ASU+GSV Summit

Can AI improve student success, increase college retention, and make personalized learning accessible to every student?

Kavitta Ghai—Co-founder and CEO of Nectir, the 2026 GSV Cup Fan Favorite in the Higher Education category—joins Electra Frelinghuysen, Director of Product at GSV, to discuss how Nectir's very personal founding story has grown to transform higher education through personalized student support, faculty-led AI adoption, and scalable AI infrastructure.

In this GSVtv podcast, Kavitta shares how she co-founded Nectir as a student at UC Santa Barbara and transformed a classroom communication platform into an AI-powered education solution designed to provide students with 24/7 academic support. She explains why successful AI integration in education starts with faculty: how educators can (and should) customize AI teaching assistants to align with their curriculum, and why academic freedom is essential to improving learning outcomes.

The conversation explores Nectir's partnership with the California Community Colleges, including a research study involving 56 community colleges and 21,000 students that examined how AI adoption, faculty professional development, and pedagogical alignment influence course success and student retention.

Kavitta also introduces Mapper GPT, an AI-powered college and career pathway planning tool designed to help students navigate course selection, transfer credits, degree completion, and workforce opportunities. By combining academic pathways with labor market data and personalized career guidance, Mapper GPT aims to make higher education more accessible, affordable, and connected to future employment.

From AI teaching assistants and student retention to responsible AI implementation, community college innovation, and the future of work, this conversation examines what it takes to make AI genuinely useful for students, faculty, and institutions.

How can AI, automation, and smarter business operations help childcare providers navigate rising costs, shrinking margins, and an increasingly challenging funding landscape?

In this GSVtv podcast, Sasha Reiss, Co-founder & CPO of Playground, sits down with Electra Frelinghuysen, Director of Product at GSV Summit, to discuss the future of early childhood education, childcare management technology, and the business challenges facing preschool owners and operators.

Sasha shares the origin story of Playground, an early childhood education software platform recently acquired by Procare Solutions, and how a simple app built for a family-owned preschool evolved into a solution designed to streamline childcare operations. The conversation explores how AI agents and automation can help providers manage enrollment, tuition collection, parent communication, administrative tasks, and marketing while giving educators more time to focus on children.

They also examine the economic pressures reshaping the childcare industry, including changes in federal and state childcare subsidies, Head Start funding uncertainty, rising operating costs, declining enrollment, and the impact of universal pre-K on private childcare providers. Sasha explains why operational efficiency, differentiated programming, and stronger enrollment strategies are becoming essential for sustainable childcare businesses.

Finally, Sasha shares advice for early-stage EdTech founders on building products around real customer needs, understanding the complexities of education markets, and why sales, marketing, and change management are just as important as great technology.

What do the new U.S. Treasury regulations mean for the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (FSTC), and how can states, schools, scholarship granting organizations (SGOs), and families prepare for its launch on January 1, 2027?

In this GSVtv podcast, Jorge Elorza, CEO, Democrats for Education Reform (DFER); Heidie Nesset, Vice President, Implementation, yes. every kid. foundation; and Leslie Hiner, Senior Advisor, Legal Policy, EdChoice, sit down with Electra Frelinghuysen, Director of Product at GSV Summit, to break down the latest proposed Treasury regulations and what they mean for the future of K-12 education funding and school choice.

The conversation explores how the new federal education tax credit works, including the $1,700 individual tax credit and $3,400 credit for married couples filing jointly, the role of scholarship granting organizations, state opt-in requirements, and the steps needed to prepare for implementation in 2027.

The panel also discusses how tax credit scholarships could expand access to tutoring, transportation, educational technology, special education services, and private school tuition while supporting students attending both public and private schools.

From SGO certification and IRS compliance to education equity, bipartisan state participation, and the future of flexible education funding, this discussion offers practical insights for policymakers, nonprofit leaders, educators, and families navigating the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit program.

Join GSV Co-founder Deborah Quazzo for a candid conversation with Phil Regier, University Dean for Educational Initiatives and CEO, EdPlus at ASU, about the journey of building one of education's most influential innovation organizations, helping reshape online learning and the role of technology in higher education. Together, they'll reflect on the early vision, the bold bets, the failed experiments, and the decisions that helped transform online learning and redefine what's possible for higher education.More than just a success story, this conversation offers founders, operators, and investors an inside look at how enduring innovation actually happens: testing ideas, learning from setbacks, scaling what works, and staying relentlessly focused on impact.

Shoshana Vernick, Founder and Managing Partner of Avathon Capital, joins NU Advisory Partners' Meredith Rosenberg at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit to discuss what makes an education company investable in today's market and why durable demand, profitable growth, and measurable outcomes matter more than ever.Recorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit, this GSVtv interview explores how investors are navigating uncertainty across K-12, higher education, and adult learning. Shoshana Vernick discusses why Avathon Capital is focused on outsourced and managed services that help education institutions operate effectively, the shift away from "growth at all costs," the importance of business fundamentals and customer retention, and why enduring companies must deliver solutions that work—not simply follow market trends.

Vivek Kamath, Partner at Tyton Partners Investment Banking, joined NU Advisory Partners' Meredith Rosenberg at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit to dissect what investors and buyers are looking for in today's education market and how AI disruption, shifting valuations, and changing capital dynamics are shaping M&A.Recorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit, this GSVtv interview explores the state of education investment and M&A in 2026. Vivek Kamath discusses where deals are still getting done, why tech-enabled services and mission-critical software continue to attract buyers, how AI is changing the way investors evaluate businesses, and what separates companies that successfully close deals. From growth and profitability to customer concentration, retention, and net revenue retention, the conversation breaks down the metrics that matter in today's market.

Alex Sarlin is joined by Ankur Agarwal and Manav Kedia, two of the three co-founders of CuePilot, a 2026 GSV Cup 50 startup. They discuss how voice AI can reduce administrative work for early childhood educators while preserving the relationships at the heart of learning.

Recorded live at the ASU+GSV Summit 2026, this GSVtv interview explores the story behind CuePilot AI and its approach to designing technology around the natural workflows of preschool teachers. Ankur and Manav discuss using voice AI to document student learning, streamline parent communication, reduce administrative burdens, and give educators more time to focus on meaningful interactions with children. They also share how CuePilot AI is expanding from India into markets including the United States, Singapore, and the Middle East.

Max Azarov, CEO and Co-founder of Novakid, and Chris Kemsley, Product Lead for NovaPals, join Alex Sarlin at the ASU+GSV Summit to unveil NovaPals, Novakid's new AI-powered English language learning app for teens.

Launched live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit, NovaPals is built on Novakid's experience serving hundreds of thousands of learners across more than 50 countries. Max Azarov and Chris Kemsley discuss how AI is transforming language learning through conversational practice, engaging AI companions, and gamified experiences designed specifically for young learners. The conversation explores AI-native product design, English language acquisition, hybrid learning, personalized practice, AI guardrails, and why combining AI with live teachers creates the best outcomes for language learners.

Josh Allen, Ph.D., leads Content and Strategy for Walmart Academy. He joins GSV Ventures' Jennifer Lee to explore how one of the world's largest employers is building AI skills at scale.Recorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit, this conversation examines Walmart's approach to AI upskilling, workforce development, AI certifications, career mobility, and organizational change. Josh Allen discusses why AI literacy requires more than access to technology; how psychological safety and experimentation drive adoption; and how AI is transforming frontline training, leadership development, and the future of learning and earning.

Christie Pang, Co-founder and CEO of Lirvana Labs, joins Lucy Baldwin at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit to discuss how AI can transform literacy, multilingual learning, and teacher support around the world.

From helping Syrian refugee children improve foundational literacy and numeracy to building AI-powered learning tools for multilingual classrooms in New York City and beyond, Christie Pang shares how Lirvana Labs is developing an agentic AI platform that empowers educators, personalizes instruction, and puts teachers and students at the center of AI design. The conversation explores early childhood education, co-design with educators and students, AI safety, multilingual learning, creativity, and the future of human-centered education technology.