Edtech Insiders

Send us a textIn this special episode, Edtech Insiders hits the road and travels to San Diego for the ASU GSV conference, the biggest and most influential Edtech conferences in the US.Rather than a single interview, this episode contains no less than EIGHT short 'hallway' interviews with all variety of amazing Edtech and education founders and influencers.  This episode focuses on innovators in the PK12 space; part two will focus on Higher Ed and workforce innovators. 1. John King Jr., former Secretary of Education for the US under President Obama and candidate for Governor of Maryland2. Sara Mauskopf, the CEO of Winnie, a daycare and preschool marketplace with millions of users3. Aditya Kaddu, Founder and CEO of Edstruments, a leading school budget planning platform 4. Gavin Cooney, CEO of Learnosity, a leading assessment platform 5. Maria Berrera, CEO and Founder of Clayful, a text based coaching platform for SEL6. Vishal Goenka, Founder and CEO of 2Sigma School, which offers accredited CS courses for high school students. 7. Yair Shapira, Founder and CEO of the Amplio Special Education Learning Platform8. Yaki Dayan, the Founder and CEO of Edtech Israel and Neurotech Solutions

Send us a textBeth Porter started her career in the mathematics classroom before moving into edtech with Mathsoft and Pearson, where she was a VP of software product management. She was an VP of product at Edx in the heady MOOC days of 2014-2015, has consulted, taught at MIT and Boston University, and is most recently, the co-founder of two Edtech companies- Esme Learning, where she is the President and COO and Riff Analytics, which was acquired by Esme Education in December 2021.Esme Learning offers executive education courses from top universities including MIT, Cambridge and Oxford, offered through AI-powered recommendations. Riff Analytics is an analytics platform that uses voice data collected during video calls to show how people interact, measure engagement, and determine the split of speakership, among other metrics. Recommended ResourcesThe Gap Letter by Ryan Craig of Achieve Partners (newsletter)

Send us a textOn this week in Edtech, we are delighted to have guest host Matthew Tower to cover the top stories of the week:Topics This Week:EdTech @ ASU+GSVEd On The Edge: Deborah Quazzo On About What To Expect At ASU+GSV 2022 What’s the Future of ETS and Standardized Testing?A New Leader for ETS - Amit SevakMIT Reinstates SAT/ACT RequirementCrumbling School InfrastructureThis school wasn't built for the new climate reality. Yours may not be eitherPods, Microschools and TutorsByju’s World CupThe Growth of Football in IndiaByju’s tried-and-tested sports sponsorship goals get bigger with FIFAFunding + M&AOsso VR Raises $66 Million to Broaden Access to Surgical Education for Healthcare ProfessionalsWorkRamp nabs $40M to expand its corporate learning platformLearn In Secures $10 Million in Series A Funding to Help Companies Build Talent Academies for Deeper and Engaging Skill DevelopmentStudent-built degree progression platform raises $11 Million to empower students and solve higher education's major challengeGuest:Michael Vilardo - Founder + President @ SubjectVideo Learning Startup To Tackle Post-Pandemic EducationSubject Raises $29.4 Million in Series A Led by Owl Ventures

Send us a textJeanette Cheah is an award-winning education technology and business leader based in Melbourne, and raised across the US, Japan and Australia. As CEO & founder of HEX, she’s dedicated to transforming young people into the innovators the world needs tomorrow and seeing the next generation of talent thrive. HEX prepares students for the fast-changing global workforce with the tech and design skills they need to close the future skills gap shortage – and the entrepreneurial mindsets employers want using programs that are immersive, seriously fun, and academically aligned. Previously, Jeanette spent 14 years building innovation solutions, marketing strategies and digital products for some of Australia’s corporate giants including ANZ, AXA, AMP and Origin Energy.Recommended ResourcesShoe Dog by Phil Knight

Send us a textKarl Rectanus is an educator, serial entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of LearnPlatform, a mission-driven "for benefit" corporation, where he leads a team of educators, researchers and technologists committed to expanding equitable access for students.LearnPlatform is an Edtech effectiveness system working to deliver safe, equitable, cost-effective learning for districts, states and their partners such as solution providers. Learnplatform’s technologies are used by over 8,000 schools serving more than 7 million students across the United States.Recommended Resources#edchat or #superintendentchat on Twitter to put your finger on the pulse of what's going on in schools and states EdweekHechinger ReportEdtech Digest

Send us a textOutschoolHow Outschool won the pandemicMaster’s Degree Pricing SoarsRyan Craig on MasterCrashWeb3 and EducationJomayra Herrera on Learning, Earning, and Web3 University Rankings Don’t Add UpColumbia Professor Challenges U.S. News & World Report College RankingThe University in RuinsM&ANigerian Edtech Startup Klas Secures $130kVideo Learning Startup Raises $29m to Tackle Post-Pandemic EducationEdtech startup Leverage Edu pockets $22m in Series B roundPerlego raises $50M

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, Ope is the co-founder and CEO of Kibo School, which offers affordable, high-impact Computer Science degrees to students in Sub-Saharan Africa.Recommended ResourceRest of World: Reporting Global Tech Stories

Send us a textSergio Monsalve is a Founding Partner of Roble Ventures, a venture capital investing firm based in Silicon Valley that invests in human enablement technologies: solutions that help human progress. Sergio is also visiting professor at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education and Business. In both roles, he is focused on the “Future of Work and Learning” and on developing technology innovations and entrepreneurship. Sergio has been on the board and/or an investor of various companies in this area of focus, including Udemy ($3B), Adaptive Insights (Sold to Workday for $1.6B), Ubits, Slang, and Kahoot! Before he started his investing career, he was an entrepreneur and also held various roles in high-growth technology companies like eBay. Sergio holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a bachelor of science degree in management sciences and engineering from Stanford University. Sergio is originally from Mexico and is very active helping aspiring Latinx entrepreneurs and VC’s.Recommended ResourcesOutliers by Malcolm GladwellPeak by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool

Send us a textTopics This Week:NSVF and Others Receive Funding from MacKenzie Scott for General OperatingHere’s Who MacKenzie Scott Donated To So Far In FebruaryMacKenzie Scott Makes Historic Gift to NewSchools Venture FundEdtech Metrics and SkepticismEdtech Companies Must Place Learning Ahead of Revenue and EngagementWho is the Theranos of Education?Edtech firm Zovio (ZVO) fined $22 million for false advertising, misleading studentsAmazon expands Career ChoiceAmazon’s Employees Can Go to College, Free. What’s in It for Higher Ed?Amazon Partners With 140 Colleges And Universities To Expand Free Tuition ProgramFunding, M&AByju’s founder backs startup in $800 million funding at $22 billion valuationMedway raises $15 million Series A from Softbank and seven other funds Edtech startup FourthRev raises $11.2 million Series A to bridge the digital skills gapFrom coding school to career acceleration platform, Italy’s Epicode strives for expansion with €10 millionChipper Raises $5.6M to Eliminate Student Loan Debt and Combat the Latinx Funding GapCourse Hero scoops up Scribbr for subject-specific study helpClassplus set to score $80 Mn in Series D roundCialfo extends series B to $60m, Tiger Global leads $20 mn fund raise in edtech firm CialfoGuest: Ryan Stewart - Secretary of Education @ New Mexico Public Educat

Send us a text1. International Women’s Day (“Break the Bias”)Top 200 Women who are leading Global EdTech Startups. – HolonIQSupercharger Edtech Female FoundersErase All Kittens signs distribution deal with Tesco2. Russia becomes a true pariah state for educationColleges cut financial ties to RussiaEuropean University Association Kicks Out Russian UniversitiesHundreds of Medical Students Trapped in Ukraine3. Continued Rise of Work-Integrated TrainingWork Shift Explainer: A new language for CS degrees - Work ShiftEmployers Are Changing How They View Training. Is Competency-Based Education an Idea Whose Time Has Come?4. Funding and PolicyEducation Department clarifies rules on income-share agreementsPublic Service Loan Forgiveness Tops 100,000 BorrowersHigh-poverty schools get only small boost in budget deal5. India India India India top nation to get edtech patentsEdtech Eruditus gets $350 million Edtech startups bridging the education gap in non-metro cities6. M & AReforge Raises $60MClearlake to buy edtech firm Discovery EducationDaybreak earns (Series) A+