This episode is a bit different. It's a live, unscripted working session with a founder, and I've only done one other earlier this year.
Niels Hoven (@NielsHoven) is the founder and CEO of Mentava, a company building software to support fast learners. Eager kids are dramatically underserved by today's education system, and Niels created Mentava to allow students to achieve their potential. Prior to Mentava, Niels worked at Cloudflare, ClassDojo, and Pocket Gems, where he ran the highest-grossing mobile game in the world in 2011. He has a graduate degree in electrical engineering from UC Berkeley.
This episode is brought to you by:
New clients get 3.30% base APY from program banks + additional 0.75% boost for 3 months on your uninvested cash (max $150k balance). Terms and conditions apply. The Cash Account offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC (“WFB”) member FINRA/SIPC, not a bank. The base APY as of 1/30/26 is representative, can change, and requires no minimum. Tim Ferriss, a non-client, receives compensation from WFB for advertising and holds a non-controlling equity interest in the corporate parent of WFB, which creates a conflict of interest. Individual experiences and outcomes will differ. Instant withdrawals may be limited by your receiving firm and other factors. Investment advisory services provided by Wealthfront Advisers LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Securities investments: not bank deposits, not bank-guaranteed or FDIC-insured, and may lose value.
Timestamps:
[00:00:00] Start.
[00:01:32] What Mentava is—and the toddlers reading before age three.
[00:08:31] Game design, slot-machine motivation, and lowering the hoop.
[00:11:54] Tim's red pen: rewriting the bio and positioning.
[00:16:59] The real problem: wasted early years, high-school pressure.
[00:23:55] Learning at your own pace—and "what if you did nothing?"
[00:29:32] Dog-fish, fish-dog: readiness, failed trials, and follow-ups.
[00:35:06] The $500 price, school pilots, and videos-for-tuition scholarships.
[00:41:39] Teach a kid to fish: selling relief, not nagging.
[00:47:49] Viral posts, the culture-war trap, and why exaggeration is death.
[00:55:05] Put the ask on top: investor updates and what actually converts.
[00:59:35] The thirty-year phonics war—and it's not with teachers.
[01:01:10] A $1,000 coupon, zero takers: why the referral bribe flopped.
[01:08:04] Lead with the love letters: testimonials, homepage, and who's buying.
[01:20:03] "No scam charges $500 a month": pricing and who you're not for.
[01:34:16] Uncrowded channels and workshopping like a standup.
[01:42:08] Don't let Amazon be your debutante ball: testing what sells.
[01:46:42] Alpha School, the competitive map, and the eager investor.
[01:48:39] Reaching the already-converted: be the painkiller, TiE, surround sound.
[02:08:18] Niels's charge: advocate for your child, unapologetically.
*
For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.
For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors
Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.
For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.
Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.
Follow Tim:
Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss
Instagram: instagram.com/timferriss
YouTube: youtube.com/timferriss
Facebook: facebook.com/timferriss
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferriss
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.