FastFig Goes Live!

Fig Buddies, as of yesterday we are out of beta and live to the world!

Press release is pasted below.

FastFig’s New Math Software Promises
To Change STEM Student Experience

New cloud-based software solves math as students type,

allows easy online collaboration

AUSTIN, TX, February 27, 2013– Math just got better.

After 18 months in development, the new math software FastFig went out of beta and live to the world last night. The cloud-based platform plans to change the way students do math.

By combining a powerful math computation engine with an easy-to-use notepad that solves as users type, FastFig instantly delivers the easiest and most painless experience for students in math courses and professionals working with math every day.

“FastFig is the only math software for real people. It’s a tool we actually developed with today’s students in mind.”
– Brian Peacock, FastFig Founder and CTO

FastFig can be accessed from any computer and is completely cloud-based, unlike cumbersome, locally installed competitors like those licensed by Universities. It is also easy to use, providing a painless experience and seamless access to a powerful math engine for even math software beginners.

The proprietary FigPad interface intelligently discerns whether the user is typing math or text, and then formats and solves the notes automatically. FastFig’s collaborative tools allow users to save and share their FigPads with other users anywhere in the world.

The story of FastFig began two years ago, when FastFig Founder and CTO Brian Peacock was an engineering student with insufficient tools. All of the software his school purchased was difficult to use and required that he be at one computer – not using multiple devices the way he and his classmates all did regularly. Finding himself constantly working with pen, paper and calculator, he decided there had to be a better way, and began teaching himself to code so he could create FastFig.

According to the Department of Education, The United States graduates less than 6% of its students with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) degrees, compared with 47% in China and 38% in Korea. The decline of STEM students has been particularly acute among minority and female students. By making math more accessible and providing a convenient tool for students in early college STEM classes, FastFig aims to disrupt the academic landscape.

“We’ll reward schools that develop new partnerships with colleges and employers, and create classes that focus on science, technology, engineering, and math – the skills today’s employers are looking for to fill jobs right now and in the future.”

– President Barack Obama, 2013 State of the Union

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FastFig takes a powerful math engine and pairs it with a proprietary, patent-pending UI that intelligently determines if a user is typing math or text and formats it accordingly. Collaborative tools allow users to save their notes on any device, share them with others around the world, and print or export easily. FastFig is the lead consumer product of Fig Labs, Inc., and was funded by the prestigious DreamIt Ventures as part of their inaugural Austin program in 2013. We’ve been featured in stories by places like Business Insider and Technically Philly. Our official first public demo day will be during SXSW in Austin, on March 9, 2013.