Talking Impact for EdTech Founders

In today's episode, I'm joined by Rhys Spence to explore how EdTech companies can secure and work with investment companies. We'll discuss the different stages in which investment is available, our top tips for working with investors and how to build a meaningful partnership.Whether you're a founder trying to break into the education market or scaling your EdTech solution across multiple schools, this conversation will give you actionable insights on what works, and what doesn't, when it comes to school engagement.

In today's episode, I'm joined by Emma Darcy and James Garnett to explore how EdTech companies can build truly effective partnerships with schools. We'll discuss the practical realities of working with educational institutions, from understanding their needs and constraints to demonstrating real value in the classroom.Whether you're a founder trying to break into the education market or scaling your EdTech solution across multiple schools, this conversation will give you actionable insights on what works, and what doesn't, when it comes to school engagement.

Most conversations about EdTech evaluation focus on early-stage startups trying to prove their concept works. But what happens when you're no longer a scrappy startup? How do you approach evaluation when you're operating at massive scale, serving millions of learners across different markets and contexts?Today, I'm speaking with Bozhidar Bashkov from IXL, one of the world's leading EdTech platforms. IXL serves students across multiple subjects and grade levels, which means their approach to evaluation needs to be both rigorous and scalable.In this conversation, we'll explore how a mature EdTech company thinks about impact measurement, the practical challenges of conducting evaluation when you're already at scale, and how evidence generation evolves as your company grows. We'll also discuss what early-stage founders can learn from IXL's approach, even if they're nowhere near that scale yet.Whether you're dreaming of reaching millions of learners or just trying to prove impact with your first hundred users, this conversation offers valuable insights into how evaluation practices need to adapt as you grow.

Today, I'm speaking with Marjo Kenttälä, an expert in EdTech testbed programs, to unpack what testbeds actually are, how they differ from traditional evaluation approaches, and why they might be the competitive advantage your startup needs.We'll explore how testbeds create structured environments for testing educational technology in real-world settings, what founders should expect when entering a testbed program, and how to make the most of these opportunities to gather the kind of rigorous evidence that investors, schools, and procurement teams are increasingly demanding.Whether you're considering applying to a testbed program or just curious about alternative pathways to validation, this conversation will give you practical insights into an evaluation model that's gaining momentum across Europe and beyond.

Episode 1: Kristy Evers speaks with Professor Alison Clark-Wilson UCL IOE on her experience evaluating edtech throughout her careerProfessor Alison Clark-Wilson is a former secondary school mathematics teacher with a 30-year career focused on all aspects of EdTech, from digital resource and curriculum design to teacher professional development and mentoring hundreds of EdTech startups.This conversation provides EdTech founders and practitioners with crucial insights into:- How to approach evidence generation through systematic testing environments- The importance of authentic school-based trialling for product validation- Global standards and frameworks for responsible EdTech development- Collaboration opportunities with the international testbed community

Explore where your organisation stands and learn more about how to leverage your impact for future growth. Whether you're just starting or looking to improve existing processes, this series offers valuable guidance for EdTech founders and leaders.Subscribe to follow the series.