Jamie Beaton (Crimson Education) on scaling a global education empire, the future of universities, and AI’s role in learning

Episode Summary

When Jamie Beaton co-founded Crimson Education, his goal was simple: help ambitious students get into the world’s best universities. Fast forward ten years, Crimson has 800+ staff, global offices, and a suite of education platforms spanning admissions coaching, an international online high school, and AI-powered study tools.

Jamie’s personal journey is just as remarkable—Harvard undergrad, four master's degrees, a JD from Yale, a PhD from Oxford, a Rhodes Scholar. His expertise? Elite admissions, scaling global businesses, and the changing economics of education.

In today’s episode, we cover:

• Why the traditional university model is broken and which institutions will survive

• How AI is making elite education accessible (and why most schools aren’t ready)

• Why New Zealand’s smartest students need to get out—and when to return

• The right way to build a world-class company, from hiring to leadership

• How top universities actually admit students (hint: it’s not just grades)

We also hear about Jamie’s biggest mentors, his leadership lessons, and the future of Crimson Education after its recent Series D.

Time Stamps

01:11 The wildest education history: Harvard, Yale, Oxford & beyond

03:40 Crimson’s 10-year journey from a bold pitch to a global business

06:48 How the real college admissions process works (and what most Kiwis get wrong)

09:52 Buying vs. building: How Jamie makes big bets on acquisitions

14:55 The myth of online education and why self-motivation changes everything

18:08 How Crimson finds the next generation of ambitious Kiwis

25:17 The AI revolution: Private tutoring for everyone—at 1% of the cost

35:53 Is there a reckoning coming for the long tail of higher education?

44:02 Why Kiwis need to get out—and when to do it

56:06 The biggest leadership lessons Jamie had to unlearn

Resources

Jamie Beaton’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiebeaton/

Crimson Education – Global admissions and education platform: https://www.crimsoneducation.org/

Crimson Global Academy – Online international high school: https://www.crimsonglobalacademy.school/

Revision Village – IB study resource platform: https://www.revisionvillage.com/

Need-Blind Financial Aid at Harvard – How top universities fund students: https://college.harvard.edu/financial-aid