What Every Edtech Entrepreneur Needs to Know

What should you know if you’re running an edtech company?

Plenty of people over the years have recommended starting with the perspective of Larry Berger, founder of Amplify and Wireless Generation.

Berger sketched out his first thoughts on edtech more than a decade ago in this paper, which wound up as a chapter in a book edited by education pundit, Rick Hess. At the time, he described 11 barriers to entry that he had faced as an edtech entrepreneur, ranging from a consolidated, oligopolistic market (then dominated by publishers, some of which were 125 years old) to vicious sales cycles and even the too-often short tenures of superintendents.

And Berger recently sent his most recent perspectives on personalized learning in this note to Hess. (Spoiler alert: “...we need to move beyond this engineering model” of personalized learning and ask: “What did your best teachers and coaches do for you—without the benefit of maps, algorithms, or data—to personalize your learning?” 

Berger is one of those smart, candid guys: He knows edtech is a challenging business. But still, he shows up every day, with goal of building better tools to support teachers and students.

When I think about the people who have thoughtful advice for edtech entrepreneurs, he’s on the list. And there are others, too. Some have perspectives on funding; some on hiring. Still others have deep insights into how schools and districts think about technology or what it means to do thoughtful outreach and marketing.

Why do they do it? What have they learned?

Why not ask them.

On April 15, in San Diego, EdSurge is bringing many of these people together in a day-long workshop that we’re calling Immersion. We’ll kick it off with a panel of school leaders and ask what “partnership” with companies really means to them. We’ll hear spotlight talks by people who build tools that can help you run your company. Berger is joining us for an update on his views about the future of edtech. 

Then it’s your turn.

We’re planning to set you up in “clinics,” face to face meetings with more than two dozen leaders in edtech, giving you time to ask your questions and, we hope, solve real problems. Our clinic leaders include partners with NewMarkets Ventures, Owl Ventures, Reach Capital, Rethink Education and SJF Ventures. Dip into opportunities to use artificial intelligence with Amazon. Learn about what kind of school data is available and what you need to do to be on the right side of the data privacy debates. (For the full list, see here.)

There’s no better to way to learn than to ask your questions of leaders in edtech. Join us in San Diego.