Crit — Async Video Critique Platform for Hands-On Craft Instructors

The Idea

Crit is a cohort-based learning platform where craft instructors deliver async video critique on student work submissions. Students film their practice (throwing at the wheel, carving wood, forming a seam) and post it. The instructor records a timestamped video response — pausing on specific moments, drawing attention to grip, posture, tool angle. No scheduling required. No Zoom fatigue. The feedback loop that makes skill learning actually work, without the bottleneck of synchronous sessions.

The bowling-pin launch strategy: you build and run it yourself first as a working potter, validate the format with a live cohort, then open the platform to other craft instructors as a $49/month SaaS with 10% transaction revenue.

The Problem You Solve

Online course platforms (Skillshare, Teachable, Kajabi) deliver one-way pre-recorded video. That works for knowledge transfer. It does not work for skill learning. Throwing a cylinder, cutting a dovetail, shaping a bowl — these require a trained eye looking at your specific movement and saying "your elbow is drifting out, drop your wrist here."

The current workarounds are broken:

YouTube = free content, zero feedback
Zoom lessons = scheduling across timezones, expensive 1:1, doesn't scale
Discord communities = async but no structured critique, just comments on photos
Cohort platforms (Maven, Circle) = built for business and tech courses, not physical skills — no video submission workflow, no annotation tools

The gap is specific: a platform designed for the craft feedback loop, where the work itself (not a slide deck) is the medium.

Core Features (MVP)

Student video submission — upload or record a short clip of work in progress; Supabase Storage backend
Async video critique — instructor records a response video with timestamp markers and optional screen annotation (draw on the frame); built-in browser recording, no external tool needed
Cohort structure — instructor creates a cohort (name, duration, max students, price); students enroll via Stripe Connect; platform takes 10%
Progress portfolio — each student has a timeline of submissions + critiques they can look back on
Cohort gallery — students can see each other's work and instructor feedback (optional, instructor-controlled); builds community and social proof
Instructor dashboard — queue of pending critiques, cohort analytics (completion rate, submission rate)

Phase 2 (months 3–6):

Group critique sessions (instructor records one video addressing common issues across all submissions)
Student-to-student peer critique with instructor moderation
Public portfolio export (students share their journey)
Instructor marketplace listing for discovery

Pricing

For Instructors (B2B SaaS):

Free tier: 1 active cohort, up to 8 students, 10% platform fee
Pro: $49/month — unlimited cohorts, unlimited students, 10% platform fee
Studio: $99/month — multiple instructors under one brand, analytics, custom domain

For Students:

No platform fee; pay the instructor's cohort price (set by them, typically $150–$400 for a 4–6 week cohort)
Platform collects via Stripe Connect, pays out to instructor minus 10%

Own Pottery School (direct B2C):

"Crit Pottery" — 6-week throwing cohort at $249/student, 12–15 students per cohort
Validates the product and generates revenue while the SaaS side grows

Tech Stack

Next.js + TypeScript + Vercel — front end and SSR
Supabase — auth, database, file storage (video uploads)
Stripe Connect — cohort enrollment, instructor payouts, platform fee extraction
Cloudflare Stream or Mux — video delivery and adaptive streaming (not raw Supabase storage in prod)
Twilio — SMS nudges to students who haven't submitted that week
n8n — automation layer: enrollment confirmation flows, critique-ready notifications, cohort end summaries

How to Build MVP

Week 1–2: Video submission + critique core

Supabase Storage for video uploads (< 500MB per clip)
Browser MediaRecorder API for instructor critique recording
Timestamp marker system (instructor clicks "mark moment" while recording; stored as JSON array)
Basic cohort and student data models in Supabase

Week 2–3: Stripe Connect integration

Instructor onboarding flow (Stripe Connect Express)
Cohort creation with price + capacity
Student enrollment checkout (Stripe Payment Intent, platform fee via application_fee_amount)

Week 3–4: Cohort UI

Student submission timeline + progress portfolio
Instructor critique queue + submission-to-critique status tracking
Basic cohort gallery (opt-in per cohort)

Week 4–5: Launch own pottery cohort

Create "Crit Pottery" brand on Instagram and TikTok
Post behind-the-scenes studio content, announce first cohort
Target: 12–15 students for 6-week throwing fundamentals cohort at $249

Week 5–6: Open beta for other instructors

Outreach to pottery YouTube creators (5k–50k subscribers)
DM woodworking, leatherwork, jewelry makers with existing audiences
Offer first 3 months free, collect feedback

How to Get First Customers

Own cohort first (weeks 4–8):

Post throwing videos on Instagram Reels and TikTok — the algorithm rewards craft content
"I built the tool I wish existed — here's my first cohort" is a compelling launch narrative
Target pottery communities: r/Pottery, ceramic arts Facebook groups, Ceramic Arts Network

Instructor acquisition (months 2–4):

The pottery cohort is a live case study — use it to recruit other instructors
DM craft YouTubers and Instagrammers who currently do Zoom lessons or Patreon-only content
Positioning: "Keep 90% of revenue, no scheduling, your students make more progress"
Partner with pottery supply shops (Sheffield Pottery, Axner) for cross-promotion

Content marketing:

"Why online pottery lessons don't work (and what does)" — long-form SEO post
Build in public: document the product development and first cohort on Twitter/X

Revenue Math

Month 1–2 (own cohort only):

12 students × $249 = $2,988
Run twice = $5,976 (pottery cohorts repeat every 6 weeks)

Month 3–4 (10 SaaS instructors):

Own cohort: $2,988
10 instructors × $49 SaaS = $490
10 instructors × avg 10 students × $200 × 10% platform = $2,000
Total: ~$5,478/month

Month 5–6 (20–30 instructors):

Own cohort: $2,988
25 Pro instructors × $49 = $1,225
25 instructors × 12 students × $225 avg × 10% = $6,750
Total: ~$10,963/month

Month 9–12 (100 instructors):

100 instructors × $49 SaaS = $4,900
100 instructors × avg $3,000 GMV/month × 10% = $30,000
Own cohort (scaled or licensed): $3,000
Total: ~$37,900/month

Why This Is Different

vs Teachable/Kajabi: No async video critique workflow; those platforms assume your content is pre-recorded lectures. A pottery instructor uploading a pre-recorded video is not teaching you — a mentor watching your hands and responding is.

vs Maven/Circle: Built entirely for knowledge-worker cohort courses (marketing, coding, writing). No concept of student work submission or critique. No video annotation. The UX assumes the instructor talks, not watches.

vs Zoom lessons: Doesn't scale. Scheduling across timezones is friction. Async critique means an instructor in Portland can teach a student in Berlin without a 3am call.

vs YouTube + Discord: Zero feedback loop. Comments on a photo are not the same as a 3-minute video response with timestamped moments and visual annotation.

Crit is the only platform where the instructor's job is to watch your work and respond — not deliver content.

Path to Quitting Day Job

Month 6: Own cohort ($3k) + early SaaS instructors ($4k) = ~$7k/month; part-time consulting coverage
Month 9: 40–60 active instructors + transaction revenue = $15–20k/month; quit day job
Month 12–18: 150+ instructors; consider craft-specific expansion (3D printing instructors, knife-making, weaving) or enterprise deals with craft schools and community colleges
Year 2: White-label licensing — music schools, martial arts studios, cooking schools buy the platform under their own brand

Risks & Mitigations

Risk: Instructor chicken-and-egg problem (B2B acquisition is slow) Mitigation: Launch as own pottery school first. The product earns revenue and generates a real case study before any B2B sales.

Risk: Video storage and streaming costs spiral Mitigation: Mux and Cloudflare Stream have low per-minute costs; student clips are short (2–5 min), critique videos are 3–8 min. Set storage limits per cohort tier and charge overage.

Risk: Students expect synchronous learning and don't respond to async format Mitigation: Cohort structure (10–15 peers, weekly cadence, shared gallery) replaces the social accountability of in-person class. Async works especially well for physical crafts — you film when you're at your wheel, not when it's convenient for the instructor.

Risk: Established creators (YouTube/Patreon pottery channels) build their own solution Mitigation: Platform switching costs grow as student portfolios and cohort history accumulate. First-mover with craft-specific UX creates a defensible lead.

Why This Works for You Specifically

You are a practicing potter AND a software engineer — an almost impossible combination for a competitor to replicate authentically. You don't need to recruit an instructor to validate the platform; you ARE the first instructor. Every week you spend throwing at the wheel generates marketing content, product validation, and revenue simultaneously.

Your stack (Next.js, Supabase, Stripe, Twilio) maps directly to the required tech. The n8n workflows you already use can power the automation layer (critique-ready notifications, weekly submission nudges, cohort wrap emails).

The story sells itself: "I'm a senior engineer and a potter. I built the tool that makes online pottery education actually work — and here's my cohort to prove it."

First Action

Create an Instagram Reel this week filming a centering technique on your wheel, close with: "I'm launching a small cohort teaching throwing fundamentals async — drop a comment if you're interested." Measure response before writing a single line of code. If 20+ people respond genuinely, you have product-market fit signal. Then build.