About Us
From the academy to the arena
Founder & President Brian Jacobs came to educational technology through an unusual path. After earning a PhD in political philosophy and social theory at Cornell University, where his work on Immanuel Kant's concept of autonomy explored the tension between self-determination and the foundations of the human sciences, he taught at Cornell, held fellowships at Cornell and Yale, edited and contributed to an essay collection on Kant's Anthropology for Cambridge University Press, worked on translating Kant for Cambridge, and published articles in his field.
But he was drawn to a practical problem: ensuring that where a learner starts doesn't determine where he or she can go. Higher ed remains too expensive, too rigid, and too disconnected from how people actually learn and what they need after graduation. Technē Studio Group exists to address that.
Building at the intersection
In 1999, Brian founded Akademos, one of the first online college bookstore platforms. He scaled it to the first $10M, serving dozens of colleges and universities, before transitioning to its board, on which he served as the company grew to $45 million in annual revenue and was ultimately acquired by VitalSource Technologies in 2023.
In 2013, he founded panOpen Education, an award-winning, Techstars-backed courseware platform that, in 2023, also brought an AI-powered learning coach to Open Educational Resources (OER). panOpen Education served tens of thousands of students across 300+ institutions. Its technology now powers Kendall Hunt Publishing's digital products and LibreTexts, the most trafficked OER website in the world.
Along the way, Brian has raised capital, has mentored founders through StartEd and Techstars Rising Stars, and has been a speaker at industry conferences, including ASU-GSV (San Diego), EdTech World Forum (London), and LEAP (Riyadh).
Founder & President Brian Jacobs came to educational technology through an unusual path. After earning a PhD in political philosophy and social theory at Cornell University, where his work on Immanuel Kant's concept of autonomy explored the tension between self-determination and the foundations of the human sciences, he taught at Cornell, held fellowships at Cornell and Yale, edited and contributed to an essay collection on Kant's Anthropology for Cambridge University Press, worked on translating Kant for Cambridge, and published articles in his field.
But he was drawn to a practical problem: ensuring that where a learner starts doesn't determine where he or she can go. Higher ed remains too expensive, too rigid, and too disconnected from how people actually learn and what they need after graduation. Technē Studio Group exists to address that.
Building at the intersection
In 1999, Brian founded Akademos, one of the first online college bookstore platforms. He scaled it to the first $10M, serving dozens of colleges and universities, before transitioning to its board, on which he served as the company grew to $45 million in annual revenue and was ultimately acquired by VitalSource Technologies in 2023.
In 2013, he founded panOpen Education, an award-winning, Techstars-backed courseware platform that, in 2023, also brought an AI-powered learning coach to Open Educational Resources (OER). panOpen Education served tens of thousands of students across 300+ institutions. Its technology now powers Kendall Hunt Publishing's digital products and LibreTexts, the most trafficked OER website in the world.
Along the way, Brian has raised capital, has mentored founders through StartEd and Techstars Rising Stars, and has been a speaker at industry conferences, including ASU-GSV (San Diego), EdTech World Forum (London), and LEAP (Riyadh).
Why a consultancy, and why now
Two decades of building taught Brian something that most consultants do not usually learn firsthand: what it actually takes to implement technology in an institutional context — the politics, the pedagogy, the procurement, the faculty dynamics, the IT constraints, the budget realities. That experience is what institutions need right now as they make decisions about AI adoption, content strategy, and workforce preparation that will shape their futures for years to come.
TSG is not a vendor with a product to sell. It is a partner with the expertise to evaluate, design, and execute. A central objective is to ensure that institutional leaders retain can maintain autonomy of their digital future.
What's in a name?
Two decades of building taught Brian something that most consultants do not usually learn firsthand: what it actually takes to implement technology in an institutional context — the politics, the pedagogy, the procurement, the faculty dynamics, the IT constraints, the budget realities. That experience is what institutions need right now as they make decisions about AI adoption, content strategy, and workforce preparation that will shape their futures for years to come.
TSG is not a vendor with a product to sell. It is a partner with the expertise to evaluate, design, and execute. A central objective is to ensure that institutional leaders retain can maintain autonomy of their digital future.
What's in a name?
Technē is an ancient Greek concept that unites purpose, art, craft, and practical knowledge. It is the kind of expertise that can only be gained by actually doing. It's the root of "technology" and the philosophical basis of what we now call applied knowledge. It's the name for a practice built on the conviction that the best guidance comes from people who have built things.
