NewSchools Venture Fund announced a new early stage fund that will invest $25k to $250k in pre-Series A education technology startups with a focus on tools, applications, content, and services that will significantly improve education opportunities for children from low-income communities.
The Seed Fund will be led by Jennifer Carolan and Wayee Chu. In addition to the investment, NewSchool’s seed fund will also provide access to a seasoned team of advisors.
NewSchools also revealed the two initial investments of the seed fund.
Goalbook is a collaborative platform for teachers, specialists, administrators and parents around Individual Education Plans for special needs students. The platform is also used by regular schools that want to offer truly individualized learning to all their students.
Engrade offers a set of online tools and applications, enabling teachers to manage their classes online and giving 24/7 access to the data to students and parents. Features include a free online gradebook, attendance book, homework calendar, secure SPAM-free messaging, file uploads, progress reports and more.
Jennifer Carolan, Associate Partner at NewSchools Venture Fund, points out that due to several key factors like the decrease of technology cost and the adoption of the common core standard there is
“[...] a ripe environment for technology to finally make a significant impact on K-12 education.”
