Eight Education-focused Startups That Should Make You Optimistic About the Future

Every day, founders & operators everywhere are building new technologies and companies that should us optimistic about tomorrow. My goal: champion some of these founders, companies, and industry trends. Join thousands of investors, operators, and founders on the mailing list!!

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The job market is changing. Our education system is trying to efficiently adapt to new demands, but the transition is slow. With student loan debt approaching $1.6T, we need creative solutions to solve these problems. In 2020 alone, ~$16B of VC funding went into EdTech.

While so many people seem pessimistic on education, there are many amazing companies and founders that make me extremely optimistic about the future. I have summarized eight of them, but as with any of my writeups, I would suggest you dive deeper and learn even more!

#1: Replit – Code, Create, and Learn Together

Replit was the first startup that motivated me to do a full write up (Replit: Empowering the Globe to Code), so there is no secret that it is one my favorites. Let me explain.

Replit allows anyone to begin immediately programming in 50+ languages within their browser. Basically, you can type in Replit.com, sign up, and be coding within seconds. No setup or heavy duty software required. Once you have joined, you have access to a massive community of online programmers, community forums, and multiplayer programming to facilitate learning.

With over 5M users, Replit has built one of (if not the) largest programmer communities in the world. Millions of users are collaborating with one another to build. Not only has Replit removed the barrier to learn globally, but they help programmers host and deploy anything they build. Suddenly, a programmer anywhere in the world can learn to code, build applications, and launch it to market with a basic computer and internet connection.

Replit has star founders in Amjad Masad and Haya Odeh, and they have already assembled an amazing investor team with Andrew Chen, Marc Andreessen, Paul Graham, SV Capital, and A.Capital Ventures.

#2: Lambda School – The Online Coding School That Invests in You

A month ago, I wrote a full deep-dive on Lambda School. Lambda is rethinking the way we approach secondary education.

Basically, Lambda School offers 6 or 9 month full-time technical courses. The courses are fully remote, and they are designed in units. The students join a cohort to progress through the units. At any point, if the student needs additional time, they can retake a unit. At the end of the program, the school focuses on job preparation. Interview preparation, internships, networking, etc. The school spends significant time helping students get placed in roles.

If they do not help you get a job, they do not get paid. That’s the differentiator. By leveraging an income sharing agreement (ISA), students do not pay any tuition until they land a job. This changes the entire incentive structure. Lambda School has to help prepare students for the job market or else they will be very unprofitable.

Today, the median age of Lambda students is >30 years old. Hundreds of people are using the program as a fast, efficient, and effective way to pivot to high-paying technical careers. Long-term, however, I would expect to see more and more people view it as an undergraduate or master’s replacement.

Lambda School is led by founders Austen Allred and Ben Nelson. They have already raised $100M+ from investors like Y Combinator, Patrick Collison, GV, and Gigafund.

#3: Primer – A Home for Ambitious Kids

The Primer office has a neon sign that says “Take Kids Seriously”, and that is what they do. For a monthly fee ($49/mo for the first kid), kids get access to a unique community that facilitates creativity and learning. Three examples of learning environments:

• Discovery rooms – Live, audio, thematic chat spaces for kids to come discuss new ideas. The subject could range between anything from makeup to music to arcade games.

• Pursuits – 6-week sprints guided mega-projects for kids to collaborate on

• Clubs – Interest group clubs to promote learning on tops like coding, writing, etc.

The goal is to build a creative space for young kids to feel empowered, and most of all, it is to teach the kids how to build things! Instead of memorizing and regurgitating core curriculum (e.g., History, Algebra), what happens if we teach a kid to frame an open-ended problem, identify a solution, and try to tackle it? Primer is helping build the next wave of entrepreneurs and problem solvers.

Primer is led by a seasoned entrepreneur in Ryan Delk, and they are backed by formidable seed investors Naval Ravikant, Keith Rabois (Founders Fund), Village Global, and Cyan Banister.

#4: Synthesis – Teaching Kids to Problem Solve

Years ago, Elon Musk had Synthesis co-founder, Josh Dahn, create a school on the SpaceX campus in Hawthorne, California. The goal was to create a curriculum focused on strategic thinking, problem solving, and creativity. Years later, Dahn and Chrisman Frank commercialized the curriculum, and Synthesis school was born.

The basic concept is that structured learning (like traditional education) can be useful, but it is incomplete. Students are unprepared when they get thrown into unstructured, unique scenarios found in the real world.

Right now, the subscription is $180 per month for kids. As part of the subscription, the students attend weekly one hour sessions. These include rapid moving games / simulations. Examples include Constellation, Art for All, and Fish. Each session is a dynamic, collaborative opportunity for students to solve problems creatively. As some people have put it, it is “Ender’s Game” in real life!

Synthesis raised a $5M seed round led by Anthony Pompliano. The rounded included tens of investors, including Sahil Lavingia, Shane Parrish, Kat Cole, and others.

#5: Maven – Where top creators teach cohort-based courses

Cohort-based courses (CBCs) will become increasingly common, in my opinion. In digital learning, you may be familiar with self-paced online courses (e.g., Udemy, LinkedIn Learning). CBCs are digital courses where you are part of a group of people (aka cohort) progressing through the curriculum together (similar to a traditional class). The community drives more effective learning, and it can be a powerful professional networking tool.

Maven has already begun launching courses with online creators teaching tactical skills. At only one year old, however, it will likely look very different 2-3 years from now. Within 18-24 months of being founded, Maven has already raised $24M from Andrew Chen, First Round Capital, and others. This quick rise is a testament to 1) the founding team and 2) the long-term promise of CBCs.

First, the founding team consists of Gagan Biyani, Wes Kao, and Shreyan Bhansali. All three are experienced entrepreneurs with previous founding roles at Udemy, AltMBA, and Socratic.

Second, CBCs will increasingly be an opportunity for professionals to quickly learn new skills and be plugged into relevant professional communities. It will be fascinating to see the exact role they end up taking in professional reskilling and development.

#6: On Deck – Where ambitious people grow together

On Deck is developing the central place to plug into different interest groups, so you can network / leverage the power of community to accelerate growth. Interest groups are segmented into a few different groups:

• Startups – On Deck Founders, On Deck Scale, On Deck First 50, etc.

• Investors – On Deck Investing, On Deck Angels

• Sectors – On Deck Deep Tech, On Deck EdTech, On Deck Biotech Longevity, etc.

• Careers – On Deck Freelancers, On Deck Chief of Staff, On Deck Design, etc.

Within the On Deck ecosystem, professionals can explore & launch new ideas, build deep connections, and learn & grow rapidly (e.g., Mentors, 8-10 week programs).

This concept becomes really simple if you compare it to an MBA. When pursuing an MBA, many people will cite the curriculum, sure. But just as many will likely emphasize the networking / community. Well, $100k and two years out of the workforce is a high price to pay. For many, that can still be worth it, but for others, On Deck provides an alternative option.

Join a community. Discuss ideas in areas of interest. Be challenged by other passionate people. Learn. Grow. Repeat.

On Deck is led by founders Erik Torenberg and Julian Weisser, and they have already developed an all-star investing team, including Chamath Palihapitiya, Elad Gil, Keith Rabois (via Founders Fund), Eric Yuan, some guy named Packy (who is NotBoring), and many others.

#7: Reforge – Where top tech comes to scale

Reforge has some slight similarities to On Deck, but it is more focused on scaling and growth. Whereas On Deck covers a wide array of interest groups, Reforge is focused on building a community for people trying to scale companies.

Reforge offers cohort-based courses (4-6 weeks) focused on intense learning, including guided problem solving and live case studies. Each course is taught by experienced executives from top tech talent. Each instructor has hands-on, industry expertise.

The programs cover engineering (e.g., technical strategy), product (e.g., product management foundations), and cross-functional growth programs (e.g., retention and engagement deep-dive). Membership does, however extend beyond multi-week programs. Throughout the year, members have access to content from all programs, step-by-step projects, weekly releases, events, and updates, and access to a strong community of peers.

Reforge has already raised $20M+, including support from Growth extraordinaire, Andrew Chen. The company is led by founder Brian Balfour.

#8: Career Karma – Get a career in tech in the next 12 months

Last but not least, I am extremely bullish on Career Karma. I have already mentioned seven programs, but in reality, there are hundred (if not thousands) of others. So how would someone even begin to evaluate the best next step for their career? Career Karma.

Career Karma is the one-stop-shop for people trying to enter tech. Career Karma will guide people through three simple steps:

1. Assign a coach

2. Make a career plan

3. Apply to top schools

On top of this, the website is the ultimate source of information with self-serve pages 1) ranking top programs (e.g., coding bootcamps), 2) Career Paths (e.g., how to become a product manager), and 3) programs (e.g., 21 Day Challenge).

If you need any more inspiration, look no further than founder Ruben Harris’s Twitter feed. Daily, Ruben tweets about personal growth and developing others. That’s what Career Karma is about. Helping others.

The company has already raised from great firms like Initialized Capital (Garry Tan) and Softbank.