Send us a text In this special episode of Week in Edtech, we speak to two leaders in the K12 space using AI to support teachers and learners: Deepanshu Arora, Founder and CEO of Toddle Learning Toddle's mission is to help teaching teams around the world do their best work. More specifically, Toddle is an end-to-end solution for all your teaching and learning needs. Teaching teams use Toddle for curriculum planning, assessments, student portfolios, projects, progress reports, classroom manag...
Sep 22, 2023•1 hr 29 min•Season 7Ep. 7
Send us a text In this episode, we discuss: AI Pipeline Perspectives: Trends From 280+ Generative AI Edtech Tools EdTech Companies Are Racing to Build a GitHub Copilot for Teachers Teachers Are Going All In on Generative AI K12 2023 SETDA State of Edtech Report Curriculum Associates Report: State of Student Learning Common Sense: 2023 State of Kids Privacy Clever's Classroom of the Future Report Higher Ed Admissions Officers Reflect on a Transformative Year Byju's Byju’s hid $533 milli...
Sep 22, 2023•45 min•Season 7Ep. 6
Send us a text James Grant is co-founder of MyTutor , the UK’s leading online tutoring platform, working with hundreds of thousands of students and 1,500 public schools across the UK and US. Their vision is to make life-changing tutoring available to all. They are the largest partner on the UK’s National Tutoring Programme, have a carefully vetted, 20,000 strong tutor community and have raised $40m in funding. MyTutor’s programs are proven to deliver 2.5x the progress for students in their tutor...
Sep 18, 2023•47 min•Season 7Ep. 5
Send us a text Bodo Hoenen is the founder of Dev4X , and a cofounder of NOLEJ , a generative AI for education. He is a collective intelligence scientist and serial entrepreneur whose previous startup’s include an LMS that he sold to Google. Since then, he’s been developing a Super Collective Intelligence, an AI-Human collaboration engine to rapidly accelerate the rate at which we can learn and innovate. Recommended Resources: Lex Fridman podcast ChatGPT Bard Bing Get ready to explore the future ...
Sep 15, 2023•40 min•Season 7Ep. 4
Send us a text This episode features interviews with Johann Malawana of Medics Academy Jen Mendelsohn and Mara Koffmann from Braintrust Tutors Check out the Edtech Insiders AI+EDU Conference ! We also cover: UNESCO's AI Competencies for Teachers Byju's effort to repay repayment through selling acquisitions Flint raises money for edu-LLMs, and Imbue for agents Americans losing faith in College ROI K12 Literacy Scores forcing shift to Science of Reading...
Sep 14, 2023•1 hr 29 min•Season 7Ep. 3
Send us a text John Failla is the CEO and co-founder of Pearl , a research-based tutoring platform that streamlines operations, reports actionable data, and improves outcomes for Pearl’s many tutoring partners. Pearl works with states, districts, and private tutoring companies. John is also a Founder-In-Residence at University of Richmond - Robins School of Business and was the Founder & CEO at Trilogy Mentors. Recommended Resources: Blog by Pearl National Student Support Accelerator Illinoi...
Sep 14, 2023•49 min•Season 7Ep. 2
Send us a text Kimberly Nix Berens, Ph.D. , is a scientist-educator and Founder of Fit Learning . She co-created a system of instruction based in behavioral science and the Technology of Teaching, which has transformed the learning abilities of thousands of children worldwide. Fit learning programs use virtual instruction to target areas a wide range of skills: early learning skills, basic classroom readiness, phonemic awareness, reading fluency, comprehension, inferential language, basic and ad...
Sep 13, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 7Ep. 1
Send us a text In 2022, Heather Combs was appointed CEO of StraighterLine , one of edtech’s fastest growing companies and the leading provider of high-quality, affordable, online courses that helps learners earn college credit and meet their professional goals. Heather has led the company through its first acquisition of ChildCare Education Institute, one of the largest online training providers for early childhood education professionals. This acquisition is the company’s first step to signific...
Sep 04, 2023•54 min•Season 6Ep. 30
Send us a text Guests: Dr. Deepak Sekar and Maria Walley of Prof Jim Prof Jim Launches Reelbooks 2.0 - AI Now Achieves Parity with Human Instructors AI Edtech Companies Rising Atypical AI raised $4M in pre-seed to continue shaping the future of learning and assessment Sizzle AI raised $7.5M in seed for their tutoring chatbot for middle and high school STEM courses , led by Owl Ventures Course Hero Launches "AI Academy" to Help Educators Navigate Role of AI in the Classroom Q2 Earnings ...
Aug 30, 2023•1 hr 20 min•Season 6Ep. 29
Send us a text Marco DeRossi is the CEO and founder of WeSchool , a leading Italian EdTech startup Founded in 2016, WeSchool is an online collaborative learning platform that is designed to be easy to use- it already enables 1.7 million students and 230.000 teachers to amplify their learning experience by leveraging digital tools. WeSchool recently closed a 6.4M€ Series A funding round to scale their technology and enter new markets. Recommended Resources: Visible Learning by John Hattie...
Aug 28, 2023•38 min•Season 6Ep. 28
Send us a text In this episode of Week in Edtech, Ben and Alex discuss: 1. Edtech Investment Cooling EdTech investment cooling in 2023 but growth outlook remains strong It’s been a bumpy 6 months for Edtech — are smoother roads ahead? 2. K12: Private Schools, School Choice and ESAs + Edtech vs. Burnout Private School Choice is Booming. Here’s What It Means for Education Companies Florida teachers are worried new policies could get them fired — or even criminally charged New Survey: Majority of T...
Aug 22, 2023•34 min•Season 6Ep. 27
Send us a text Dr. Satya Nitta is the CEO and co-founder of Merlyn Mind , a deep tech generative AI company working on natural language interfaces and voice computing. He was previously the global head of AI solutions for learning at IBM Research and led teams in the development of conversational systems, speech recognition, and natural language understanding. Dr. Nitta received his PhD in Chemical Engineering and holds over 100 US patents, as well as having published over 40 publications and re...
Aug 21, 2023•46 min•Season 6Ep. 26
Send us a text Sam Walder is a violinist, computer engineer, and the co-founder and CEO of Trala , which he founded as an undergraduate at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Trala is a tech-powered online music school. Founded in 2017, their mission is to make world-class music education accessible to every single person on Earth. With over 600,000 downloads and violin students in 193+ countries, Trala has received support from top musicians and investors at Duolingo and LinkedIn. Trala c...
Aug 15, 2023•48 min•Season 6Ep. 25
Send us a text Edtech Winners of the Summer: - Kahoot! gets $1.72B Buyout - Duolingo continues to beat the market - GoStudent raises $95 (some debt) to expand - Ukraine-based Preply raises $70M (some debt) Edtech Bummers of the Summer: - Paper conducts layoffs - Byju's negative press after board walkouts , despite AI rollout Edtech Partnerships of the Summer: - Instructure to distribute Khanmigo through Canvas AI App Marketplace - Newsela acquires Formative to expand assessment capabilities...
Aug 07, 2023•45 min•Season 6Ep. 24
Send us a text Kristina Ishmael is the Deputy Director at the US Office of Educational Technology (which we’ll call the Office of Edtech, or the OET), part of the US DOE . She is an educator, learner, advocate, and agent of change. As the leader of the Office of Ed Tech, she executes the office mission of developing national edtech policy that enables everywhere, all-the-time learning and supports digital equity and opportunity. Before the OET, Kristina was the Sr. Research Fellow on New America...
Aug 07, 2023•50 min•Season 6Ep. 23
Send us a text Dr. Martyn Farrows is the CEO of SoapBox Labs , the global leader in voice AI technology for children. Martyn joined SoapBox Labs in 2017 as Chief Operations Officer to lead operations, business development, and strategic partnerships. He was appointed to the CEO role in May 2021. Founded in 2013, SoapBox Labs is an equity-centered, privacy-by-design voice AI company that powers accurate and equitable voice experiences for children of every accent, dialect and stage of development...
Aug 02, 2023•45 min•Season 6Ep. 22
Send us a text Ben Whately is the Chief Strategy Officer and co-founder of Memrise . A psychologist by education, with a Masters in Experimental Psychology from Oxford where he focused on neural networks and computational modeling of human learning, Ben has spent the last 15 years looking at ways to learn and teach languages. While at Oxford, Ben became fascinated by how we learn languages. In the past, he’d always been able to pass language exams, but would find himself totally unable to actual...
Jul 31, 2023•52 min•Season 6Ep. 21
Send us a text Michael Chasen is the co-founder and CEO of Class Technologies Inc. , the maker of Class. He is an entrepreneur who has dedicated his career to improving the way people live and learn. Most notably, Chasen served as co-founder and CEO of Blackboard Inc., a pioneering edtech company with software used by over 20,000 institutions in more than 70 countries by 20 million teachers and learners worldwide. Recommended Resources: The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Differe...
Jul 24, 2023•29 min•Season 6Ep. 20
Send us a text Charles Abelmann is the director and producer of the short documentary English Hustle . He is an educator with a background in research, policy and practice. Earlier in his career, he worked at the World Bank managing education projects in a wide number of countries including China and Mongolia. He has also led public and private schools including being the Director at the Laboratory Schools at the University of Chicago while also having an appointment at the university as a lectu...
Jul 21, 2023•48 min•Season 6Ep. 19
Send us a text Ellie Bertani is the President and CEO of the GitLab Foundation , with the mission of improving lifetime earnings and economic mobility of workers worldwide. With a background in the nonprofit, public, and private sectors, she brings a shared value, cross-sectoral approach to drive sustainable impact. Prior to joining the GitLab Foundation, Ellie spent ten years in the private sector, with roles at Wells Fargo and Walmart. Much of her work focused on frontline worker economic stab...
Jul 19, 2023•49 min•Season 6Ep. 18
Send us a text Sacha Litman is a core member of the Public Sector practice at Boston Consulting Group and the global lead for analytics in education, employment, and welfare (EEW) for that practice. Sacha is an expert in talent gaps, higher education turnarounds, pricing, and student financing. Sacha advises higher education, employer, and state leaders on building education/employer partnerships that close talent supply/demand gaps in order to improve students' employment outcomes; employe...
Jul 17, 2023•51 min•Season 6Ep. 17
Send us a text For over two decades, Chicago Scholars , a 501(c)(3) nonprofit leadership development organization, has empowered nearly 6,000 high-performing, under-resourced students to overcome systemic barriers to success in college. Chicago Scholars is the largest education nonprofit in Chicago, a city of over 2.5 million. In addition to its wraparound support for Chicago-based students, Chicago Scholars has created REACH Pathways, a first-of-its-kind app designed to connect top talent with ...
Jul 10, 2023•47 min•Season 6Ep. 16
Send us a text Clay Colarusso is the CMO and SVP of Digital Strategy at American Student Assistance , a national non-profit changing the way kids learn about careers and navigate a path to postsecondary education and career success. Clay and his team focus on creating transformational digital experiences to support today’s youth in the development of their post-high school education and career plans. They recently launched ASA’s latest digital resource, EvolveMe™ , which helps teens in middle an...
Jul 03, 2023•30 min•Season 6Ep. 15
Send us a text In this final Week In Edtech until August, we cover: L ondon EdtechX and ISTE Reading/Math Crisis : NAEP Results, Times “Achievement declined across lines of race, class and geography. But in math, especially, vulnerable children — including Black, Native American and low-income students — experienced bigger drops.” “The percentage of 13-year-olds who reported reading for fun has also declined. Last fall, 31 percent said they “never or hardly ever” read for fun, compared to 22 per...
Jun 27, 2023•43 min•Season 6Ep. 14
Send us a text Dan White is founder and CEO of Filament Games , an educational game company that’s been breaking ground in game-based learning for 18 years. Dan believes that good gameplay and good learning are complementary rather than oppositional forces. An alumnus of Cornell University and the University of Wisconsin – Madison, Dan earned an M.S. in Education Technology under seminal learning game scholars Drs. Kurt Squire and James Paul Gee. Prior to founding Filament in 2005, Dan worked as...
Jun 26, 2023•54 min•Season 6Ep. 13
Send us a text Bridgette Leslie is the Co-Founder, CEO of IEP&Me, Inc. Bridgette had spent her career as a special educator, focusing on creating inclusive classrooms, fostering self-awareness advocacy with her students, and triggering innovation in several school settings. As an entrepreneur, she's been accepted into the ODX Accelerator, achieved a NewSchools Venture Fund grant, and recently completed the Techstars JP Morgan Chase Female Founders Catalyst program....
Jun 23, 2023•43 min•Season 6Ep. 12
Send us a text Mario Vasilescu is co-founder of Readocracy, an online learning platform that makes all the content you consume count. Readocracy includes a knowledge profile that quantifies and showcases your passions, private insights like a “Fitbit for your information diet”, and social features that reward people for being well-informed. With his team, they are on a mission to create a future where how we feed our minds matters just as much as how we feed our bodies. Mario is a robotics engin...
Jun 23, 2023•51 min•Season 6Ep. 11
Send us a text Melda Akin is the CEO and founder of D14.AI and STEM training organization Sirius Labs . D14.AI provides an AI-driven software platform for healthcare clinics, gyms, and logistics companies to optimize their workforce and manage business operations in an easy, secure and affordable way. Before launching D14.AI into Dubai’s burgeoning tech start-up scene, Akin was a software developer, system analyst, lecturer in computer and software engineering departments, project manager and th...
Jun 19, 2023•54 min•Season 6Ep. 10
Send us a text Kim Smith is the founder of LearnerStudio, an equity-focused education investment studio being incubated inside Cambiar Education. She is also the founder and CEO of the Pahara Institute, a national nonprofit that aims to identify, strengthen, and sustain diverse high-potential leaders who are transforming public education. Immediately prior, she was co-founder of Bellwether Education Partners. Earlier in her career she was a founding team member at Teach For America, created an A...
Jun 12, 2023•56 min•Season 6Ep. 9
Send us a text Anada Lakra is the co-founder and CEO of BoldVoice . Her mission is to empower every non-native English speaker to fulfill their potential through confident English. . BoldVoice is an app that helps learners to improve their English speaking clarity and confidence through videos from Hollywood accent coaches and instant feedback from speech artificial intelligence. Previously, Anada built and launched 5 products (1 IPO, 1 exit via acquisition) in both enterprise and consumer, acro...
Jun 06, 2023•37 min•Season 6Ep. 8
