About Informative Academy
Focused thinking. Decisions that count.
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Mission & Vision
A simple north star for how we build.
Mission
Help every 11–16-year-old turn curiosity into capability through hands-on learning, practical tools, and real-world practice.
Vision
A future where young people make confident decisions about money, work, and life because they’ve practised before it counts.
We develop self reflection, critical thinking, financial literacy, and entrepreneurial confidence
Build Trust
Every interaction with a parent, school, or student is an opportunity to earn confidence, not just deliver a service. Trust is built slowly and lost quickly.
Make it Count
Anything we do should produce a positive outcome. If a student leaves with nothing to show, we didn't do our job.
Think at Scale
We build systems that benefits communities and families, not just one-off solutions.
Respect History
Education has been shaped by people who came before us. We work within established systems, respect curriculum frameworks, and earn our place rather than disrupting for disruption's sake.
Future Thinking
We're building for the world our students will inherit, not the one we grew up in. Every programme, every tool, every hire should reflect where things are going.
Our story
Why Informative Academy exists
Quick jump
Where curiosity begins
As a father, I’ve seen glimpses of creativity and entrepreneurial interest in all three of our kids and that’s not unusual. In fact, it’s very common. Around the age of 8 or 9, they started asking to do different projects: setting up a stall in our driveway to sell homemade lemonade and orange juice to neighbours, creating custom bracelets for friends, buying and reselling small keychains, selling their toys and books to make money. Talking to other parents, I’ve learned that many children go through this same phase at a similar age.
What’s missing in traditional pathways
While schools do a great job building core principles and academic foundations, they don’t always develop the practical skills needed to nurture that early spark. Traditional curriculum topics continue to fill most of teachers’ focus, homework, and class time.
We still prepare kids for exams, but rarely for decisions.
The financial literacy gap
Another gap that’s still evident across most school systems is the lack of financial literacy. How many adults have said, “I wish I was taught the value of money and financial discipline at a younger age”? This isn’t about complex investing or spreadsheets, it’s about understanding trade-offs, delayed gratification, risk, and responsibility.
These skills influence everyday decisions long before someone earns their first full-time income. When young people experiment with money for the first time, it’s often without guidance, context, or a safe environment to make mistakes. Those early habits, good or bad, tend to stick, and they quietly shape confidence, behaviour, and future choices.
What early exposure really changes
Throughout my career, I’ve interviewed hundreds of graduates from different backgrounds, countries, and experience levels. Over time, I noticed a consistent pattern among those who had started small businesses, built side projects, or funded their studies or travel independently. Their advantage wasn’t just intelligence or ambition, it was exposure. They had learned early how to make decisions, solve practical problems, manage uncertainty, and take responsibility for outcomes. That early experience created momentum. It built confidence, resilience, and a willingness to try, qualities that are difficult to teach later through theory alone.
Why this matters even more now
There’s also a growing reality that makes this more urgent than it was for previous generations. Many of the entry-level roles that once acted as a learning ground simply don’t exist in the same way anymore. I was fortunate to have early jobs where I learned by doing. Handling basic tasks, making small decisions, observing how teams worked, and gradually taking on more responsibility.
Today, many of those same tasks can be completed far more efficiently by simple automation or AI tools. While this progress is powerful, it quietly removes a critical bridge, the space where young people once learned through exposure. If that bridge disappears, we need to intentionally build new ones, earlier and more deliberately, rather than leaving a growing gap between education and real-world capability.
Looking for better options
In 2023, I started researching what already existed. I was looking for practical options, courses, tools, and structured experiences that could help our kids move beyond ideas into action. We attended multiple young entrepreneur markets and fairs, and it was inspiring to see the creativity and energy poured into arts, crafts, and small ventures.
I also spoke with many parents to understand what they had tried and what worked. A common theme emerged: while there were pockets of great initiatives, most were either short-lived, overly academic, or disconnected from real-world application. There was no clear journey, nothing that helped kids build skills progressively, reflect on their decisions, and apply what they learned over time.
From curiosity to capability
That gap between curiosity and capability is what ultimately led me to start building something different.
I didn’t set out to build another course or a static library of lessons. I wanted to create an environment where curiosity could turn into capability where kids could experiment, make decisions, learn from mistakes, and gradually build confidence through action. Informative Academy was designed as a place where learning isn’t passive or theoretical, but applied and progressive. Instead of being told what to think, learners are guided through real scenarios: building ideas, managing money, analysing outcomes, and reflecting on their choices. Skills unlock tools, effort unlocks opportunity, and progress feels earned. The goal isn’t to push children toward entrepreneurship, but to give them practical life skills, decision-making, problem-solving, financial awareness, and self-belief that will matter no matter which path they eventually choose.
Designed around how learning actually works
Just as importantly, the platform is designed around how people actually learn and retain skills not how content is traditionally delivered. Informative Academy uses short, focused learning moments combined with clear visual explanation, hands-on application, and reflection. Concepts are introduced clearly, reinforced visually, tested through action, and then applied by building something meaningful.
This approach draws on proven techniques such as dual coding and active recall, but keeps them practical and age-appropriate. The goal isn’t completion for its own sake, but understanding that sticks. Learning that’s experienced, tested, and used, rather than watched once and forgotten.
Built to evolve, together
I also wanted the platform to grow beyond a traditional course library. Informative Academy is intentionally designed to bring students, parents, schools, tutors, and industry into the same learning ecosystem. One that can evolve over time through shared challenges, community engagement, and locally relevant content. This flexibility allows learning to stay connected to the real world, rather than becoming static or disconnected from the environments young people are preparing to enter.
Keeping access open
From the start, it was also important that access to the platform remained as affordable as possible. Informative Academy wasn’t built to maximise revenue, but to maximise access and impact. The intention has always been to charge only what’s necessary to cover operating costs, development, and ongoing improvement.
This isn’t about turning learning into a premium product out of reach for most families. If this platform is meant to help young people build confidence and practical skills early in life, then it needs to be accessible.
David Goggin
Founder, Informative Academy
Parent, creator, and lifelong learner. Informative Academy grew out of real experiences — at home, at work, and from seeing what young people need to navigate an increasingly complex world with confidence.
Signature Experiences
Here's what this looks like in practice.
ThinkType Assessment → Personalised Start
Discover how you learn best, shaping guidance and activities from day one.
‘My Finances’ Dashboard → Budgeting & Credit in Action
Plan spending, track goals, and explore a Credit Score Tracker to understand borrowing.
Product Workspace → From Idea to Prototype
Unlock a Product Profile, Business Model Canvas, and simple wireframing to build ideas.
Marketing & Iteration → Ship, Measure, Improve
Use a Marketing Dashboard and A/B Testing Tool to make changes and learn from data.
INF50 Simulator → Investing You Can Practise
Experiment with portfolios and see compounding in action—safely and playfully.
Market Signals Studio → Qualitative Analysis with Evidence
Compare company moves, news catalysts, and sentiment to justify decisions clearly.
Explore by audience
Find the right starting point for students, parents, and schools.