In 2009, Compass founders John de la Motte and Lucas Filer met over a team lunch. While chowing down on their cafeteria sandwiches they bonded over their unapologetically nerdy love for education technology.
John and Lucas were sure there was a way to use technology to improve processes in school communities; a way of making tech part of everyday activities, like ordering a pie in the canteen, or letting parents know how their kids were performing in class.
After months of white-boarding and long days spent writing thousands of lines of code, Compass 1.0 came to life. However, the journey had only just begun and with the valuable input of foundational schools John and Lucas were able to add new features to the platform to meet school's needs.
Fast forward a decade and Compass' school management ecosystem is now used in more than 2,000 schools in Australia and beyond: from Melbourne to Mountrath (that’s in Ireland!), Toronto to Toowoomba.
It’s no longer just John and Lucas eating sandwiches at the lunch table. Now they’re joined by 200 members of the Compass team, delivering smart school management solutions around the world.
Compass now offer a comprehensive suite of modules that connects the entire school community. Schools are now able to simplify processes and reduce their administrative burden so everyone can focus on achieving their school's version of success.
Not bad for an idea formed over a lunch break.
