Recorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Drew Sidel, Head of North America Google Workspace and AI for Education, and Kenny Drake Sergeant, Higher Education Solution Engineer at Google for Education.

The speakers explored how educational institutions can address rising cyber threats and expanding AI adoption by implementing practical Zero Trust security strategies that protect educator and student data while preserving strong teaching and learning experiences. They examined Google’s Secure by Design approach, demonstrating how schools can use Google for Education tools to safeguard sensitive research, institutional systems, and student information through secure Google Workspace for Education domain setup, administrative controls for Gemini, secure browsing, and ChromeOS endpoint security. The session also clarified critical data privacy considerations, emphasizing how institutions can harness AI responsibly while ensuring their data remains protected, private, and under their control.

Recorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Vivek Chachcha, Senior Product Manager at Google for Education, and Caroline Levens, Head of Education & Workforce at Grow with Google.

The speakers explored how preparing students for an AI-driven future requires more than access to tools—it demands a strategy for meaningful engagement. They demonstrated how Gemini and NotebookLM have transformed passive study into active, inquiry-based learning while empowering educators to create teacher-led AI experiences through tools such as Gems, NotebookLM, and Chromebook class features. The session highlighted how institutions can strengthen student engagement, support career-aligned skill development, and better prepare learners for tomorrow’s workforce through the Google AI for Education Accelerator. The conversation also showcased how Grow with Google has expanded access to free, industry-recognized career certificates and AI training that help students thrive beyond graduation.

Recorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Nisha Patel, Senior Program Manager, Scaled Programs at Google, and Arden Haselmann, Associate Manager, Knowledge & Trust at Google.

The speakers explored Meet LEA (Learn and Explore with AI), Google Search’s AI fluency program designed to help educators harness Google’s AI-powered Search features to enrich learning experiences. They demonstrated how tools such as Google Lens, Augmented Reality, AI Overviews, and AI Mode have transformed standard lessons into more vivid, immersive explorations while supporting educators in integrating age-appropriate technology into the classroom. The session highlighted practical strategies for empowering students as responsible, critical thinkers who can use AI-powered tools to explore the world with confidence, curiosity, and purpose.

Recorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Charles Elliott, Head of Industry Architects, Rapid Innovation at Google Public Sector, and Gabby Burke, Cloud AI Customer Engineer at Google Public Sector.

The speakers explored how Gemini Enterprise has served as a unified hub for building, orchestrating, and sharing AI agents across the academic community, creating new opportunities to amplify productivity for researchers, students, faculty, and administrators. Through a live demonstration, they examined how autonomous agents can manage tasks ranging from routine workflows to complex institutional challenges while addressing the growing need for interoperability across siloed higher education systems. The session highlighted how connected, vendor-agnostic AI agents can accelerate research timelines, unify campus intelligence through integrated data systems, and personalize the academic journey with adaptive support from enrollment through employment. The conversation emphasized how enabling agent collaboration across frameworks can increase autonomy, multiply institutional impact, and reduce long-term operational costs.

Recorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Kaiz Alarakyia, Senior Product Manager at Google DeepMind; Ben Caulfield, CEO at Eedi Labs; and Dr. Owen Henkel, Co-Founder and Research Director at EdTechnical.

The speakers explored how Google DeepMind and Eedi approached gold-standard classroom research through a rigorous UK Randomized Control Trial, moving beyond headline findings to examine the operational lessons behind executing one of the few studies to meet the highest standards of research quality. They discussed the technical, logistical, and pedagogical frameworks that enabled this highly rigorous evaluation, offering practical insights into how evidence-based educational research can be designed and implemented at scale. The session highlighted how data-driven partnerships have not only measured impact, but also established a stronger global standard for developing, evaluating, and scaling evidence-based learning tools across regions.

Recorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Beth Hollenberg, CEO at Everspring; Richard Weiqi Zhang, Co-Founder at Solvely.ai; Mick Hewitt, CEO at Ednition; Greg Hart, CEO at Coursera; and Jennifer Lee, Partner at GSV Ventures.

The speakers explored how the shift to AI answer engines, algorithmic feeds, and embedded assistants has fundamentally transformed EdTech discoverability, rendering many traditional search and paid funnel strategies less effective. They discussed the emerging growth strategies defining this new era, including Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), freemium models that meaningfully convert, community-led growth, product-embedded virality, and brand loops that compound over time. The session examined how leading builders are designing products and brands that earn discovery across AI platforms, workflows, and networks, while addressing the defining challenge of an AI-first world: how EdTech companies can get found—and scale—when traditional search is no longer the primary starting point.

Recorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Anada Lakra, CEO at BoldVoice; Julie Walbaum, Co-founder & Co-CEO at Wilgo.ai; Hilah Barbot, Head of Strategic Partnerships at Playlab; Benjamin Somers, CEO at Recess.GG; and Amanda Nolen, NED, Advisor, and Investor at Amanda Nolen & Partners.

The speakers explored how the assumptions that shaped the last generation of startups have shifted dramatically in the AI era, where capital efficiency now matters more than headcount and AI has redefined what small teams can build. They discussed how founders are rethinking company-building around leaner structures, AI-native talent stacks, and strategic hiring in an environment where talent is scarce, expensive, and increasingly selective. The session examined how startups can win exceptional talent without overextending resources, what roles matter most in modern company architecture, and which milestones signal true durability to investors beyond short-term momentum. The conversation reframed company-building for 2026, emphasizing that success is no longer about scaling fastest, but about building intentionally and building right.

Recorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Rhys Spence, Head of Platform and Research at Brighteye Ventures; Ardis Kadiu, CEO & Co-founder at Andi AI, Inc.; Stephen Laster, CEO at Panopto; Jason Brein, Co-President at Francisco Partners; and Nate Laverriere, Managing Director at Moelis.

The speakers explored how the M&A playbook for EdTech has fundamentally changed, with profitability, distribution, and defensibility now carrying greater weight than growth at all costs. They discussed how valuations have reset even as acquisition activity has accelerated, particularly as incumbents increasingly choose to buy rather than build AI-forward capabilities—seeking not only products, but also teams, technical talent, and speed to market. Drawing on firsthand experience from founders, acquirers, and market analysts, the session unpacked the metrics that drive valuations, the strategic advantages that command premium outcomes, and the common missteps founders make when preparing for an exit. The conversation highlighted the practical lessons and hard-earned insights that distinguish good outcomes from great ones in today’s evolving acquisition landscape.

Recorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Rajen Sheth, CEO and Co-founder at Kyron Learning; Darren Person, EVP and Chief Digital Officer at Cengage Group; France Hoang, CEO & Founder at BoodleBox; Melva K. Wallace, President and CEO at Huston-Tillotson University; and C. Edward Watson, Vice President for Digital Innovation at the American Association of Colleges and Universities.

The speakers explored how autonomous, agentic AI systems have created a transformational moment for higher education as these technologies move from novelty to ubiquity. They examined how agentic AI—capable of interpreting instructions, navigating complex tasks, and completing academic assignments in seconds—has reshaped debates around learning, mastery, and academic integrity. The session focused on how institutions can move from reactive responses to intentional readiness by rethinking coursework, assessment design, faculty expectations, and departmental support. The conversation highlighted what it takes to prepare educators and institutions for AI-enabled learning in ways that preserve academic standards, strengthen integrity, and align institutional policy with rapidly emerging realities.

Recorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Tom Dretler, CEO & Co-Founder at Shorelight, LLC; Clare Rawlins, Senior Vice President of Student Recruitment, Marketing and Partnerships at Kaplan International Pathways; Julia Rosen, Vice President of Global Academic Initiatives at Arizona State University; Martin Basiri, Founder & CEO at Passage.com; Alejandro Caballero, Principal Education Specialist at International Finance Corporation / The World Bank Group; and Fionnuala Duggan, Board Director and Partner at Folens Group / Cairneagle Ltd.

The speakers explored how international degree pathways have evolved amid mounting immigration pressures, visa constraints, and the growing strength of higher education providers in emerging markets. They discussed how institutions across the U.S. higher education spectrum—including public, private, global, and online providers—have responded to declining international enrollments and shifting geopolitical realities by developing high-return, lower-cost strategies to sustain and grow international student participation. The session focused on durable approaches to international engagement, examining how institutions can adapt recruitment, partnerships, and pathway models to remain competitive in a more constrained, bordered world.