Sketchy

Sketchy operates as an innovative educational technology platform, transforming complex academic subjects into engaging visual stories and memorable sketches. The company provides a unique learning methodology that aids students, predominantly in clinical fields, in mastering difficult topics and enhancing recall through its interactive, visually-driven content. This approach leverages the power of visual memory to simplify intricate information and improve retention.

The company was founded in 2013 by Saud Siddiqui, Andrew Berg, and Bryan Lemieux. The genesis of Sketchy emerged from their personal experience as medical students struggling with rote memorization. They discovered an effective method of learning microbiology by associating challenging concepts with distinctive visual narratives, realizing this organic technique could be scaled to benefit a wider student population.

Sketchy primarily serves aspiring clinicians and students pursuing higher education, offering a distinct path to subject mastery and exam preparedness. Its overarching mission is to make comprehensive learning an unforgettable and accessible experience. The platform envisions a future where complex knowledge is assimilated efficiently and retained enduringly, empowering students to succeed in demanding academic environments.

High-Level Overview

Sketchy is an edtech portfolio company that builds an online visual learning platform designed for medical students, premeds, PA students, and professionals to master complex health sciences topics. It serves primarily higher education learners preparing for exams like USMLE Step 1/2, COMLEX, MCAT, PANCE, and clinical rotations, solving the problem of retaining overwhelming amounts of dense medical information through proven techniques like art, storytelling, spaced repetition, and the method of loci (memory palace).[1][2][3][5] With over 500,000 users, including 30,000 active medical students (about a third of U.S. med students) and 100,000+ alumni, Sketchy demonstrates strong growth momentum, backed by $30 million from investors like The Chernin Group (TCG) and Reach Capital, and reported revenue around $6.2 million.[1][2][5]

The platform features visual lessons transforming concepts into memorable stories and symbols, interactive flashcards, quizzes, a QBank with thousands of practice questions, and simulated patient cases for clinical reasoning—leading to 96% of users reporting higher exam scores and 97% feeling more confident in differentials.[3][5]

Origin Story

Sketchy was founded in 2013 by four medical students who created sketched stories on whiteboards to differentiate and memorize similarly named viruses while preparing for their own USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 exams.[1][2][3] Dissatisfied with traditional study methods, they harnessed humor, characters, and visual mnemonics, initially sharing viral YouTube videos that gained traction and led them to launch the full platform.[3] Early success among med students propelled its evolution into a comprehensive tool now covering preclinical to clinical learning, with content vetted by physicians from top schools like UCLA, Columbia, and UC Irvine.[1][5]

Core Differentiators

• Proven Visual Mnemonics: Uses art, interconnected stories, recurring symbols, and the method of loci to anchor complex medical concepts in spatial memory, making recall effortless and long-lasting—far beyond rote memorization.[1][3][5]
• Clinician-Created Content: Lessons, scripts, quizzes, and interactive cases are crafted and reviewed by doctors, educators, and experts, ensuring high accuracy and relevance for exams like USMLE, COMLEX, PANCE, and OSCEs.[3][5]
• Comprehensive, Interactive Ecosystem: Combines video lessons, clickable visual flashcards, targeted quizzes, a customizable QBank, and simulated patient encounters—bridging classroom knowledge to clinical practice with real-world prep.[5]
• Engagement and Outcomes: Trusted by 500K+ students, with 96% reporting higher scores and strong user testimonials praising its fun, effective approach that makes studying enjoyable.[1][5]

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Sketchy rides the edtech wave of personalized, visual learning in health sciences, capitalizing on post-pandemic demand for remote, high-efficacy tools amid rising med school enrollment and exam pressures.[1][4][5] Its timing aligns with AI-enhanced education trends, but it differentiates through human-crafted, research-proven visuals that outperform generic apps—serving a third of U.S. med students and influencing how future clinicians train.[1][3] By partnering with top medical institutions and investors like TCG (backing Headspace) and Reach Capital (playful learning focus), Sketchy shapes the ecosystem, democratizing access to elite study methods and pushing competitors toward more immersive, outcome-driven platforms.[1][2]

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Sketchy is poised to expand beyond med school into lifelong clinician learning, integrating more AI-driven personalization and VR simulations while scaling its QBank and cases for global markets. Trends like clinician shortages and value-based care will amplify demand for its clinical reasoning tools, potentially evolving it into a full-suite platform for boards, residency, and CME—solidifying its role as the unforgettable companion from premed to practice.[3][5] As edtech matures, Sketchy's clinician-led visuals will keep it ahead, turning today's momentum into enduring impact for the next generation of healthcare pros.