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Meet the Team Behind Zobtopia

John J. Gaines

→ Co-Founder

John has spent more than 20 years in education as a math teacher, curriculum designer, and edtech leader. His work has always focused on helping students make sense of mathematics in intuitive, empowering ways long before Zobtopia existed.

Across his career, John has seen two things too often: students losing confidence in themselves, and teachers overwhelmed by tools that promised support but never delivered. Zobtopia was born out of his determination to change both. Built from the mindset of a classroom teacher, the platform reflects John’s belief that students learn best Zobglob Image of John when they feel capable—and teachers teach best when they’re given tools that truly lighten their load.

When he’s not building Zobtopia, you’ll find John reading. He’s a lifelong learner who devours at least one book a week, always searching for the next insight that can make learning better for kids and teaching more joyful for educators.

Lizette Gaines

→ Co-Founder

Lizette brings 15 years of experience in early childhood education, creative design, and visual storytelling. As an educator, she saw firsthand how young children light up when learning feels inviting and accessible. As a designer, she knows how powerful aesthetics can be in shaping confidence and curiosity.

Her vision for Zobtopia is simple but profound: a learning environment where every child feels seen, capable, and excited to try. Lizette ensures that every visual—every character, color, and illustration—works to build students up, not stress them out.

Beyond her design work, Lizette is an emerging children’s book author whose stories center on imagination, courage, and self-belief—the same values woven throughout Zobtopia.

To help every child build genuine confidence in mathematics by making learning intuitive,
meaningful, and accessible, and to give teachers the tools and support they deserve, without adding to their workload.

At its core, Zobtopia exists to restore what matters most:

  • students who believe they can learn,
  • and teachers who feel empowered to teach.

We create learning experiences that honor how children naturally make sense of math and
provide educators with clear, reliable insights that guide instruction and intervention.

A world where every student sees themselves as a capable mathematician, and every school has access to tools that make teaching easier, instruction more effective, and learning more joyful.

We envision classrooms where:

  • confidence grows steadily through small, meaningful wins
  • teachers are supported, not stretched
  • data illuminates next steps without overwhelming anyone
  • math becomes a place where students feel brave, curious, and proud

Zobtopia aims to transform not just how students practice math, but how they experience
it, creating learning environments where understanding thrives and potential comes alive.

Our Core Values

1

Empowered Confident Learners

Zobtopia is built around experiences that help students understand, not memorize — so confidence grows naturally from meaningful success. When students feel empowered, their willingness to explore, try, and persist expands exponentially.

2

Teacher-First Support

Our platform is designed to lighten the load, not add to it, giving teachers clarity, time savings, and actionable insights they can use immediately. We honor teachers by building tools that work the way classrooms actually work.

3

Understanding Builds Growth

That’s why Zobtopia prioritizes conceptual understanding over drill-and-kill practice. Students progress through missions that connect representations, strategies, and reasoning, building flexible thinkers instead of formula followers.

4

Honoring Every Learner

Zobtopia adapts to each student’s pace, strengths, and needs, offering meaningful support without stigma. We celebrate effort, improvement, and personal growth, helping students
see themselves as capable mathematicians.

5

Design With Purpose

Thoughtful visuals, intuitive flow, and a warm aesthetic aren’t “extras,” they’re essential. Every design decision in Zobtopia is made to reduce stress, increase engagement, and help
students feel safe and confident as they learn.

6

Better Together Always

Feedback from real classrooms guides every iteration of Zobtopia. We listen deeply, respond thoughtfully, and design alongside the people who use our tools every day.

Why We Built Zobtopia

We’ve spent most of our careers in classrooms, helping students understand math and supporting teachers in any way we can. Over the years, we’ve witnessed countless memorable moments—students figuring something out for the first time, teachers experimenting with new ideas, and classes finding their rhythm. These moments stay with us.

However, we’ve also seen instances where learning felt more challenging than it needed to be. This wasn’t due to anyone doing anything wrong; rather, the available tools were often unclear, didn’t align with how students actually learn, or added to a teacher’s already overwhelming workload. Each time this happened, we found ourselves thinking: there must be a simpler, better way to help.

That’s how Zobtopia was born.

We aimed to create a platform that feels natural to use—one that helps students grasp math in a way that makes sense to them, and is reliable for teachers without requiring additional time, training, or resources they don’t have. Our approach is straightforward: thoughtful design, clear progressions, and experiences that build confidence.

Every mission, visual model, and flow within Zobtopia was crafted with a single goal in mind: to help students feel capable and to support teachers in their vital work.

We didn’t create Zobtopia to replace what’s happening in classrooms. We built it because we believe in the value of classroom learning and wanted to contribute something that genuinely helps—making learning feel lighter while bringing more clarity and confidence to everyone involved.

This is our story, in the simplest terms, and we’re grateful to have you part of it.