From Mad Men to EdTech: Why a Creative Director Left Advertising to Reinvent Learning
- Krzysztof Kosman
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
“I loved the people. I loved the culture. I loved the creative challenges.”
Zoltán Visy wasn’t unhappy with his career. In fact, he’d spent over 20 years climbing the ranks of the advertising world in Central Europe — from graphic designer to art director to creative group head. But something shifted after COVID.
“The industry became repetitive. Budgets got tighter. The problems started to feel smaller.”
At a time when many were clinging to familiarity, Zoltán leaned into a long-dormant idea — a hobby project he’d started years earlier with his co-founder Balint. It was called Redmenta. Back then, it was just a side experiment. But after the pandemic, it suddenly made sense.
“I realized I don’t want to solve other people’s problems anymore. I wanted to solve this one — the one in education.”
Leaving the Fast Lane for the Right Lane
The shift wasn’t driven by burnout or disillusionment. It was driven by curiosity. Zoltán doesn’t even come from an education background — though his family is full of teachers. What drew him in wasn’t pedagogy, but problem-solving.
“Education is full of unsolved problems. And I’m living my best life trying to solve them.”
He and Balint hit reset: rewrote the business plan, redesigned the product, and started building an AI tool that supports teachers — not replaces them. Redmenta became a co-pilot for personalized learning.
From Buzzwords to the Classroom
Zoltán is refreshingly honest about the challenges. Building in education isn’t like building in SaaS. Trust takes time. Real problems aren’t solved in a sprint.
“You have to get into the ecosystem, not just into the classroom. You have to solve deep issues, not just scratch the surface.”
And still, he remains optimistic — even playful.
When I asked him what song best describes his leadership style, he laughed and said:
“The Benny Hill theme. That’s how it feels some days — chaotic, funny, and fast.”“But over time, I think it’s turning into a symphony.”
What Can EdTech Learn from Advertising?
In advertising, Zoltán learned how to spot patterns, how to speak to human emotion, and how to work with imperfect data — all of which are incredibly useful in EdTech.
But maybe the most important lesson?
“Creativity matters. But so does listening. And in education, we have to listen harder — to students, to teachers, to what’s not being said.”
🎧 Hear the Full Story
In our latest episode of Edtech Dots, I sat down with Zoltán to explore:
Why founders should fall in love with deep problems
What makes teachers the “engine of social change”
And how AI is both overhyped and still underestimated
It’s a thoughtful, funny, and inspiring conversation from someone who’s walked away from a successful career — not out of frustration, but out of purpose.
👉 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.Let me know what part resonated most with you.
