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I don't think "a Twilio for educational data" does this product justice. It sounds more like the missing API for every schools' internal data systems, and it's

• jaredsohn 14y ago
  I don't get why they are referring to this as a Twilio for x either; it seems like they're just saying that it is an API that abstracts away some things, which quite a few do. Just last week I met someone from Code for America where they talked about creating an API for working with local governments. This seems like an education version of that. (Although perhaps Code for America isn't famous enough yet to use it as a comparison in a TechCrunch article.) Edit: The reason why I don't think Twilio is all that unique for making that comparison is you could call it the "HopStop for schools" (since HopStop allows you to get mass transit directions without having to interface with each bus company, subway system, etc.) or the "Singly for schools" since it allows you to abstract away Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare, LinkedIn, etc. I suppose that Twilio just has better branding, though. Edit2: Code for America seems like a more direct comparison (but perhaps more obscure and not as suitable for marketing purposes) since it involves creating an API for programmers to use to connect with government institutions that use a diverse set of typically hard-to-interact-with-programmatically software.
  • 2arrs2ells 14y ago
    If you want to build an app that uses voice/SMS, but don't want to deal with a bunch of complex telecom systems, you use Twilio. If you want to build an app that needs student data, but don't want to deal with a bunch of complex student data systems, you should use Clever! That said, I love the grandparent's description of what we do.