CEO of Valearnis, an educational platform focusing on Socratic learning, critical thinking, and personalised cognitive science. I often speak and run workshops on AI, Education, Startups, Science, and the future of work. Recently a UN AI for Good Australian finalist for my work on Socratic AI. Follow along for my candid insights from 8 years in the startup industry, based on my experience launching multiple times, failing in public, and bootstrapping to market twice.
Partners, collaborators and customers
Venues of note
01 — Background
Edtech founder for over 8 years. Launched multiple businesses, pivoted through COVID, first app launch in 2023 was eaten by ChatGPT, pivoted and iterated through multiple failed launches. Bootstrapped to market, twice, and now overseeing the successful rollout of Valearnis in homes around Australia (and soon worldwide!).
Samreid is CEO of Valearnis, a Perth-based EdTech startup building Socratic AI; they've since rolled out the Valearnis educational platform to Australian students aged 10–18, with international rollouts commencing in November 2026. Recently he was an Australian finalist for the UN's AI for Good Innovation Factory for his work in Socratic private AI. An EdTech career of over 8 years, he's won PlusEight Sprint, been invited to xEdu, launched multiple enterprises, failed publicly, and now has launched successfully overseeing a team of 11. He now runs workshops and presentations on AI, education and startups across Australia and Southeast Asia.
02 — The company
An AI EdTech startup based in Perth. Valearnis is a learning platform designed around students first: Socratic tutoring, curriculum-relevant lessons and quest-based problem solving for Years 6–12. Our next endeavour is Project Socrates — an educational AI middle-layer that ensures curriculum alignment, privacy, and accuracy via System 1 models.
UN AI for Good AU finalist 2026 · Build Club presenter · Plus Eight Sprint winner · xEdu program coordinator partnership
Inside the product
03 — Workshops on offer
Hosted through 
My talks ensure attendees understand complex topics, and how to apply them in their daily lives.
My candid founder story, highlighting eight years of building in the startup industry, along with my public failed launches, bad decisions, and how I stayed determined through all of it.
The session that sold out AWS Malaysia: how to ideate, take your ideas to prototypes efficiently, and how to turn that prototype into a market-ready product.
Our build sessions start off with a short lecture on a novel or new technology, tips & tricks for founders, and then we start building, with a show & tell at the end for genuine constructive criticism. Run at Curtin, Bloom, AWS Malaysia, Jakarta, and beyond!
I've had the honour to be called up to speak on topics such as the future of AI in education, the future of learning & work, how to stay resilient in the startup industry, history, and more. Comfortable on audio, video and print. If you run a podcast and would like me to speak on a topic, get in touch!
I've been on both sides of a pitch, from pitching at PlusEight to judging in Jeju — I tell all from both sides of the equation. I've had the good fortune to run events in Australia, Malaysia, Jakarta, Jeju, and Tokyo.
Session lead and mentor for Spacecubed's Plus Eight AI Founder Sprint, and Meshpoints mentor. From agentic-AI foundations in week one to prototype-to-product by the fifth week, ensuring cohorts understand and conceptualise high-level topics.
04 — Press & clippings
Regional press, WA startups, and the UN's AI for Good programme.
Selected coverage
"Big unfair gap": Peel entrepreneur aims to inspire young minds
Read
Rural startup set to disrupt EduTech
Read
2026 AI for Good Innovation Factory Australia — national finalists
Read
Valearnis set to revolutionise the education system through student-centric tutoring
Read
Peel's brightest minds recognised at ESTEAM Awards
Read
AI for Good Innovation Factory Australia 2026
Read
Samreid Manez — Business News WA person profile
Read
Idea to Product — essentials for AI builders, startup founders and creatives
Read05 — Podcasts & appearances
Four episodes across six years — startup launches, lessons from a tech start-up, and the future of AI in education.
Future of AI in Education — How Are You Building It? · Ep 03
How To Launch A Startup — UnScripted: Authentic Leadership
Lessons from a tech start-up — Curious Conversations, Peel Bright Minds
#Talks4Change — Young Alumni, Curtin University06 — Recognition
Being recognised for my work in education, AI, and the startup industry.
AI for Good Innovation Factory Australia — National Finalist
Innovate Australia under ITU / UN licence
AI Build Club presenter — Build Club
Aura Ventures provided Stripe and AWS credits, plus access to the Google Early Access Program
Plus8 SPRINT pitch night
Spacecubed / Plus Eight · voted best pitch by 100+ attendees
Youngest ever local government elected councillor
Shire of Boddington, Western Australia
Young ESTEAM Champion of the Year
Peel Bright Minds / Peel Development Commission
Young Australian of the Year
Shire of Boddington
07 — The timeline
From a regional awards night in Mandurah to an AWS floor in Kuala Lumpur. You can pick a year, or swipe!
Peel ESTEAM Awards
Highly Commended · Young ESTEAM Champion
Plus8 SPRINT pitch night — winner
Voted best pitch by 100+ attendees
#Talks4Change podcast · elected councillor
Youngest ever, Shire of Boddington
Valearnis founded · two podcasts
UnScripted · Curious Conversations
Valearnis launch coverage
Startup News WA — front page
Ukrainian refugee relief
World Central Kitchen · local Polish NFP
Stripe × Aura Ventures AI Builder Club
UTS Consulting Club engagement
Startup workshop — UMN Jakarta
Skystar Ventures · Universitas Multimedia Nusantara
Global AI & EdTech Summit
Innovative Universities Summit · South Korea
UN AI for Good Innovation Factory — national finals
Top 5 of 36 · Project Socrates
Idea to Product — AWS Malaysia
121 attended · sold out · AISEA · Build Club
From Prototypes to Real Products
Spacecubed Meetup · 57 attended
Prototype to Product — Build Club Perth
Bloom Basement · WADSIH · Curtin Entrepreneurs · AISEA
Fogarty Ripple — leadership accelerator
Bloom · University of Western Australia
Build like an AISEAN — Curtin
WADSIH · Curtin Entrepreneurs · AISEA
Plus Eight AI Founder Sprint
Session lead · weeks 1 & 5
Bodoh's Odyssey Quiz Night
Host / MC · Malaysia
Your event
here.
Booking 2026–27 · Perth · KL · Remote
08 — From the feed, innit.
See what attendees and hosts post on LinkedIn and Slack after my sessions.
“Brilliant work! Crisp presentation. Easy to follow and understand the best use cases for different AI tools. I would highly recommend Sam…”
“His reality on what actually works (vs. what just demos well) was worth the trip alone. Thanks Sam, genuinely useful, genuinely honest.”
09 — The archive
Perth, KL, Jakarta, Krakow, Jeju, Tokyo.
10 — Luma
Follow me on Luma to stay up to date on my upcoming workshops and keynotes around the world!
Booking 2026–27 · Perth · Kuala Lumpur · remote
Looking for someone to speak on AI, Education, Startups, or Science?
Keynotes, workshops, build sessions, panels, podcasts and cohort programs. Let me know the date, learning focus, and size, and I'll get back to you post-haste! Extra points if your topic is genuinely interesting to dissect, disseminate, and divulge ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°)
speaking@manezco.com
