressable market

Top-down context:

As a near‑term wedge, the SAT market is sizable: over 1.97 million students in the U.S. class of 2024 took the SAT at least once, approaching pre‑pandemic levels (College Board 2024). Beyond SAT, millions of learners consume educational video and a large base of creators/SMBs produce training content that could be converted into interactive courses.

Bottom-up calculation:

Initial wedge TAM could be approximated as: (a) SAT: ~2.0M takers/year × 25% willing to pay × $80/year ≈ $40M. (b) Creator/teacher tooling: ~100k targetable creators/educators × $200/year ≈ $20M. (c) SMB L&D conversion: ~200k SMBs with training video × 5% adoption × $1,000/year ≈ $10M; combined near‑term ≈ $70M, with room to expand via additional exams and subjects.

Assumptions:

• SAT: ~2.0M annual takers; 25% purchase supplemental prep; consumer ARPU ~$80/year.
• Creator/teacher segment: ~100k targetable users globally; willingness to pay ~$200/year for course tooling.
• SMB L&D: ~200k SMBs with training video; 5% adoption at ~$1,000/year.

Who are some of their notable competitors

• Khan Academy / Khanmigo: The dominant free destination for Official SAT practice with College Board, plus an AI tutor (Khanmigo) for guided help—sets a high bar for realistic practice and coaching (Official SAT practice, Khanmigo).
• Quizlet: Lets users paste/upload notes to generate flashcards, adaptive practice, and AI practice tests—overlaps with Miyagi’s auto‑generated quizzes/flashcards from content (features, AI practice tests).
• Thinkific: Course hosting platform with video, quizzes, analytics, and AI quiz generation; competes for creators deciding where to publish and monetize courses (features, AI quizzes).
• Docebo: Enterprise LMS for authoring, delivering, and tracking training with AI features—relevant to Miyagi’s B2B/internal training use cases (enterprise LMS).
• 7taps: Microlearning tool that converts PPTs/PDFs/videos into bite‑sized training modules—closest analog for fast content conversion in L&D (site).