Date: 2026-08-28 Attendees: Blake Stewart, Blake Emal (blake@megaphonestudio.com), Will Hinman (will@flashpass.school) Granola ID: 7c6e23b3-c7df-48ad-bbae-e7b6904d8821
Summary
Content strategy sync for Will Hinman / FlashPass. Agreed on a 2/2 pillar split (AI workforce + FlashPass content) to test algorithm response. Will walked through the full FlashPass pitch for use as source material. Jobs Lost to AI tracker deprioritized - Amio’s initiative, Will cautious due to political/partner sensitivities (lobbying clients like DraftKings).
Decisions
- 2/2 content split confirmed: Two AI/workforce posts and two FlashPass posts per week to start. Will test which pillar drives better engagement; lean into the winner over time. Prolonged split risks confusing algorithm and audience.
- Trend bot Slack delivery is fine; Will prefers human flag when something genuinely needs attention.
- Jobs Lost to AI tracker: lower priority, pin for now, revisit only if specific sector displacement angle emerges with external data.
Action Items
- Blake Stewart: Draft posts using FlashPass pitch walkthrough from this call recording.
- Will Hinman: Get additional posts approved in Notion before next week (Tuesday and Wednesday slots filled, Thursday still open).
- Blake/Will: Cover government and school pitch process on next call (Will started the topic, ran out of time).
Notable Transcript Excerpts
On FlashPass differentiator:
“In most online self-paced learning programs, students kind of go through the material in an online setting. Okay, now they have this new skill or they have this new idea, but they don’t understand what their next steps look like. FlashPass’s differentiator is we have an integrated job board and continuing education pathway tool that has a skills matching function so that we are giving people individualized and localized next steps directly through the platform so that they don’t fall through those cracks.”
On retention tactics (gamification framing):
“We’re competing for people’s attention… it was important for us to develop a really good user interface that’s really engaging, not something that looks like an antiquated learning management system… we took some inspiration from Duolingo… streaks… drag-and-drop assessments… account managers who will reach out if we see them stalling.”
On AI tutor:
“We have an integrated AI tutor that’s trained on specific information. So it’s not hallucinating from Reddit and Twitter and things like that. It’s RAG-bot technology… trained on the data that we feed it within the confines of the course content.”
On student acquisition cost:
“The cost of acquisition for a student for a four-year university or community college can be up to $5,000 per student. Our ability to target students, we can do it for much, much cheaper than that.”
On co-founder dynamic:
“Amio is the one building out the tech and more on the product side… I’m the one dealing with all the partners and all the political people - schools, employers, state governments.”
On government pitch structure:
“I start with the background of the company… ran the Speaker of the House’s office in Ohio… two macro trends: AI/automation driving rapid skills change, and the shift away from four-year degrees… then I run them through a brief demo… we haven’t charged a participant or a partner a dollar of tuition to date because we have been successful in aligning with state and federal funding sources.”
On gamification sensitivity:
“We’re using some of those same tricks… the psychological aspect to engage those learners to become productive. I represent DraftKings, so want to be a little careful around that.”
Full transcript available in Granola (id: 7c6e23b3-c7df-48ad-bbae-e7b6904d8821)