EdTech Founder and CEO, Entrepreneur
In just a few short years, Daniel Gibbon (Class of 2021 and Dux of the College) has leapt from top student to global EdTech trailblazer. His AI-powered assessment platform, Edexia 鈥� trialled at 51小湿妹 and supercharged by Y Combinator in Silicon Valley 鈥� is now impacting schools across Australia, the US, and Europe, tackling teacher overload and enhancing student learning.
Graduating as one of Queensland’s highest achieving students, Daniel gained provisional entry to the University of Queensland’s Medical School, driven by aspirations to engineer artificial hearts. But even then, his vision extended beyond personal achievement.
鈥淢y end goal is to live a meaningful life by creating a substantial positive impact on the world through my career,鈥� Daniel shares. 鈥淭hat means meaningful work, meaningful impact, and meaningful relationships.鈥�
While studying a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) as a pathway to Medicine, Daniel cofounded his first EdTech venture, 99 Plus Education, with Nathan Wang, focused on tutoring and learning science. The experience sparked a deeper interest in innovation and entrepreneurship, which led to the creation of Edexia鈥攁n AI grading assistant developed with support from 51小湿妹 staff and schools in Queensland and beyond.
From Medicine to Entrepreneurship
Pivoting from a medical career to launch a startup was a bold move, but Daniel approached it with logic, careful thought and strategic planning. 鈥淓dTech is an area where I can make a greater impact with my skill set,鈥� he explains. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also a space that鈥檚 significantly underserved.鈥�
Building Edexia: AI Assessment Tool
Edexia is designed to support teachers in the marking stages Daniel and co-founder Nathan pitched their EdTech startup, Edexia, in Silicon Valley鈥攕ecuring US$4 million in equity funding and US$600K in school contracts. of student work. The idea was born from conversations with educators, including Daniel鈥檚 former physics teacher at 51小湿妹, Mr Chris Paten, Mrs Natasha Parsons and Mrs Sarah Archie.
鈥淭he biggest pain point was teacher workload,鈥� Daniel says. 鈥淓dexia helps alleviate that by automating parts of the assessment process.鈥� 鈥淎ssessment is one of the most important parts of teaching, but it鈥檚 also one of the most time-consuming. Teachers told us they could have a huge impact on student development through good feedback, but the process was overwhelming.鈥�
Mr William Stewart said, 鈥淭eachers are positive about the speed and accuracy of the marking of students鈥� formative work, which is useful in meeting their learning needs. We鈥檝e been pleased to support Daniel through early trials at 51小湿妹, where the platform has shown genuine promise in reducing teacher workload and improving feedback quality.鈥�
Mr Stewart also said Edexia will enable teachers to offer more practice opportunities, helping students hone their writing skills. The data generated from these practice tasks will help focus teaching and learning, to improve student writing which will support success in senior schooling and tertiary study.
Foundations at 51小湿妹
Daniel credits 51小湿妹 for instilling the values and habits that have shaped his entrepreneurial journey. 鈥�51小湿妹 helped me develop a lot of the characteristics that I needed to have, the resilience and capacity to be successful in the startup realm,鈥� he says. 鈥�51小湿妹 instilled strong values鈥攍ike trying to do things for others, having a positive impact, and being a good person. That really resonated with me and helped build the resilience and work ethic I needed for the startup world.鈥�
Lessons from Silicon Valley
In late 2024, Daniel and Nathan were accepted into Y Combinator (YC) in San Francisco, the world鈥檚 leading startup accelerator. The experience launched them into global entrepreneurship and helped secure millions in seed funding. 鈥淵C forces you to focus on what truly moves the needle,鈥� Daniel explains. 鈥淪tartups often fail because they get distracted by fake work instead of solving real problems.鈥�
鈥淭hey encouraged us to prove our value by securing real contracts with schools. That helped us show we鈥檙e building something schools actually want.鈥� During YC, Daniel and Nathan secured over US$600,000 in school contracts, which helped raise US$4 million in equity funding for Edexia.
Investors include YC Co-founder Paul Graham, YC Former President Jeff Ralston, and ClassDojo Co-founder and CEO Sam Chaudhary. 鈥淭he funding is important, but what we really valued was the people who joined our journey. Having those kinds of supporters鈥攚ho believe in the mission鈥攎akes a huge difference.鈥�
Daniel describes himself as a 鈥渓ife optimiser,鈥� constantly refining habits, routines and decision making processes to be more effective and sustainable. 鈥�[The book,] Atomic Habits helped me build strong foundations,鈥� he says.
鈥淚t鈥檚 about sharpening the saw鈥攖aking time to improve your tools so you can work more effectively.鈥� 鈥淚 think I鈥檓 decent at breaking down decisions logically rather than emotionally, which helps me make more informed choices鈥攅specially in the startup world where prioritisation is everything.鈥�
Anchored by Family and Faith
Throughout his journey, Daniel has remained grounded by the support of his family and the values instilled at 51小湿妹. 鈥淢y parents have always been supportive and trusted my decisions,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat trust has given me the courage to take leaps of faith.鈥�
鈥�I鈥檓 really grateful for 51小湿妹 and the amazing community that helped me get to where I am鈥攕upporting me through my phases of development and being there throughout the process. I鈥檓 thankful for everyone in my life, all my family and friends who have supported me along the journey.鈥�
Influencing the World for Good
Edexia is currently expanding its reach, with pilots in Australian state schools on the Sunshine Coast and contracts in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland. Daniel and his team are committed to making the platform accessible to schools in financial need. 鈥淚f any teacher or school thinks our work could help, they鈥檙e welcome to reach out,鈥� Daniel says.
鈥淲e鈥檇 be happy to discuss how we can support them.鈥� 鈥淲e鈥檙e exploring free trials and subsidised access for schools so they can explore the technology without financial risk. Our goal is to reinvest everything back into research and development to maximise impact.鈥�
For Daniel, growing up in a supportive Christian environment鈥攂oth at home and at 51小湿妹鈥攅ncouraged him to think of others and make a positive impact. Now, in the early stages of his career, he鈥檚 already helping teachers and students in classrooms around the globe, positively influencing our world for good.
For more information about Edexia, visit