The EdTech Startup Show

Today’s guest on the EdTech Startup Show is Andy Rahden.

Andy Rahden is Shmoop’s CEO and passionate about progress in the digital learning and educational technology arena. Before hopping aboard the Shmoop train, Andy was the Vice President of the Pluralsight Creative, Design, and Engineering business unit. Armed with his passion for democratizing education, Andy built teams at Pluralsight from the ground up to forge strategic partnerships and create a world-class customer experience.

Since his early days as a Mechanical Engineer at Baker Hughes, Andy has always enjoyed solving problems, from mechanical stress tests to Marvel-worthy teams of super-employees. Before Pluralsight, Andy made his way as an all-rounder at Autodesk, where he directed global teams through all elements of improving customer experience. He has also worked for the largest SolidWorks reseller, where he provided in-person training, worked with customers on implementation, and provided guidance to companies transforming their design process.

Andy Rahden and Mike Soldan, Shmoop’s Chief Experience Officer are now focused on bringing the latest technology to the K-12 learning space to ease the stress of the learning environment.  Andy couldn’t be more excited about progressing, at lighting speed, what Shmoop’s founders Ellen and David Siminoff started over a decade ago.

During this episode, Andy and I discuss:

• Andy’s career before he was the CEO of Shmoop and how his background in engineering and design has led him to what he is doing now.
• How the people Andy has worked with have influenced how he thinks about making decisions at a professional level
• The meaning of the word ‘Shmoop’ and how it applies to the concept of what Shmoop does as a company
• The valuable tools Shmoop provides  for teachers and students for grades 6-12
• Andy’s observations about  school closures due to COVID-19 and Shmoop
•  The free learning Shmoop has provided to over 3 million students across the country that were not previously customers of Shmoop
• Why there is a drastic difference between where students live and what kind of education they receive
• Why founders at Shmoop wanted to use a form of engagement rather than the traditional methodology early on  
• How they use humor and a little bit of flair in their content to increase engagement. “Even when you are learning E = MC squared”
• How Shmoop is able to provide a tool to access the students’ minds for teachers that are working with them
• Shmoop’s new technology called Shmoop Heartbeat that is expected to release before the 2021 school year.

Time-stamped questions from this episode:

>>>(0:42) Can you talk about the meaning of the name Shmoop and what you do?

>>>(2:38) As a CEO, what's your focus?

>>>(10:23) What differences have you noticed as you’ve made a shift into your role at Shmoop?

>>>(19:09) How does your background in engineering and design help inform your work?

>>>( 22:10) What were your first days at Shmoop like, and can you give any suggestions for people who might be in a similar situation?

>>>(30:15) What other influences do you think have had an impact on your way of thinking?

>>>(34:22) Can you tell me a little more about Shmoop applying for a patent for the first time?

>>>(41:17) Are you able to talk at all about the mechanism of assessing the students' readiness to learn?

Links from this episode

• Shmoop for Schools and Districts
• Shmoop for Teachers
• Amar Hanspal at  Bright Machines
• Andrew Anagnost at  AutoDesk
• Digital Promise Website

For Shmoop Inquiries:

• [email protected]
• [email protected] 

Andy’s Social Media Info:

• Linkedin
• Twitter

Want to hear other business leaders share their approach for entering new roles?

• Natalie Mactier - Vivi
• Kirby Salerno - BroadReach EdTech Advisors

If you liked this episode, then please:

• Subscribe to The EdTech Startup Show in your favorite podcast player
• Leave a rating.
• Write an honest review of the show.
• Share it with an educator, parent, or entrepreneur in your life.
• Send your feedback to Gerard Dawson on Twitter or LinkedIn

Want more?

Join The Business of Learning Letter, and get the only email newsletter written by a teacher about the business of education. Sign up here.

Today’s guest on The EdTech Startup Show is Dan Carroll, Chief Product Officer at Clever.  

As a teacher and tech director, Dan saw first-hand how data obstacles were quickly becoming the biggest barriers to innovation in education. Before co-founding Clever, Dan joined Teach for America and taught science at STRIVE Preparatory Schools in Denver before becoming their director of data and technology.

Clever brings all K12 applications into one secure portal and provides single sign-on for everyone in the district.

During this episode, Dan and I discuss

• How Clever can help transform minutes of logging into minutes of learning by taking something complicated and tricky and making it dead simple, in addition to that, also making it safer, and more secure.
• The early stages of Clever, and how Dan and his co-founders made building relationships and improving security their top priorities
• How they made the observation early on that when people are adopting something new, it's not just about the technology,  but also about the people behind it.
• Dan’s approach to being a leader as a person, and as a company in the ed-tech industry.
• Clevers’ open-sourcing privacy policies and terms of service, and encouraging other applications within Clever to adopt using their policies as a starting point.
• Why EdTech can be competitive because of limited resources, but it can also be an incredibly collaborative space because ultimately everyone wants to learn and help students have an amazing education
• How Clever is partnering with companies like Zoom to help provide teachers support right now.
• Why Ed Tech purchases need to have data to measure if the tool is helping to meet classroom  goals
• Clever’s tool for EdTech analytics, and how it's helping classrooms discover what is most effective for their students.

Time-Stamped Questions Discussed During This Episode

>>>(1:00)  How would you describe Clever and what do you do there?

>>>(4:40) As a Chief Product Officer, it seems you get to always be looking to the future of the already forward-thinking culture of Ed Tech, is that accurate?

>>>(7:45) As somebody who is right in the middle of new advancements, what have you learned about facilitating and creating successful partnerships with other companies?

>>>(13:00) What is your approach to being a leader both as a person and as a company?

>>>(19:42) Can you tell me about the impact of partnering with companies like Zoom, as well as the Clever Library?

>>>(30:08) If you were to go back to teaching, what are your top three EdTech tools you would use in your classroom?

>>>(35:13) What is your perspective on how Clever could continue to shape things positively in EdTech?

>>>(41:01) What is the EdTech Startup scene like in Silicon Valley?

>>>( 44:33) Anything else you would like to share?

Links Mentioned In This Episode

• Clever App Gallery
• Clever Resources
• Clever Library
• PhET Simulations
• NewsELA
• Student Privacy Pledge
• SDPC ( Student Data Privacy Consortium)
• FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)
• CAPA (Corrective Action Preventative Action)

Dan Carroll’s Social Media

Twitter - @bytingtheapple

If you liked this episode, then please:

• Subscribe to The EdTech Startup Show in your favorite podcast player
• Leave a rating.
• Write an honest review of the show.
• Share it with an educator, parents, or entrepreneur in your life.
• Send your feedback to Gerard Dawson on Twitter or LinkedIn

Still want more?

Join The Business of Learning Letter, and get the only daily email newsletter, written by a teacher, on the business of education. Sign up here.

Today's guest on The EdTech Startup Show is Monica Brady-Myerov, CEO of Listenwise.

Monica Brady-Myerov is a 25-year veteran public radio journalist and host and the founder of Listenwise. Before founding Listenwise, she was Senior Reporter and Assistant Managing Editor at WBUR in Boston and her reports have been heard on NPR, Marketplace and numerous other outlets nationally and internationally. Monica’s reporting on education won two 2005 Edward R. Murrow Awards for her stories on closing the achievement gap and First Prize from The Education Writers Association in 2009 for her series on the high school dropout crisis. 

Listenwise is an award-winning listening skills platform for students and teachers in middle and high schools. Listenwise, a proud partner of NPR, curates a growing collection of professionally produced podcasts, aligned to state standards in ELA, social studies, and science.

 

During this episode Monica and I discuss: 

• What her award-winning company Listenwise is all about, and how it can help all students grades 2-12 build academic vocabulary, and develop background knowledge through listening. 

• How her company is responding to COVID-19 and offering free support for all Listenwise users 

• What it takes to be an entrepreneur in the EdTech industry 

• How Monica was able to take her journalism experience into the EdTech industry and start a company 

•  As a journalist, you are a communicator and an educator and those are the keys to a successful business. 

• Monica’s podcast, Student Podcast Podcast that highlights student work, and gives students and teachers helpful ideas for lessons.

• Teachers want their students to have an audience.

• The process of figuring things out and actually doing the work is where you experience deep learning. 

• What type of students benefit most from audio listening

• The Lexile Audio Measure and how it relates to reading comprehension

• The advantages of working with the Boston-based accelerator Learn Launch 

Time-stamped overview of the discussion

>>> 02:06 : What is Listenwise all about? 

>>>04:25  Tell me more about your podcast and what is your advice to people who want to get started in educational podcasting? 

>>>08:45  How have you been able to transfer your journalism skills & knowledge to running your business?

>>>  12:09 Why did you choose to run an EdTech business publicly?

>>> 14:00 What are things like for you right now amidst this international crisis? (COVID-19)

>>>20:42  Why do you think listening is an important part of a balanced curriculum? Are there specific types of students that have benefitted from structured listening activities?

>>>26:47  Can you explain what is the Lexile Audio Measure and why is it important?

>>>30:00   What are some factors that make a listening piece more easy or difficult? 

>>>32:26   How are students listening to stories on Listenwise? 

 >>>35:24  Can you explain the Language Identification Organizer feature in Listenwise? 

 >>>37:00 Can you talk about your experience with the Boston-based accelerator Learn Launch? 

 >>>40:30 Based on what you know now, what advice would you give your past self when it comes to starting a business? 

 >>>41:36 Any final suggestions?

Important links from this episode:

• Lexile Framework for Listening
• Monica’s article:  How One Ed-Tech Startup is responding to the Coronavirus
• Listenwise Website
• Listenwise Blog : Support for Schools Affected by Coronavirus
• NPR’s Student Podcast Challenge
• NAEP Website ( National Assessment of Educational Progress)
• CAASPP Website ( California Assesment of Student Performance & Progress)
• LearnLaunch Website 

Connect with Monica on Social Media :   Linkedin 

 Twitter 

Student Podcast Podcast

Connect with Gerard Dawson on Social Media:  Linkedin

Twitter

Want to hear more from entrepreneurs working on literacy?

• Michelle Brown - CEO of CommonLit
• Dr. Brock Eide - Founder of Neurolearning SPC
• Matthew Gross - CEO of Newsela

Today's guest on The EdTech Startup Show is Kirby Salerno. Kirby is the Founder & Principal at BroadReach EdTech Advisors. 

Kirby is a sales and marketing leader with nearly 2 decades of experience in the EdTech industry. He has led revenue generation, partnership development, customer success and marketing teams as an executive at Amazon and several venture-backed EdTech start-ups.

On this episode, Kirby shares

• Kirby's story of starting his EdTech career in Seattle in the early 2000s
• Why selling to schools (not districts) is the approach Kirby recommends for many EdTech companies
• The common mistakes in building sales teams that Kirby often sees
• How to build rapport and evaluate the situation when coming in as an interim sales or marketing leadership role
• What it's like to be a Mets and Bills fan while living in Boston
• How the companies Kirby works with have responded to coronavirus
• The permanent changes that will result from schools being forced into remote learning
• Kirby's concept of "The EdTech Stack" that schools will need to pivot between in-person and remote learning
• What is "flexible learning"?
• Schools need. a plan for FAPE in a remote learning world

Important links for this episode

• Connect with Kirby on LinkedIn
• BroadReach EdTech Advisors
• Sandi Everlove
• Education Modified
• LearnLaunch
• Listenwise
• ETS
• Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy
• Money Experience
• Unruly Studios
• Lalilo
• Flocabulary
• Amazon Education
• EverFi
• Teach First
• FAPE

If you liked this episode, then please

• Subscribe to The EdTech Startup Show in your favorite podcast player
• Leave a rating.
• Write an honest review of the show.
• Share it with an educator, parents, or entrepreneur in your life.
• Send your feedback to Gerard Dawson on Twitter or LinkedIn

Today's guest on the EdTech Startup Show is Dr. Aditya Nagrath, CEO of Elephant Learning Math Academy.

Dr. Aditya Nagrath is the co-founder of Elephant Learning Math Academy, a platform that promises to teach children 1.5 years of math in 10 weeks using the system just 30 minutes per week.

Dr. Nagrath holds a PhD in Mathematics & Computer Science from University of Denver. After a decade in University, Dr. Nagrath graduated to found Elephant Head Software where he led a team of no more than 10 engineers to bring over 35 different product lines with over 50 different applications to market between 2009 and 2016. In 2016, Dr. Nagrath co-founded Elephant Learning with Professor Alvaro Arias from the University of Denver in order to bring transformational change to America's education system.

Today's episode of the podcast is brought to you by The Business of Learning Letter, the only daily email on the education industry written by a real teacher. And, you guessed it, that teacher is me - Gerard Dawson.

Sign up for The Business of Learning and start receiving short daily insights on the education business. Ready by folks at Newsela, Edpuzzle, Nearpod, and more. Sign up here.

Links from this episode

• Elephant Learning Facebook Page
• Inc Magazine article on the growth of Slack
• Elephant Learning Math Academy
• University of Denver produced video on Elephant Learning co-founders
• Child's home learning environment predicts 5th-grade academic skills

Want to hear more from entrepreneurs interested in gamification?

• Jessica Millstone - The Queen of NYC EdTech
• Clarence Tan - Boddle Learning

If you liked this episode, then please...

• Subscribe to The EdTech Startup Show in your favorite podcast player
• Leave a rating.
• Write an honest review of the show.
• Share it with an educator, parents, or entrepreneur in your life.
• Send your feedback to Gerard Dawson on Twitter or LinkedIn

Today's guest on The EdTech Startup Show Podcast is Charles Best, CEO of DonorsChoose.

Charles Best leads DonorsChoose.org, a nonprofit organization that provides a simple way to address educational inequity. At DonorsChoose, public school teachers create classroom project requests and donors can pick the projects they want to support. Charles launched the organization out of a Bronx public high school where he taught history for five years. DonorsChoose.org is one of Oprah Winfrey's "ultimate favorite things" and was named by Fast Company as one of the "50 Most Innovative Companies in the World," the first time a charity has received this recognition. 

Compelling stats on the impact of DonorsChoose:

• 84% of public schools have posted a project to DonorsChoose
• 1,657,753 projects have been funded at the time of this recording
• 4,245,393 citizen donors contributed to those projects
• 951,801,513 dollars donated to American classrooms via DonorsChoose
• 39,689,805 students impacted through thousands of classroom projects

Highlights from my conversation with Charles Best:

• How Charles has engineered the "3 Magic Moments" that I've experienced as a teacher and donor while using DonorsChoose
• What it was like for Charles to start DonorsChoose while still working as a classroom teacher
• Why Tim Ferriss says that DonorsChoose is run like a lean for-profit company
• Fascinating examples of how data leads Charles to make counter-intuitive decisions at DonorsChoose
• The way coronavirus is accelerating innovation at DonorsChoose
• Charles discusses bottom-up vs. top-down change in education, and where he sees his company playing a role in the future of education
• Listener question from Mike Kleba: How have teachers impacted/changed your vision for and/or direction of your company? What are your thoughts about working classroom teachers serving on Boards of Directors for companies such as DonorsChoose?
• Listener question from Colin Magee: What are characteristics of EdTech products that have had the most success being funded via DonorsChoose? How do you make using DonorsChoose simple for first-time educators?

Important links from this episode:

• Charles Best on Twitter
• Charles Best on LinkedIn
• DonorsChoose.org
• Match offers currently available on DonorsChoose
• Partner with DonorsChoose
• The COVID-19 updates page from DonorsChoose
• Charles Best interviews Tim Ferriss at SXSW EDU
• The Tim Ferriss Show Podcast
• Dr. Emily Meixner
• Mr. Jim Mahoney
• Mr. Bill Sowder
• Don Wettrick
• STARTedUP Foundation
• Mike Kleba
• Colin Magee

Want to hear from more EdTech entrepreneurs based in New York City?

• Jessica Millstone - The Queen of NYC EdTech
• Brandon Goon - CEO of BeAnything
• Brad Schiller - CEO of Prompt

If you liked this episode, then please:

• Subscribe to The EdTech Startup Show in your favorite podcast player
• Leave a rating.
• Write an honest review of the show.
• Share it with an educator, parents, or entrepreneur in your life.
• Send your feedback to Gerard Dawson on Twitter or LinkedIn

Want more?

Join The Business of Learning Letter, and get the only daily email newsletter, written by a teacher, on the business of education.

Today's guest on The EdTech Startup Show is Philip Cutler, CEO of PAPER.

Philip A. Cutler is the founder and CEO of PAPER (f. 2014). PAPER is the leading Educational Support System (ESS) implemented by school districts to improve student achievement and teacher effectiveness. Prior to PAPER, Cutler had founded several successful businesses including national in-home tutoring service Laurus Educational Services (f. 2009) and Montreal's first lifestyle summer camp, Laurus Summer Camp (f. 2012), where he remains Chairman. In 2013, at 25 years of age, he became the youngest ever elected City Councillor in Westmount, Quebec. He continues to sit on Westmount's council and is the city's Commissioner of Infrastructure and Innovation. Cutler holds a Bachelor’s degree in Education from McGill University in Montreal where he played linebacker for the McGill Redmen Football team & represented the Faculty of Education on McGill University's Senate. He has also been very active philanthropic initiatives related to Alzheimer's Disease as well as the McGill University Health Center and the Jewish General Hospital. 

On this episode, Phil shares insights on

• The story behind his company's rebrand from Gradeslam to PAPER
• Why he questions the quick change to "FREE" that some education companies are making in response to COVID-19
• How he made the journey from teacher to entrepreneur
• The present and future of remote learning, particularly for American public schools
• The switch his company made from B2C to B2B (selling to schools)
• Some funny insights on how and when teenagers like to interact with PAPER teachers
• The major lessons Phil has learned while building his business (and who he has enlisted for help along the way
• Phil makes some predictions as well as analyzes the role of voice and AI in education for the future
• And more

Important links mentioned in this episode:

• GradeSlam rebrands to PAPER
• Connect with Phil on LinkedIn
• Say Hi to Phil on Twitter
• Visit the PAPER website
• Google’s AI Assistant Fund Invests in GradeSlam to Make Online Tutoring More Equitable
• Paper, formerly GradeSlam, Raises $7.5 Million to Grow Beyond Online Tutoring
• Ned Renzie
• Birchmere Ventures
• Chuck Kleiner
• Tustin Unified School District
• Phil is hiring at PAPER

Want to hear more episodes with teachers turned entrepreneurs?

• Matthew Gross, CEO of Newsela
• Dea Auray - CEO of Empowering Writers
• Michelle Brown - CEO of CommonLit

If you liked this episode, then please:

• Subscribe to The EdTech Startup Show in your favorite podcast player
• Leave a rating.
• Write an honest review of the show.
• Share it with an educator, parents, or entrepreneur in your life.
• Send your feedback to Gerard Dawson on Twitter or LinkedIn

Dr. Brock Eide of Neurolearning SPC is today's guest on the EdTech Startup Show.

Neurolearning SPC was founded in 2014 by learning specialists Drs. Brock and Fernette Eide and technology innovator and entrepreneur Nils Lahr. They came together to address the need for accurate, accessible, and affordable tools that could help children and adults with different learning and cognitive styles, including dyslexia, to flourish.

Drs. Brock and Fernette Eide are leading experts in the fields of dyslexia and brain-based learning (neurolearning). They are the authors of the internationally best-selling book The Dyslexic Advantage (2011), and of The Mislabeled Child (2006). They also co-founded the 501(c)3 non-profit Dyslexic Advantage, which is a leading source of information on the strengths and challenges associated with dyslexia, and one of the world’s largest online dyslexia communities.

Dr. Brock Eide and I discuss these videos:

“Because I’m Dyslexic” from The Dyslexic Advantage YouTube channel

“What You May Not Have Heard About Dyslexia” from The Dyslexic Advantage YouTube channel

Dr. Brock Eide shares his expertise around these topics and questions:

• How did he and his wife become focused on serving the dyslexic community?
• What are the signs of dyslexia?
• How can adults support children with dyslexia?
• What are some stories of successful people who have overcome dyslexia?
• Why did Dr. Brock decide to create his app Neurloearning SPC?
• And more

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave the podcast a rating and review on iTunes. Subscribe to The EdTech Startup Show to catch every new episode. And share this episode with an educator, entrepreneur, or parent. in your life.

Want to hear more conversations with literacy technology entrepreneurs? Listen to these episodes:

• Michelle Brown, CEO of CommonLit
• Eileen Murphy Buckley, founder of ThinkCERCA
• Matthew Gross, CEO of Newsela

Thanks for listening,

Gerard Dawson

This episode is a clip from my upcoming conversation with Dr. Brock Eide, the founder of Neurolearning SPC.

Make sure you subscribe to The EdTech Startup Show podcast, so you don't miss my full conversation with Brock, coming soon.

Thanks for listening,

Gerard Dawson

www.GerardDawson.com

Today's guest on the EdTech Startup show is Brandon Goon.

Read the show notes, including a transcript of great answers from Brandon, by clicking here.

Brandon Goon is the founder and CEO of Be Anything, a project management platform that enables students to direct their learning and helps teachers give the right feedback at the right time. When Brandon was 16, he dropped out of high school. His lust to design and invent didn’t have a place in education. Now, Brandon’s mission is to reinvent education its self. 

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave the podcast a rating and review on iTunes or your favorite podcast app. Share the podcast with an educator or entrepreneur in your life.

Lastly, Tweet me your feedback @GerardDawson3