James Moio ’09 & Andrew Sheehan ’09 launch Keeple.

Wonderful to have James Moio ’09 visit OIGA HQ and learning of his new business venture with best friend and fellow alumni Andrew Sheehan ’09.

Following school and university, James worked in the education sector as a Primary Teacher whilst Andrew completed an Engineering master’s degree and worked for Multiplex.

Andrew’s interests in technology and coding combined with James’ insight into the education sector, particularly with sourcing Casual Relief Teachers (CRTs), resulted in the two of them taking a leap into the unknown and spending much of the 2021 lockdowns developing business plans and a solution for the industry.

In November 2021, they successfully launched Kepple, a start-up tech company developing contemporary products for industries that potentially lack the adequate resources or know-how to develop modern technology-focussed solutions themselves.

With James’ experience in education, he recognised the decline of experienced teachers in the sector, the struggle schools had in finding CRTs, and the discrepancies in pay scale received by relief teachers going through existing agencies. These factors prompted his interest in finding a more equitable and efficient solution for both CRTs and the schools that need them.

Spark Relief Teachers was launched in February 2022 as a mobile application to facilitate and streamline the booking process of CRTs. The app provides a platform that not only connects CRTs with schools by proximity but also allows schools to organise relief teaching placements directly with teachers without the need for costly agency fees. Part of the Spark mission statement is to ensure CRTs are paid the appropriate rate they would typically receive if casually employed directly by the school.

James and Andrew have employed Joshua Yi ’09 as General Manager, a Marketing Coordinator, and a second Software Developer in recent months to assist them in growing the business.

Spark Relief Teachers is available to download via the Apple App Store and will also be available on the Google Play Store in Term 2. Bookings commenced in February with both teachers and schools registering accounts to get the service in full swing. Congratulations to James and Andrew, we look forward to news of more apps in the months ahead.