Edtech Insiders

Send us Fan Mail Rohan Mahimker is Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Prodigy Education , a global leader in digital game-based learning. Rohan launched Prodigy alongside his fellow Co-Founder and Co-CEO Alex Peters in 2011. Today, Prodigy’s flagship math game is used by more than 20 million 1st-8th Grade students and is one of the most popular supplemental classroom tools in the United States. 💡 5 Things...

Send us Fan Mail Mireia Torello is the CEO and co-founder of Aikreate , an EdTech company revolutionizing AI Literacy for students and educators worldwide. With a PhD in Earth Sciences and an Executive MBA from IESE Business School, Mireia brings a unique mix of scientific and entrepreneurial experience. She has led Aikreate through partnerships with schools, universities, and governments and has...

Send us Fan Mail Adam Mangana is the Co-Founder and CEO of Optima Ed , the first full-time VR homeschool backed by Meta. With over 15 years in edtech leadership, he’s pioneering immersive, AI-driven learning experiences that expand access to quality education and reimagine how, where, and why students learn. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: How Optima Ed blends classical education with cu...

Send us Fan Mail Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell as they recap a post–New York EdTech Week full of highs and hard truths. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:00:00] Alpha School's backlash and what it reveals about AI-based education. [00:06:58] EdTech’s new K–20 alliance with Microsoft and Google for responsible AI. [00:10:09] The risks and lessons from Alpha School's rapid rise and fall....

Send us Fan Mail Joe Watt co-founded ECMC Group ’s Education Impact Fund to back bold ideas expanding equity and opportunity in education. Today, he leads the Fund as Managing Director, shaping how patient, mission-driven capital creates lasting change. He’s joined by Atin Batra , a Director at the Fund, who leads investments across the learner journey, bringing a global venture lens and a deep fo...

Send us Fan Mail In this special episode, we spotlight the GESAwards , often called the “United Nations of EdTech,” with founder Avi Warshavsky of MindCET   and three inspiring finalists from around the world. They share how they’re harnessing AI, rethinking prison education, and transforming music learning for millions of students. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:  Why GESAwards are buil...

Send us Fan Mail Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell as they explore the latest developments in education technology leading into NY EDTECH WEEK, from AI adoption in classrooms to major acquisitions and emerging trends across global EdTech. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:03:39 ] 85% of teachers and 86% of students used AI this year, sparking concerns about disconnection. [00:05:21] Google’s Noteboo...

Send us Fan Mail Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell with guest Anna Edwards of Whiteboard Advisors as they unpack a packed week in education technology. From sweeping cell phone bans to AI reshaping classrooms and colleges, and celebrate a major milestone of 400 episodes of EdTech Insiders! ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:00:00] States expand K–12 phone bans over mental health [00:04:29] Federal sh...

Send us Fan Mail Deborah Howes is the President of Howes Studio and a pioneer in digital museum education. With over three decades leading EdTech programs at top cultural institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA, the Art Institute of Chicago, and MOCA Los Angeles. She now helps museums and nonprofits transform analog learning into dynamic digital experiences. 💡 5 Things You’ll...

Send us Fan Mail Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Matt Tower as they break down the biggest headlines shaping the future of education technology. From OpenAI’s new video model to major EdTech funding rounds and the rise of curriculum-informed AI. ✨ Episode Highlights [00:03:56] EdTech Week 2025 preview at Columbia University featuring OpenAI’s education keynote. [00:06:50] SETDA report: AI overtakes cy...

Send us Fan Mail Vanessa Castañeda Gill , CEO and Co-Founder of Social Cipher and Lucy Stevens , Co-Founder and Creative Director of Social Cipher , lead a majority-neurodivergent team creating social-emotional learning video games that help neurodivergent youth build self-understanding and connections; inspired by Vanessa’s experiences as an autistic/ADHD Latina, their games and curriculum are no...

Send us Fan Mail Janak Panchal and Rishan Dutia are cofounders of CoGuide , an AI classroom assistant that plans lessons and runs live discussions in 30+ languages. Janak, a former assistant guide with 250+ socratic discussions sessions within the Acton Academy Network, built the first MVP. Rishan leads engineering and builds the Vision OS for hand-raising and participation analytics. 💡 5 Things...

Send us Fan Mail Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell as they dive into the latest headlines shaping the future of education technology, from AI tutors and Gallup polls to new VR career pathways and the impact of phone bans in schools.  ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:03:38] Mashable compares AI tutors from OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic [00:10:45] Gallup poll shows confidence in K-12 at all-time low...

Send us Fan Mail In this special episode, we spotlight the Global EdTech Prize 2025 with founder Vikas Pota of T4 Education and six inspiring finalists from around the world. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why educators (not investors) choose the winners How AI, AR, and VR expand access to learning Innovation across Brazil, Nigeria, India, MENA, and Ukraine How schools and governments a...

Send us Fan Mail Julie Stewart and Scott Stewart , award-winning creators behind global children’s shows for Disney, Netflix, and Sesame Workshop, co-founded Nurture with serial entrepreneur Roger Egan , former CEO of RedMart, and learning expert Musa Roshdy , a Minerva University alum and advisor at Transcend Network, to build future-ready skills through immersive play. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn i...

Send us Fan Mail Jean-Claude Brizard is President and CEO of Digital Promise , a global, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization focused on accelerating innovation in education. He is the former Chief Executive of Chicago Public Schools and Superintendent of Rochester, NY. Previously, he spent 21 years with the NYC Department of Education, serving as Regional Superintendent for 100+ schools and Execut...

Send us Fan Mail Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell as they dive into the biggest stories shaping education technology this week: ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:04:32] OpenAI study shows teaching and tutoring are ChatGPT’s top global use cases [00:10:50] Parents testify in Congress about risks of unsafe AI chatbots for kids [00:19:38] Google announces “Learn Your Way” and AI video generation for Y...

Send us Fan Mail Naria Santa Lucia is the General Manager of Elevate at Microsoft , where she leads global education, workforce, and skilling programs that have already reached over 100 million learners. With 20+ years of experience across corporate, nonprofit, and international organizations, she has partnered with the UN, World Bank, and Ministries of Education worldwide to advance AI, cybersecu...

Send us Fan Mail Dave Messer is a Product Manager on Google's Learning & Education team, leads product for emerging learning initiatives, including Learning Labs and Gemini. A former teacher with masters degrees in software engineering and education, he works with experts and the education community to build products that target real-world challenges for educators and students. 💡 5 Thing...

Send us Fan Mail Andrew Grauer is the co-founder and CEO of Learneo Inc . , a leading productivity and learning platform that includes QuillBot , Course Hero , CliffsNotes , LitCharts , Scribbr , LanguageTool , and Symbolab . He also serves as CEO of QuillBot, an AI-powered writing and communications tool. Andrew launched Course Hero in 2006 while at Cornell University and has since grown Learneo...

Send us Fan Mail Join hosts Alex Sarlin and guest co-hosts  Matt Tower of Whiteboard Advisors ,  & Kate Eberle Walker , CEO of Presence  as they break down the latest headlines in education technology and from Big Tech’s AI push to the evolving future of school models.  ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:00:00] Kate Eberle Walker on parents’ concerns about AI chatbots and student mental health [00:03:...

Send us Fan Mail CT Turner is President of GED Testing Service and VP at Pearson’s Enterprise Learning and Skills division. A recognized leader in workforce development, he champions equitable economic opportunities for underserved populations. CT supports adult education and workforce initiatives, holding degrees from Indiana University and Wichita State University. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in Th...

Send us Fan Mail Ivan Crewkov is the CEO and Co-Founder of Buddy.ai , the leading AI tutor for kids under 12, reaching over 20 million students annually from all over the world. Buddy is not just a chatbot. It’s an AI-powered talking animated character in a mobile app teaching English as a foreign language to students all over the world.  Buddy is unique because it operates in a highly regulated e...

Send us Fan Mail Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell as they break down the latest shifts in education technology, from Google’s aggressive AI push to early childhood challenges and new federal initiatives. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:04:48] Google’s AI surge disrupts Duolingo with gamified language learning in Google Translate [00:12:14] Google’s edge in practical AI tools versus the AGI race [...

Send us Fan Mail In this special episode, we speak with Daphne Li , CEO of Common Sense Privacy , alongside leaders from Prodigy Education, AI for Equity, MagicSchool AI, and ClassDojo—recipients of the Privacy Seal . Together, we explore how the edtech sector is tackling one of its biggest challenges: earning trust through responsible AI and data privacy practices. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in Thi...