Edtech Insiders

Send us a textKemi Akinsanya-Rose brings more than 20 years of consulting, operations, strategy, marketing, and education technology experience to Cambium. Kemi provides expertise in these areas to help Cambium develop leadership capabilities, scale business opportunities, and accelerate overall performance. Kemi is instrumental in leading Cambium’s overall and business unit objectives in organizational and talent strategy, diversity efforts, program development, and financial operations to expand our nationwide impact on student achievement and teacher professional development.Kemi earned her bachelor’s degree in economics from Northwestern University, her Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School of Business, and a master’s degree in education leadership from the Broad Center at the Yale School of Management. Prior to joining Cambium, Kemi managed a global portfolio of client relationships across various industries where she provided bespoke strategic consulting services, served as the Chief Operating Officer & Chief Diversity Officer of EL Education (formerly Expeditionary Learning), and was the Chief Information Officer at the nation's largest school district, New York City Department of Education. 

Send us a textMarni Baker Stein is Coursera’s Chief Content Officer, where she oversees the company’s content and credential strategy and partner relationships. Marni has more than 25 years of experience in producing and scaling online and hybrid education programs.Previously, she was provost and chief academic officer at Western Governors University, where she leads WGU’s academic programs, faculty, and teams. She drives the university’s focus on student success.Prior to WGU, she served as chief innovation officer for the University of Texas System’s Institute for Transformational Learning. She also worked as the senior associate dean of Columbia University’s School of Continuing Education, where she oversaw the school’s academic portfolio and was responsible for the development, design, and evaluation of all online and hybrid programs.In August 2016, Stein was selected by the Department of Education to serve as a member of the National Technical Working Group charged with using technology to transform higher education through the expansion of the 2016 National Educational Technology Plan.Stein has a Ph.D. in teaching, learning, and curriculum from the University of Pennsylvania.

Send us a textWe speak with legendary Edtech investor Jennifer Carolan, Managing Director of Reach Capital, and cover topics like:ASU GSV TakeawaysBen and Alex discuss some of the big takeaways from ASU GSV: Gen AI, Skills-based hiring and assessment +  shorter runways & potential for consolidationAI Tools continue to Proliferate in Edtech: Edtech is going crazy for AI (Josh Bersin)Chegg announces CheggMate, the new AI companion, built with GPT-4Schoolytics: Building an AI Co-teacher for every classroomBrainly Announces Beta Access to New AI FeaturesHiLink Unveils AI-Powered Lesson Planning Feature Purpose-Built for EducatorsLabster Announces Automatic User Experience Upgrade to its Virtual Science Lab Simulation EdTech PlatformWorkera launches Generative AI and ChatGPT benchmarkingThe Edtech Websites That Power LLMs Like ChatGPTInside the secret list of websites that make AI like ChatGPT sound smartWe unpack, via WaPo, which Edtech tools are being used to train Large Language ModelsWikipedia (#2)Scribd (#3)Coursera (#12)Instructables (#15)Wikihow (#41)Edweek (#91)Youtube (#104)Edweek Blogs (#182)Quizlet (#1,447)Udemy (#5165)Skillshare (#14,528)Course Hero (#15,996)Pearson (#16,709)Unacademy (26,507)Chegg (75,565)Kahoot (133,209)Byju’s (330,315)Duolingo (#507,900)Khan Academy (#570,781)Edx (#646,320)Guild Rebrands and ExpandsGuild Unveils New Brand and Product, Evolving Beyond Education to Accelerate Career Mobility for America’s Workforce

Send us a textLori Stirling is the Senior Vice President of Advancement Strategy at Affinaquest, a SaaS solution that empowers higher education and non-profit organizations to boost revenue and fundraising, enhance constituent engagement, and drive operational efficiencies through data.Advancement RM is Affinaquest's CRM software built on the Salesforce platform to meet the complex needs of Advancement teams. It is designed to improve fundraising and build stronger relationships by creating a seamless donor experience. 

Send us a textJason Palmer is General Partner at New Markets Venture Partners, one of the nation’s leading education-focused venture capital firms. As a double-bottom line investor, New Markets focuses on innovative, high impact, early and growth stage edtech companies that improve student outcomes while building profitable organizations.Jason brings twenty years of experience as an education technology entrepreneur, executive and investor, and focuses on fund strategy, supporting portfolio companies, and leveraging deep connections with industry leaders. Prior to his current role, Jason served as Deputy Director at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, leading postsecondary innovation efforts to improve the outcomes of disadvantaged college students by investing in colleges, universities and entrepreneurs pursuing digital and adaptive learning, student coaching and advising, financial aid innovation, and employer pathways. Prior to the Foundation, Jason founded and grew three investor-backed technology and services companies before holding a series of executive positions at Microsoft, SchoolNet, Kaplan, and StraighterLine. Recommended Resources:GSV N2K Daily NewsletterThe Future of Education by Michael HornVillage Capital Newsletter

Send us a textOn this Week in Edtech, we discuss:1.ChatGPT BeatChatGPT Will Not Replace Teachers But Could Act As A Teaching Assistant *NetEase Youdao Launches ChatGPT Model for Educational ScenarioWhy We Need to Ban ChatGPT in Elementary Schools *Is AI-enabled ChatGPT a boon or a bane for the edtech industry? *Why some college professors are adopting ChatGPT AI as quickly as students Ed tech experts urge caution on ChatGPT’s student data privacy *2. K-12These States Have the Most 'Underqualified' Teachers Stepping in to Fill Open PositionsGovernors Are Pushing for New Spending on K-12. Here’s What’s in Their Plans3. Higher Ed2U sues Education Department over third-party guidanceAmericans Are Losing Faith in College Education, WSJ-NORC Poll FindsHow America Started to Fall Out of Love With College DegreesMore than

Send us a textOpe Bukola was a product manager at Amplify Education and a product lead for Google Classroom for four years before branching out as an entrepreneur in 2020. She founded a company to build African tech talent, was a founding member of Level, a multiracial network that invests in businesses led by Black women, and joined the Board of Zeta, a network of high-performing charter schools in the Bronx. Most recently, she is the co-founder and CEO of Kibo School, which offers affordable, high-impact Computer Science degrees to students in Sub-Saharan Africa.Ahva Sadeghi is a passionate social entrepreneur and co-founder & CEO of Symba, an award-winning and women-founded tech startup using technology to democratize access to the workplace through internships and apprenticeships. Ahva is an economist and researcher focused on workforce development and is a member of the Forbes Human Resources Council. Prior to launching Symba, Ahva worked at the US Department of State in the Human Rights Bureau and completed a civil rights fellowship with Congressman John Lewis in Atlanta. She was recently named Forbes 30 Under 30, a Global Entrepreneur Scholar by the US Department of State and is a Tory Burch Fellow. Ahva completed her studies at the London school of Economics, Georgetown University, and the University of Arizona Honors College. In her spare time, Ahva enjoys playing the cello.

Send us a textIn this episode, we speak to special guest Kian Katanforoosh, whose company Workera just raised a $23.5M Series B. We also talk about:AI Push and PullCall for a pause on AI training met with skepticismEd tech experts urge caution on ChatGPT’s student data privacyItaly blocks ChatGPT over privacy concernsHello Dolly: Democratizing the magic of ChatGPT with open models Higher Ed's Price Hikes in the Face of UncertaintyIvy League tuition costs over $80KA look at trends in college consolidation since 2016Rising Tuition? It’s Not About Sticker PricesWhy are prices rising more for lower-income college students than their higher-income peers? The Power of Microcredentials and America’s Higher Education DilemmaTikTok Ban DebateTikTok hearing: CEO Shou Zi Chew testifies before US Congress amid looming ban – as it happenedLuben Pampoulov's Evaluation of Public EdtechsLearning with CopilotsBig Haircut for Byju's Valuation Some Investors Cut Byju's Valuation (from $22B to $11B)Byju's Raising $700M on Original $22B Valuation

Send us a textJunaid Mubeen is a mathematician turned educator who has spent over a decade working on innovative learning technologies, reaching students of all ages and abilities from around the world as Head of Product and Director of Education at Whizz Education, and COO of Write the World. Junaid has a DPhil in Mathematics from Oxford and a Masters in Education from Harvard, where he studied as a Kennedy Scholar. Junaid is also the author of “Mathematical Intelligence: A Story of Human Superiority Over Machines”, and is currently working with bestselling science author Simon Singh on developing the world's largest online maths circle, parallel.org.uk. He once earned fleeting fame as a Countdown series winner.  Junaid's Recommended Resources:Parallel by Simon Singh (Online math universe for ages 10-16)The End of Education by Neil Postman

Send us a textJoin us at ASU GSV!This week on the pod:1) Big Tech Goes All in On AILaunch of Google BardAdobe launches Firefly generative A.I., which lets users type to edit imagesMicrosoft launches Loop, a Notion competitor+ ChatGPT in Education:Where Is the ‘AI Conundrum’ in Education Headed?We Can’t Keep ChatGPT Out of the Classroom, so Let’s Address the ‘Why’Inside the Quest to Detect (and Tame) ChatGPT2) Pearson sells OPM Division/OPM RegulationPearson Sells Its OPM Business  (PhilOnEdTech)When universities slap their names on for-profit coding boot camps 3) How Has COVID Changed Public Schooling?Public School Enrollment Dropped by 1.2M During the PandemicNew Mexico terminates 1:1 online tutoring contract with Paper5 pandemic-era technologies schools don’t want to give up4) Skills-Based Hiring On the RiseAccredible Announces the Launch of Skills Pathways REPORT: How Skills Are Disrupting Work Global Survey of 37k School Students Reveals Desire to Modernize Education5) The Myth of Education as an Equalizer: Book ReviewThe Myth of Education as Equalizer Funding/M&A:BREAKING: Workera's $23m Series BGlider AI raises $10M Almentor raises $10M Trala Raises $8 MillionAG5 raises €6 millionUpduo raises $4MMaqsad Secures $2.8 MillionVitalSource Acquires AkademosQuottly Joins Parchment