Edtech Insiders

Send us a text Jonathan Finkelstein is the CEO of Credly, one of the leading organizations in the credentialing space for education technology around the world. Credly is a Pearson business.  Previously, as founder of LearningTimes, he helped mission-driven organizations produce and launch innovative online programs, products and platforms that impacted the lives of millions of users. He was also a co-founder at HorizonLive, which was acquired by Blackboard, and author of Learning in Real Time.  He's a frequent author and speaker on digital credentials and the future of work. Recommended ResourcesHow I Built This, podcast hosted by Guy RazHuman Work In the Age of Smart Machines, book by Jamie MerisotisHow to Tell a Story, book by The MothResources Page, curated by Credly

Send us a textSophie Ruddock is a former impact investor and consultant with 10+ years experience across the private, public and non-profit sectors. She is one of the  founding members of Multiverse, a tech company building an outstanding alternative to college. She spent the last 4 years growing Multiverse’s delivery operations in the U.K, before moving onto leading their expansion to NYC as GM North America.Recommended ResourcesThe Job, a weekly newsletter by Paul Fain

Send us a textTroy Williams is a Managing Director at Achieve and University Ventures. Troy leads both firm’s investments in education technology companies, including AdmitHub, EverTrue, Examity, Motimatic, Packback and Ready Education.Prior to UV, Troy was a senior executive at Macmillan where he was CEO of Macmillan Enterprise Solutions and President of Macmillan New Ventures. Previously, Troy founded and served as CEO of Questia Media, an early ebook company. Prior to Questia, He was previously employed in the mergers and acquisitions practice at Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York.Recommended ResourcesBetter Money Better World, podcast by Daniel Pianko

Send us a textAlec Levin is the co-founder and CEO of Learners. Learners, formerly known as UXR Collective, started as a small meetup in Toronto and has become an online learning platform for researchers and designers around the world. Before Learners Alec worked in product and user research at a number of Toronto-based startups including Thalmic Labs, Finaeo, and Meta.Recommended ResourcesEconomic Facts and Fallacies by Thomas Sowell

Send us a textMelissa Jones leads Technical Programs for Shopify, focused on empowering the Research and Development teams with the technical skill and support they need to be successful. She oversees onboarding, leadership development, communications and early talent initiatives for engineering and the other R&D disciplines. Prior to joining Shopify, Melissa served in leadership roles at General Assembly, Code.org and Adobe. Alison Evans Adnani is the senior program lead for the Dev Degree team at Shopify. Dev Degree is a work-integrated learning program that combines Shopify developer skills with a university degree. She has had a rich career in software development, education and learning. Alison started her technology career as an intern and is a passionate advocate for experiential learning opportunities.Recommended ResourcesWork-integrated learning companies to watch out for:Kibo School (listen to our interview with CEO Ope Bukola here)Multiverse (interview with North America's GM Sophie Ruddock coming soon)AluraPraxis Labs: a New York-based company offering diversity, equity and inclusion training through immersive learning and VRTechKnowCon: an annual conference to bring together peers from various companies to compare notes and share best practices about technical training, documentation, and learning in the workplace, available virtually through a Slack group

Send us a textGuest: Quinn Taber, Founder & CEO @ ImmerseTopics This Week:Politics Heat UpColleges aren’t prepared for Roe’s fallSchools Are Spending Billions on High-Tech Defense for Mass Shootings'Don’t Say Gay’ bills will make it harder for teachers to support studentsThe public cost of private schoolsEducation Department Approves $8 Billion in Public Service Loan ForgivenessISTEA Call For ‘A Major Infusion of Joy’Teachers Are Reminded of the Value They Bring to Ed-Tech CompaniesA Growing Edtech Landscape Class Technologies CEO: 'The education landscape has forever changed'The edtech top 50 — emerging companies for higher educationLayoffs ContinueStartup layoffs – the art of reinvention and a MasterClass in changeFunding + M&ALeap, JobGet, Wilco, Neol, Cinematic Health Education, Kibo SchoolGoGuardian Acquires TutorMe,

Send us a textAndrew Baird is the President & CEO of the global hub of Education For Employment (EFE-Global). Andrew brings to EFE more than twenty-five years of experience in advancing private sector-led strategies to create inclusive employment and livelihoods around the world - including in several countries where EFE operates. He is a strong advocate for women’s economic employment, and promoting entrepreneurship. He co-founded the Global Center for Youth Employment, a membership-based organisation devoted to developing collective solutions to the challenges of youth employment. He has held leadership positions in a range of organisations in the field and home offices of RTI International, Making Cents International, and the Peace Corps. For those interested in engaging with EFE as a mentor, or lending their expertise to the youth EFE serves, reach out at info@efe.org. To discuss edtech solutions to address the youth employment and education challenges faced in the MENA, reach out to abaird@efe.org.Recommended ResourcesMiddle East Focus, a podcast by the Middle East Institute

Send us a textGuest: Victoria Ransom, Founder & Co-President of PrismaTopics This Week:Higher Ed Adapts?Dartmouth College eliminates undergraduate student loans and replaces them with scholarship grantsHigher Ed Invests in Student Success Tech – Is It a ‘New Golden Age’ or Just Vague Talk?McKinsey: Technology is shaping learning in higher educationAmericans support student loan forgiveness, but would rather reign in college costsLivestreaming against a Teacher ShortageGeneral Catalyst Leads $40 Million Investment in Elevate K-12Elevate K-12 to Address Growing National Teacher ShortageUnacademy & UpgradCan Edtech Replace Classroom Teaching?Education Unicorn Upgrad Doubles Valuation With Murdoch FundingPhyllis Lockett on “Ed3”How Web3/Ed3 And Immersive Technologies Signal A New Era For K-12 EducationFundingCoachHub, TestGorilla, VR Pioneer, Prenda, Tango, Velocity Career Labs, Metacrafters.io, Pok Pok

Send us a textPatrick Ward is the Vice President of Marketing at Rootstrap, a digital studio that provides UX/UI design, app and web development and staff augmentation to a variety of companies, including major edtech companies like Masterclass and Emeritus. In this conversation, we’ll talk about the marketing and technology strategies that top edtech companies use to grow, as well as the future of alternative education. Recommended ResourcesSection4 Blog by Professor Scott GallowayEducation IT Reporter by Scott E. Rupp

Send us a textGuest Charles Schilling, President, Enterprise Business - US, Europe & Canada @ EmeritusTopics this week:Teacher Shortages at the End of the School YearOverworked and underappreciated, teachers are burning outCardona: Americans Shouldn't be Surprised by Teacher ShortageWork-Based LearningGoogle partners with Figma to bring design tools to student ChromebooksThe Uncertain Pathway from Youth to a Good JobMetaverse/VR?What Will Learning in the Metaverse Look Like?Meet the Metaverse: A New Frontier in Virtual LearningPrescient/Sentient AIGoogle Sidelines Engineer Who Claims Its A.I. Is SentientNo, Google's AI is not sentientStudent Loans and The Value of CollegeU.S. Closer to Canceling All Federal Student Loan Debt? Biden Officials Hint At Another Extension, Potentially Tied To Student Loan ForgivenessStudent-Loan Forgiveness Will Help Narrow America’s Racial Wealth Gap, But Others Call It ‘Costly And Ineffective’As Student Engagement Falls, Colleges Wonder: ‘Are We Part of the Problem?’Funding + M&ACareAcademy, Papercup, Kinside, Cloverleaf, Gomycode, Exprto, Metacrafters.io