Sketchy
Founded 2013 · 202 employees on LinkedIn · 1 known investors
Sketchy is a visual learning and AI-powered case simulation platform that helps medical, nurse practitioner, and physician assistant students master complex concepts using art-driven visuals, micro-stories, and the method of loci for better recall. It partners with medical, NP, PA, and GME programs to prepare learners for clinical decision-making and exams.
Also known as Sketchy Group LLC · Sketchy Medical · SketchyMedical
Founders & leadership
Sketchy was founded in 2013 by Saud Siddiqui and Andrew Berg, MD.
Investors · 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Sketchy (Sketchy Group LLC) operates a subscription learning platform for clinical trainees, organized into program tracks for medical students, MCAT test-takers, physician assistant (PA), nursing/nurse practitioner (NP) and pharmacy learners. Its core method combines art-driven illustrated lessons, structured micro-stories and recurring characters and symbols with the method of loci, anchoring facts to spatial scenes to aid recall and long-term retention. The platform pairs a lesson library with an Interactive Symbol Explorer (clickable visual flashcards), end-of-lesson quizzes and a question bank with a custom test builder and linked explanations, covering COMLEX/USMLE, PANCE, AANP/ANCC, MCAT and end-of-rotation exams. The company describes thousands of lessons and 400+ cases, with deep coverage in microbiology and pharmacology.
A newer product line, Patient Case Simulations, provides AI-powered simulated patient encounters in which students converse with virtual patients and an attending, interpret imaging and laboratory results, drill differential building and answer board-style vignettes, positioned as preparation for OSCEs, boards and clinical rotations. For institutions, Sketchy sells DDx, an AI-powered clinical readiness platform for educators to deliver clinical reasoning training across phases of training. Content and curriculum are written and reviewed by practicing clinicians and clinical educators, with the company citing contributors from UCLA, Columbia University and UC Irvine.
Founding story
Sketchy began with medical students at UC Irvine School of Medicine — Andrew Berg, Saud Siddiqui and Brian Lemieux — who created doodles and illustrated stories to learn microbiology after finding conventional study methods inadequate. Brian Lemieux's twin brother Aaron Lemieux later joined the founding team. The company's own account describes founders who used humor, story and characters to make dense information easier to learn and recall.
Business model
Direct-to-learner digital subscriptions sold by program track, supplemented by institutional partnerships with medical, NP, PA and GME programs for the DDx clinical readiness platform. Free trials without a credit card are used to acquire individual subscribers, and gift cards and student-group offerings are also available.
Recurring subscription revenue in prepaid term plans. Medical All Access plans are listed at $349.99 for 6 months, $449.99 for 12 months and $649.99 for 24 months; PA plans at $249.99 for 6 months, $349.99 for 12 months and $399.99 for 15 months; and another track at $99.99 for 3 months, $149.99 for 6 months and $249.99 for 12 months. A standalone Cases Only plan is $19.99 per month or $119.99 for 12 months. Klarna 'Pay in 4' interest-free installments are offered at checkout. Institutional licensing of DDx provides a second revenue line.
Traction
The company reports over 500,000 students across medicine, NP and PA programs, thousands of lessons and more than 400 cases, and cites survey figures of 96% of users reporting higher exam scores and 97% of case users reporting greater confidence in building differentials, along with claims of 1.3x faster learning and better exam performance for 9 out of 10 students. It also states it is used by leading institutions.
Latest developments
Recent additions include AI-powered Patient Case Simulations for individual learners, marketed as new, and the DDx AI-powered clinical readiness platform for educators and institutions. The company frames its direction around preparing clinicians for a practice environment reshaped by AI-driven precision medicine, and is recruiting for open positions.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Sketchy positions itself as a comprehensive study companion spanning preclinical coursework, board preparation and clinical rotations, citing over 500,000 student users and institutional trust. Its differentiating claim rests on visual mnemonic pedagogy plus clinical reasoning simulation rather than text-based review alone.
Signature art-driven visual storytelling with recurring characters and symbols tied to the method of loci for recall, content authored and reviewed by practicing clinicians and educators, and an integrated path from visual lessons and question bank through AI-powered patient encounters that target clinical reasoning and OSCE preparation.
Technology
The platform combines illustrated visual lessons and mnemonic symbol systems built on the method of loci with interactive review tools, adaptive test building from a question bank, and AI-powered simulated patient encounters in which learners chat with virtual patients and an attending and receive feedback; cases are clinician-created and AI-delivered.
Go-to-market
Self-serve online sign-up driven by free trials, promotional discount codes (for example Back to School and registration-day promotions), student testimonials and score guarantees for the MCAT and USMLE Step exams, alongside an educator-facing channel selling program-wide partnerships and the DDx platform to institutions. The company also maintains a blog, help center and student group program.
Individual learners in medical school (MD and DO), physician assistant, nurse practitioner/nursing, pharmacy and pre-med/MCAT preparation, plus institutional buyers such as medical, NP, PA and graduate medical education (GME) programs and their educators.
Geography
Headquartered in the United States, with the company describing a learning platform serving individual learners and healthcare organizations worldwide; exam coverage (USMLE, COMLEX, PANCE, AANP/ANCC, MCAT) is oriented to United States licensure and admissions pathways.
History
What started as student-made microbiology drawings became Sketchy Medical, producing video lessons in microbiology, pharmacology and pathology that guided viewers through illustrations using memorable stories. The company's site carries a 2013-2026 copyright for Sketchy Group LLC. Over time it expanded from a video-based study aid into a broader platform spanning medical, MCAT, PA, NP and pharmacy tracks, adding a question bank, interactive review tools, AI-powered patient case simulations and the institution-facing DDx clinical readiness platform.
Risks & controversies
Outcome claims such as higher exam scores, 1.3x faster learning and improved confidence are self-reported by the company and drawn from user surveys rather than independent evaluation. The business depends on standardized examination pathways controlled by third parties (AAMC, NBME/FSMB, NBOME, NCCPA), none of which are affiliated with or endorse Sketchy, and it offers score and pass guarantees that carry commercial exposure.
Compiled by commissioned research from 6 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Competitors · 4
by search overlapCompanies competing with Sketchy for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.
Acquisitions · 1
Early investors' stakes continue via these dealsModern Fertility provides at-home laboratory tests that measure reproductive health markers, enabling women to access fertility information outside of clinical settings. The company targets women seeking early insight into their reproductive status to inform long-term family planning decisions.
Timeline · 2
launches, deals, and filingsSketchy offers DDx, an AI-powered clinical readiness platform that lets educators deliver clinical reasoning training across phases of clinical education, sold to medical, NP, PA and GME programs.
Sketchy markets a new AI-powered, clinician-created patient case simulation product in which learners chat with virtual patients and attendings, interpret imaging and lab results, build differentials and work through board-style clinical vignettes; it is sold both within the All Access plan and as a standalone 'Cases only' subscription.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 6
primary sources listed
- Sketchysketchy.com · web
6 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Sketchy do?
- Sketchy is a visual-mnemonic learning and AI-powered patient case simulation platform for medical, PA, NP and MCAT students.
- Who founded Sketchy?
- Sketchy was founded by Saud Siddiqui, Andrew Berg, MD in 2013.
- Who are Sketchy's investors?
- Sketchy's investors include The Chernin Group (TCG Crypto).