Symvol

Imagine being a cancer patient and getting handed 60 pages of complex medical text — then being asked to sign. That's still the reality for many clinical trial participants today. In our latest Visual Minds episode, Friso sat down with Jessica Cordes from Clinical Excellence GmbH to talk about how video and AI are changing the way patients experience clinical trials. Jessica helps small pharma and biotech companies plan and run clinical trials. But what stood out in this conversation is her belief that accessible video content can dramatically improve how patients understand what they're signing up for. We also discussed how AI is reshaping drug development, why storytelling belongs in a heavily regulated industry, and how Jessica uses the same visual formats to grow her own consulting business. An episode full of practical insight — and a contagious belief that sometimes you just need to trust yourself and do it. Watch the full episode on Youtube. Link in the comments below.

If you know me, you know I enjoy everything personal finance and growing wealth. I took a chapter from one of my favorite books, The Richest Man in Babylon, and turned it into a simple course by curating the story and key lessons into a PDF. I then uploaded it to Symvol, and the process was seamless; the output reflected everything I put together and had a natural, well-structured flow throughout. Symvol is designed for educators, content creators, and professionals in e-learning or knowledge-sharing roles who want to make complex information more engaging and accessible. Symvol focuses on AI-driven content transformation, turning text-based materials into engaging visual formats. I uploaded a text-only PDF, and it was converted into a clear, easy-to-follow video that captured the key ideas well. I also appreciated that it cited the original resource, which adds credibility and makes it easier to reference as a learner (it would be helpful to click and view the referenced material). The platform operates on a freemium model, with paid plans offering more advanced features, higher usage limits, and greater customization for individuals and teams. If you are an educator or are thinking about creating a course, you should check it out.

Students stopped a Penn lecture to ask about his video tool. Dr. Dana T. Bedden operates at the intersection of public education, academia, and corporate consulting. As a charter school CEO, doctoral adjunct faculty member, and head of Bedden & Associates, his challenge isn't generating insights — it's ensuring they're understood by three vastly different audiences. With Symvol, Dr. Bedden turned dense board reports, academic lectures, and consulting decks into clear, visual content that lands every time.

What if midlife is just getting interesting? We’re living longer, but still thinking in short-life scripts. The result is a missing life stage — the years between 50 and 75 — which I’ve been calling The New Q3. It’s not decline. It’s not retirement. It’s something much more dynamic. I’ve turned one of my Elderberries essays on this into a short 3-minute video — a first experiment in translating ideas into a more visual format. Thanks to Symvol for the tool — it’s surprisingly effective. Would love your reactions. #4QuarterLives #longevity #NewQ3 #careers #talent

How a solo finance educator built a video academy without a studio. The Macro Butler is a bespoke financial consultancy and educational platform serving High-Net-Worth Individuals (HNWIs) and personal finance enthusiasts across the US, Asia, and Middle East. With Symvol, founder Laurent Lequeu transformed a text-heavy newsletter into a video-first academy, scaling a premium product as a solo operator.

Over the past few months I’ve quietly reshaped the EdTechStuff website. It’s still very much for Network Managers, IT Directors and technicians in education. That won’t change. But I’ve expanded it to properly support apprentices working towards the Digital Support Technician (DST) v1.1 standard too. One of the new pages I’m really pleased with is: “What is the purpose of your portfolio?” It tackles a question I hear all the time from apprentices. Not “how do I upload evidence?” Not “what format should I use?” But the bigger question. “Why does the portfolio actually matter?” The page breaks it down clearly: • What the portfolio is really for • How it supports your End Point Assessment • Why it should show growth, not just task completion • How to think like a professional, not just a learner Alongside the content, I’ve also been experimenting with video again. I’ve used Symvol for a while to create educational videos, but I recently worked with the team to trial their new rendering engine, Lumina Version 4. Honestly, the difference is noticeable and significant. The transitions feel natural. The effects support the message instead of distracting from it. And it takes very little effort to get something that looks polished and purposeful. That combination of clear guidance plus strong visual storytelling is exactly what I want for apprentices. If you support DST learners, or you’re one yourself, I’d really value your thoughts. Take a look here: https://lnkd.in/eEgshJDm Thanks for reading, Martin #EdTechStuff #Apprentaships #Portfolio #EducationalVideos

Friso sat down with Naijing Guo from Baret Scholars to discuss why resilience and adaptability might matter more than any degree. Travel the world in 8.5 months, live across seven different regions of the world, and learn from Emmy & Academy Award nominees, CEOs and Nobel prize laureates. That is what Baret Scholars offers to students aged 17-22. We discussed the growing importance of resilience, adaptability and experiencing adversity, but even more importantly how to choose your own life path. This is an episode packed with examples and noticeable pride from Naijing speaking about the program and its students. Listen to the full version on Spotify or Youtube. Links in the comments below.