This is a bold statement. It's why we get excited about what we are building at Disco and why we want to dedicate our life's work to enabling learning pioneers to build and grow global, decentralized learning communities.
The Disco Manifesto
Learning + Community are two of the greatest levers for the change we want to see in the world
Meet the Founders
Hi, we're Candice and Chris, Co-Founders of Disco, and we want to share with you why we are passionate about community and lifelong learning, and how our purpose-built OS is empowering a new wave of entrepreneurship.
Learning allows humans to grow
It's the only way we go from not knowing to knowing. From status quo to growth and change. From a system and a world we have been dealt to a future we create for ourselves, for our society, and for our planet.
Community is a massive accelerant for learning. Alongside learning, there is no greater agent of change than a community caring deeply about the very thing they want to see in the world. Community gives learners a deep sense of belonging, accountability, support, and a chance to learn, not from a sage on a stage, but from each other.
This is what led us here. It’s why we believe so strongly in learning communities as a force for good to change the world.
Decentralization means more choice and more accessibility for learners
What thrills us about this moment is the decentralization and democratization of learning. In the old world, there were fewer opportunities to learn and join a community because there were gatekeepers. Those gatekeepers dictated who got to be a teacher and who got to be a learner.
In the new world, individuals and groups have more agency over how they want to learn, who they want to learn from, and how they want to contribute to the learning experience.
We are envisioning and building a world with more choice, accessibility, and diversity—manifested by niche learning communities that are global, purpose-built, and peer-led.
This shift towards decentralization has been underway for the last two decades
Marketplace platforms wielding too much power over operators have enabled the transition to niche communities.
The consequence of this is not insignificant and has resulted in a major shift in culture. In the new world, learning community operators want tools to own their destinies.
This is what led us here. It’s why we believe so strongly in learning communities as a force for good to change the world.
The need for lifelong learning (through decentralized learning communities) increases in a chaotic, ever-changing world.
In a world that is very uncertain, ever-evolving, and less linear by the day, learning should not be a luxury afforded to a privileged few, but rather a necessity for the majority. Because lifelong learning is a human right.
The idea that you only go to school and are done learning by the age of 21 and you never need to go back to school—or have to break the bank to continue learning—is an outdated system.
The number of times we change jobs, the speed at which the world is progressing, and the amount of change that will be witnessed in our lifetime require decentralization and accessible education made possible by niche learning communities. Large, colonial Institutions can’t and won’t keep up with the new modern school movement.
Every day, across the world, we are witnessing more niche learning communities come to life—climate schools, no-code bootcamps, women-founder accelerators, skill-based bootcamps, passion-led learning communities, and so much more.
The Pandemic accelerated massive human behaviour change and shifted us, collectively, to an openness and acceptance of gathering virtually.
Experiences over content
This shift has been happening over the last decade with the the rise of platforms like Reddit, Youtube, Slack, Discord, Facebook, and many others.
What’s changed, is that the advent of synchronous video and being forced to work virtually accelerated and radically shifted our acceptance of virtual/remote. The zoom-ification of our generation enabled us to live anywhere and be connected to others without leaving our homes.
This technological shift and adoption fundamentally transformed the nature of how we work, connect, and learn.
As we know, work and learning happen best through experiences with other people, not just content. Live video has enabled a new level of gathering, being together, and experiencing things together.
This was the impetus to start Disco as we watched a renaissance of learning communities form to deliver transformational learning experiences through live + async content and courses.
The rise of remote work fuels the rise of virtual learning communities
Remote work is here to stay, it didn’t disappear with the end of the pandemic.
We are now reckoning with what this means for our lives. The great resignation, the resistance to going back to the office—the need for efficiency and less disruption to our lives means gathering doesn't need to always be in person.
In fact, it is better for many if it isn't.
Learning is possibly one of the most important aspects of our work and relying solely on in person gatherings is costly, inefficient and not accessible enough for the learning required to thrive.
As remote and hybrid learning thrives, the tech stack to enable learning communities does too.
The climate crisis creates impetus for choosing virtual over IRL learning communities
Top of mind for all of us is how we sustain our planet. What we love about virtual gatherings and learning communities is that we can help save the planet.
The toll of 100s and 1000s of people traveling to be in-person together is high. We love that virtual learning communities can be carbon neutral—this is a huge part of our passion and mission for why we are building Disco.
Learning community entrepreneurship that is purpose and profit aligned has the potential to change the world
As fellow entrepreneurs, we believe wholeheartedly in agency and the power of entrepreneurship to change the world. We get excited about more people recognizing and valuing their agency in the world to create the future we want.
We also believe that purpose and profit go hand in hand.
We built Disco as a SaaS platform because individuals and groups should have access to the freedom and flexibility of entrepreneurship.
To gather with community and monetize learning in a way that allows everyone to thrive.
Our bet is that entrepreneurship in the field of learning communities will be a massive trillion-dollar opportunity. We want to support all the brave leaders, visionaries, entrepreneurs, and community operators ushering in this new wave.
Join Disco Academy
An exclusive learning academy designed to help you build social learning experiences that engage and thrive.
