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Richard John Buchner III

Richard John Buchner III

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What an incredible first-ever FIGURD Math Bee in Savannah, GA. We were proud to welcome a gymnasium full of people for an evening filled with learning, excitement, community support, and high-quality educational opportunities for local students. A special thank you to all of our sponsors — without their support, this event would not have been possible. Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make the first FIGURD Math Bee such a meaningful experience. This was just the beginning.

Introducing FIGURD — a math program that connects creativity, competition, and community.
Free daily game at www.figurd.com. Think you can make it to the end? Every day, a new game is available with a different number structure to challenge your mind. The goal is simple — make it to the end! You can find the FIGURD website on our page in the bio or by clicking the link in the post description.
How innovative math tools can change student outcomes.This data shows the impact of using FIGURD at Stripling Elementary — a guided math rotation that helped students meet or exceed state standards across multiple grades.Compared to the county average, Stripling saw significant growth in math performance, proving that interactive and engaging approaches can truly make a difference.We’ve found a new way to make math fun, challenging, and effective for every learner. 💡hashtag#FIGURD
Meet Richard Buchner, the founder of FIGURD and President of Innovative Math Solutions. Richard created FIGURD to make math learning faster, more engaging, and more collaborative for students. Since launching in 2010, the program has helped K–8 learners build strong math foundations through gamified challenges that spark problem-solving and creativity.FIGURD blends innovative education and play to support students and educators across the country. Richard’s mission has always been clear—make learning exciting and accessible.Richard is a graduate of the University of Georgia. His discipline, drive, and passion for education shape everything he builds. Along with his work in education, he also served as President of Marine Brokers and Vice President at SunPet, bringing years of leadership experience to his approach.Through FIGURD, Richard continues to empower students, teachers, and communities to reach their full potential.
FIGURD Gameplay - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJVhkszCd8c
Kids begin in elementary school, where FIGURD helps them overcome the time consumption of memorizing math facts. Through gamification, math reluctancy is reduced while they achieve automaticity up to 20x faster than traditional methods. This builds a strong positive foundation that reduces the arithmetic mistakes many students make in higher math.hashtag#WHYUS
Use the forum on our website to connect with other educators, learn helpful math strategies, and access support anytime. www.figurd.com
FIGURD Team Member Spotlight: Usman Mirza brings more than 37 years of financial, operational, and strategic leadership to FIGURD. As a Financial Advisor and Strategic Development partner, he guides FIGURD’s long-term planning, capital strategy, and product innovation. His background includes senior roles with Coca-Cola International, Coca-Cola USA, and bottling operations in Chicago, San Antonio, and Atlanta—experience that equips him with a strong understanding of growth systems, market development, and organizational scaling. As President of MIRZACO (USA), Inc., Mr. Mirza has advised mid-market and early-stage companies across real estate, manufacturing, consumer products, and emerging technologies. He has deep networks across Family Offices, Broker-Dealers, Wealth Managers, and Investment Bankers, and previously founded Snapple’s first franchisee. Today he continues to support Life Products, Inc., and contributes to projects in waste-to-energy, HVAC innovation, and creative financing. At FIGURD, he strengthens financial strategy, marketing direction, partnerships, and the development of new initiatives that expand our mission to elevate math learning through patented play-based learning.
Discover all the sponsorship levels in our upcoming posts. Our Sponsor Community is built on collaboration, shared values, and opportunities that grow with you. For more information, visit: https://figurd.com/sponsors-levels/
The Bronze Level is where impact begins.At this tier, your brand becomes part of FIGURD’s mission to make math fun, creative, and confidence-building for K–8 students. Bronze sponsors are included in select social media campaigns, receiving mentions that recognize their support for expanding access to engaging math experiences. Your partnership helps bring FIGURD contests and activities to life — encouraging teamwork, problem-solving, and a positive learning environment for Title I and K–8 learners. Even at the entry level, your contribution sparks curiosity and builds confidence through education. Explore all sponsorship levels at https://figurd.com/sponsors-levels/. Each tier offers additional visibility, deeper community involvement, and new opportunities to support the students who need it most.Discover where your impact begins — and how far it can grow at www.figurd.com.
The Silver Level takes your support to the next stage of impact. As a Silver sponsor, your brand receives expanded visibility — including featured placement in press releases and 10 dedicated mentions across FIGURD’s social media platforms. This recognition highlights your role in strengthening the math program for K–8 students.Silver partners help extend FIGURD into more classrooms and communities, providing students with opportunities to collaborate and enjoy learning together. Your contribution directly supports Title I and K–8 learners as they build essential skills through engaging FIGURD activities and contests.Learn more about all sponsorship levels at https://lnkd.in/ewqke3_h. Each tier offers unique ways to support student success while growing your brand’s community presence.At the Silver Level, your support goes further — and so does your impact.
As a Title Sponsor, your organization is recognized as the leading supporter of kids’ math education, with premier placement across all materials, digital content, and communications. This exclusive visibility positions your brand as a central force behind innovative, game-based math learning for K–8 students. Title Sponsors help shape the future of innovative education, playing a defining role in expanding access to engaging, confidence-building math experiences across classrooms and communities. Your leadership ensures that students—especially those in Title I and K–8 schools—have access to creative, accessible tools that strengthen foundational math skills and problem-solving abilities.At the Title Level, impact isn’t just expanded—it is owned. Title Sponsors are recognized as long-term champions of math education, setting the standard for meaningful corporate and community partnership while driving lasting outcomes for students nationwide.Each tier supports student success—but the Title Level places your brand at the heart of FIGURD’s mission.
Your support helps us bring creativity, problem-solving, and excitement to math education. Every contribution makes a difference — helping us reach more students and teachers through innovative tools and resources. Together, we can build a stronger future for the next generation of learners and expand access to high-quality education.
Donations to the Education Media Foundation (EMF), a registered 501(c)(3), are tax-deductible. These gifts can lower a donor’s taxable income when filing federal taxes. EMF provides receipts so donors can document their contributions. Giving through EMF helps students and offers donors valuable tax benefits.
State-level education performance data from the Georgia Department of Education and national assessments like NAEP indicate that Chatham County continues to face significant challenges compared to other counties in Georgia.This isn’t just a school issue; it’s a long-term community and workforce impact. Early learning performance shapes long-term community vitality, economic mobility, and workforce readiness. The challenge also represents an opportunity: targeted, early support can make a measurable difference for students, schools, and the broader community. We recently shared an article outlining key insights into education today and why early engagement, confidence, and foundational skills matter—especially in communities that need it most. For organizations looking to invest in high-impact education initiatives, this is where support can truly move the needle. #CommunityInvestment
FIGURD Team Member Spotlight: Danil OzernoyDanil brings a strategic, tech-creative approach to FIGURD as a Brand Partner, supporting the organization’s growth through branding, digital development, and creative innovation. With over six years of experience in brand development, Danil focuses on building cohesive visual identities, websites, social media strategies, and advertising that strengthen FIGURD’s mission and expand its reach.A graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and the founder of StoryFrame, Danil has led and executed award-winning branding projects across multiple platforms. His work blends creative direction with technical execution, enabling FIGURD’s educational impact to be communicated clearly, consistently, and authentically across digital touchpoints.Over the past seven months at FIGURD, Danil has helped shape the brand’s digital presence and storytelling strategy—bridging technology and creativity to support scalable growth. With a strong focus on strategic leadership and creative innovation, he continues to help position FIGURD for long-term impact and visibility within the education and creative technology space.
FIGURD Math Bee is coming to Savannah! Join us for an interactive math contest at St. Peter the Apostle, Savannah, GA, on Thursday, April 23, at 6:00 PM. Students will compete in engaging math challenges that build confidence and strengthen number fluency and problem-solving skills. A supportive team environment—with opportunities to win valuable prizes—is the secret ingredient for learning.
St. Peter the Apostle Catholic School reported that 5th-grade math growth doubled from Fall 2025 to Winter 2026 compared to last year. Students while teachers used Figurd as a supplemental learning tool.Although overall achievement remained in the High Average range, the data shows meaningful progress over time rather than small percentile shifts. These results reflect the impact of automaticity and interactive learning.Teachers at St. Peter’s used Figurd almost daily to help students build fluency in foundational skills, allowing them to focus more effectively on problem-solving and mathematical reasoning.
At FIGURD, we collaborate with PR consultant Marjorie Young, who brings more than 30 years of public relations experience to our team.Marjorie also personally believes in the importance of strong math foundations. Having raised a child who went on to earn a PhD in robotics engineering, she understands firsthand how the right learning tools can help shape future opportunities. We are grateful for her guidance as we continue expanding FIGURD’s impact.
Using FIGURD in math class as a supplement — from fall to today, our 4th grade students showed measurable growth, rising 6 percentiles, with more students moving into the High Average and High Achievement levels. It all adds up — when strong leadership, great teachers, and engaging content come together. When students are engaged, challenged, and excited to learn, achievement is the outcome!
We’re excited to share that SCAD is collaborating with FIGURD to support the upcoming FIGURD Math Bee. This valuable partnership reflects the trust and support SCAD brings to our mission to make learning math engaging, effective, and rewarding.Members of the SCAD Athletic Department will be attending the FIGURD Math Bee, helping create a positive and encouraging learning environment for participants. Their presence adds energy and inspiration to the event — something kids truly love and remember.Together, FIGURD and SCAD are building a community where academic achievement, teamwork, and confidence grow side by side.
Attention Savannah Teachers & Parents‼️ Don’t Miss the FREE FIGURD Math Be 📣🐝🏆
We are happy to announce that Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming is a new sponsor of the FIGURD Math Bee! We are grateful for their support and excited to have them help make this event even more special for students and families. 🐝🎉 Visit woofgangsavannahga.com 📍 Starland: 1601 Bull St | (912) 417-2149 📍 Sandfly: 8507 Ferguson Ave | (912) 446-1110 📍 City Market: 202 W. St. Julian St | (912) 495-5806
Kids practice for the contests throughout the year, earn prizes and get the recognition to inspire them to keep learning and playing. Gamification builds healthy competition, collaboration, leadership, and support — turning math into something social, exciting, and rewarding. hashtag#smartplay
We are happy to announce that Miller Dental Group is a new bronze sponsor of the FIGURD Math Bee! We are grateful for their support and excited to have them help make this event even more special for students and families. 🐝🎉Visit: www.dentist-savannah.com📍 901 E 66th St, Savannah, GA 31405📞 (912) 525-7777
FIGURD Math Bee is coming to Savannah! Join us for an interactive, free math event where elementary school students will compete for exciting prizes in a fun and engaging environment. Georgia Eye Institute supports high-quality education and meaningful opportunities for Savannah’s students. 📍 St. Peter the Apostle Catholic School 7020 Concord Rd, Savannah, GA 31410 🗓 April 23 ⏰ 6:00 PM

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