AI Strategy · Edtech & Education
I'm Jennifer Ku, former Chief Product Officer of Finetune by Prometric, the leading AI product in the learning and assessment industry. I work with a small number of education, edtech, and credentialing companies on the strategic and operational questions that come with building, defending, and growing a business when AI is rewriting the category.
The Shift
The strategic challenge looks different across companies. The underlying question is the same.
Learners are substituting free AI tools for paid products. The competitive landscape shifts weekly.
Content moats that took decades to build can be replicated in a weekend.
The integrity of every assessment is being questioned by candidates, regulators, and the public.
Pressure is mounting to integrate AI responsibly without compromising learning outcomes.
How do you move fast enough to stay competitive without compromising the rigor, validity, and trust your business is built on?
How I Work
What I Do
For leadership teams deciding what to build, what to buy, and what to retire.
A clear AI roadmap grounded in pedagogical and psychometric reality, regulatory constraints, and what will actually ship.
For companies taking AI from prototype to production.
Most teams can ship an AI demo in a weekend. The harder work is making it real: validating against actual data, hardening for stability and scale, meeting enterprise security requirements, and integrating with the engineers, ML scientists, and SMEs who will operate the system.
For companies that have direction and need to build.
Increase your output without changing your headcount using the best tools that fit your organization today.
For companies that need rules, controls, and accountability around AI use.
Create the rules, processes, controls, and accountability systems for how your organization builds, buys, deploys, and monitors AI responsibly in educational settings.
For founders and CEOs preparing for acquisition or strategic investment: positioning, growth narrative, and operational readiness in the 12 to 24 months before a transaction. I co-led the sale of Finetune to Prometric, including pitch development, growth plan, and financial model.
Who I Work With
I work with a small number of companies in four overlapping categories. Engagements range from focused 60-day sprints to ongoing fractional roles. Confidential, with an NDA in place before our first substantive conversation.
Institutions, district partners, content publishers, and education nonprofits working out how AI fits into curriculum, instruction, and student outcomes.
What I do
AI strategy for content modernization, product roadmaps for AI-native learning experiences, and faculty- and administrator-facing implementation support.
Companies whose customers are pulling toward free AI tools and whose competitive position is shifting in real time.
What I do
AI product strategy, build-vs-buy decisions, and redesigning core product experiences for an AI-first learner.
Organizations under pressure on item content, validity, integrity, and the defensibility of the credentials they issue.
What I do
AI item generation and review pipelines, model validation against psychometric standards, and AI-resistant assessment design.
Workforce learning providers, employer-sponsored programs, and training organizations building credentials and capabilities for an AI-changed labor market.
What I do
AI-driven personalization and delivery, content authoring at scale, and aligning credentials with evolving employer needs.
Background
Before Forward Works, I spent five years as Chief Product Officer of Finetune, the leading AI solution for the learning and assessment industry. I joined pre-revenue and led the company through to its acquisition by Prometric in December 2024.
At Finetune
Two AI products plus the validation behind them
Cross-functional, all senior
Prometric, December 2024
Before Finetune
Led product at Steady, Refinery29, and Grubhub.
Today
Since founding Forward Works, I've advised companies in cybersecurity, financial services, and professional services on AI strategy and implementation. I'm still in the work every day, currently building production AI systems and agent workflows. That cross-industry exposure to where AI is shipping in production keeps the work in education sharp.
Let's Talk
I take on a small number of new engagements each quarter. If you're running a company in education, edtech, learning and assessment, or workforce development and want to think through what AI means for your business, I'd be glad to talk.
jen@forwardworks.co