# Tom Sayer

> Tom Sayer is the co-founder and CEO of Ello and formerly led impact and adoption programs at Google for Education. Raised in Hull, England, he studied mathematics and psychology at Cambridge and completed joint business and education graduate degrees at Stanford. His career includes British Army intelligence, an earlier venture with Catalin Voss, and education advocacy. At Ello he works with Voss and Elizabeth Adams to make individual instruction accessible through AI, beginning with reading and expanding into maths.

- **Role:** Co-founder & CEO at Ello
- **Organizations:** Ello, Google for Education, Education Reimagined, GO Public Schools, British Army, Sension
- **Nationality:** English
- **Education:** First-class honours in mathematics and psychology, University of Cambridge, MBA and MA in Education, Stanford University, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
- **Known for:** 2014 Siebel Scholar at Stanford Graduate School of Business, Larmor Prize at Cambridge, 2004, Queen’s Medal at Sandhurst, 2008

## Career timeline

- **Before Stanford** — Worked as a product manager at a London startup and served six years as a British Army intelligence officer, including tours in Afghanistan and Libya.
- **2013** — Named a 2014 Siebel Scholar while pursuing joint MBA/MA Education degrees at Stanford; helped found Sension during his first year.
- **2014** — Completed Stanford MBA and MA in Education.
- **Before Ello** — Led impact and adoption programs at Google for Education.
- **2019** — Co-founded Ello with Elizabeth Adams and Catalin Voss.
- **2023** — Ello announced a $15 million Series A led by Goodwater Capital.
- **2024** — Ello launched a fully digital reading companion with more than 700 decodable books.
- **2026** — Discussed Ello’s expansion from reading into maths and a broader adaptive teaching experience.

## Achievements

- 2014 Siebel Scholar at Stanford Graduate School of Business
- Larmor Prize at Cambridge, 2004
- Queen’s Medal at Sandhurst, 2008
- Top-of-class honours at the Defense School of Intelligence, 2009
- Co-founded Ello, which announced a $15 million Series A in September 2023

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Explained Ello’s adaptive teaching architecture and parent-focused distribution in an interview with The Humanist.
- **2026-07** — Published Why I started Ello, connecting his Hull upbringing to his education mission and describing free access in Kenya.
- **2026-07** — Returned to Edtech Insiders to discuss Ello’s expansion beyond reading, including maths.

## Links

- Website: https://www.ello.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-sayer
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/t_sayer

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/tom-sayer
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-16