From Mili Llama to SUBIIE
SUBIIE started in 2022 as Mili Llama, a small team trying to solve a problem we'd seen up close: schools across America were losing instructional days because the systems they used to find substitute teachers belonged to a different decade. Phone trees at 5:47 AM. Paper timesheets. Spreadsheets passed between offices like batons.
Early on, we were lucky enough to be accepted into Techstars, one of the most respected accelerator programs in the world. The experience sharpened the company in ways we still feel — better discipline around customer development, sharper product thinking, and a network of mentors that pushed us to think bigger about what staffing for schools could be.
Soon after, we partnered with the University of Notre Dame, working closely with their education research teams and pilot schools to make sure what we were building actually solved the problem we set out to solve. Some of our most important early lessons came from that partnership — including the realization that software alone wasn't enough.
In 2025, we made the decision to rebrand. Mili Llama became SUBIIE. The new name is the new mission: serving substitute coverage, full-time recruiting, and everything in between, with the touch of a button. We rebuilt the platform with new technology, expanded the service model, and brought in new team members who'd lived the problem from inside schools.
We're on a comeback journey. We've stayed lean, learned fast, and we're back with a clearer mission than ever — to give schools world-class staffing service, powered by technology, at a price that doesn't break their budget.
This is where we are now. Where we go next depends on the schools who decide to come along.
