About Finley
We are building the reading app we wish existed for our own kids. One that truly adapts, backed by real science, and never shows an ad.
Why We Built Finley
According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), nearly 70% of U.S. fourth graders cannot read at a proficient level. That number has barely moved in a decade.
Most reading apps use static, one-size-fits-all content. A child struggling with vowel teams gets the same lessons as one who mastered them weeks ago. That is not how learning works.
We built Finley because kids deserve better. An app that watches, listens, and adapts in real time — the way a great tutor would, but available to every family.
.png){kind=logo}
Why I built this
My name is Lorenzo Harris. I'm not a software engineer or a Silicon Valley founder. I'm a Delta Air Lines pilot and a 20-year Air Force veteran. I built Finley because of two things that matter most to me: freedom and family.
Freedom starts with literacy. If you can read, you can learn. If you can learn, you can navigate the world on your own terms. That matters to me more than I can put into words.
Family is the other half. I served 20 years so the people I love wouldn't have to. So my family could be safe and free. That's the deal I made with myself a long time ago.
I spend my summers and holidays with my nieces. I get to watch how their brains work, how they pick things up, how they grow between visits. But I can't be there the other 10 months out of the year. I wanted to give them something that could be.
Most reading apps I found were basic. Algorithms that get a little harder when you get answers right. That's not real teaching. I wanted the actual research and science as the foundation. Ehri's reading phases, Bayesian Knowledge Tracing, spaced repetition. Then I wanted a layer of AI on top to give every child a one of a kind experience. Not just adaptive. Proven. Using the same methods that real literacy researchers use, powered by the most advanced tools available.
That's Finley. I built it for my nieces. Turns out a lot of families need it too.