Edtech Insiders

Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell

At Edtech Insiders, we interview founders, investors, operators, educators, and thought leaders about the future of education technology. You’ll hear from leaders across the education technology industry and learn about all of the important edtech trends happening globally.

  1. Building AI School Teams: How Leading Educators is Rethinking Teacher Support with CEO Chong-Hao Fu

    17H AGO

    Building AI School Teams: How Leading Educators is Rethinking Teacher Support with CEO Chong-Hao Fu

    Send us a text Chong-Hao Fu is the CEO of Leading Educators, a national nonprofit specializing in comprehensive instructional improvement.  Over the past 14 years, he’s worked to scale exceptional teaching and leadership in some of the country’s fastest-improving districts while exploring how emergent technology like AI can bring new possibilities to instruction. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why instructional coherence is the backbone of school improvement.How Leading Educators is integrating AI into lesson planning and professional learning.The importance of keeping teachers in the “pilot’s seat” when using new technology.How schools can build authentic, future-ready skills through civic and AI projects.Why scaling innovation requires both coherence and continuous improvement.✨ Episode Highlights: [00:02:13] Leading Educators’ mission and unique research on instructional improvement. [00:04:31] How coherence helped partner districts like Charleston achieve gains during COVID. [00:07:47] Partnering with PlayLab and CZI to build AI tools rooted in high-quality curriculum. [00:11:54] Redesigning school staffing and forming AI School Teams Collaborative. [00:15:07] How teachers’ mindsets on AI shift when they get hands-on experience. [00:30:07] Future-ready skills: pilots in Denver and Boston connecting AI, civics, and leadership. [00:37:47] Why authentic, student-driven projects can transform both learning and teaching. 😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders!  Follow our Podcast on:Apple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon MusicSign up for the Edtech Insiders newsletter.Follow Edtech Insiders on LinkedIn!🎉 Presenting Sponsor/s: Innovation in preK to gray learning is powered by exceptional people. For over 15 years, EdTech companies of all sizes and stages have trusted HireEducation to find the talent that drives impact. When specific skills and experiences are mission-critical, HireEducation is a partner that delivers. Offering permanent, fractional, and executive recruitment, HireEducation knows the go-to-market talent you need. Learn more at HireEdu.com. Every year, K-12 districts and higher ed institutions spend over half a trillion dollars—but most sales teams miss the signals. Starbridge tracks early signs like board minutes, budget drafts, and strategic plans, then helps you turn them into personalized outreach—fast. Win the deal before it hits the RFP stage. That’s how top edtech teams stay ahead. As a tech-first company, Tuck Advisors has developed a suite of proprietary tools to serve its clients better. Tuck was the first firm in the world to launch a custom GPT around M&A. If you haven’t already, try our proprietary M&A Analyzer, which assesses fit between your company and a specific buyer. To explore this free tool and the rest of our technology, visit tuckadvisors.com.

    45 min
  2. Week in Edtech 8/27/25: Teen Suicide Linked to ChatGPT, Bill Ackman’s Alpha School Debate, OpenAI Expands in India and Eyes UK Deal, Anthropic’s Higher Ed Report on Augmentation vs. Automation, and More!

    3D AGO

    Week in Edtech 8/27/25: Teen Suicide Linked to ChatGPT, Bill Ackman’s Alpha School Debate, OpenAI Expands in India and Eyes UK Deal, Anthropic’s Higher Ed Report on Augmentation vs. Automation, and More!

    Send us a text Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell as they navigate a week of heavy headlines in education technology—from AI risks and teen safety to global expansion moves by OpenAI and new research from Anthropic. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:02:20] AI panic in the headlines with concerns about teen mental health, suicide, and youth dependency [00:06:33] AI’s impact on job opportunities for new college graduates [00:08:00] Comparing AI anxieties with past moral panics about video games, music, and social platforms [00:14:14] Why AI guardrails in school tools may be the edtech industry’s biggest value-add [00:18:54] Bill Ackman’s New York Alpha School fuels debate over AI-driven education models [00:22:20] The risk of Alpha School becoming the “face” of AI schooling for better or worse [00:25:28] OpenAI expands globally with a new Head of Education in India and a potential UK-wide ChatGPT deal [00:27:26] Anthropic’s higher ed report shows educators using AI more to augment than automate  😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders!  Follow our Podcast on:Apple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon MusicSign up for the Edtech Insiders newsletter.Follow Edtech Insiders on LinkedIn!🎉 Presenting Sponsor/s: Innovation in preK to gray learning is powered by exceptional people. For over 15 years, EdTech companies of all sizes and stages have trusted HireEducation to find the talent that drives impact. When specific skills and experiences are mission-critical, HireEducation is a partner that delivers. Offering permanent, fractional, and executive recruitment, HireEducation knows the go-to-market talent you need. Learn more at HireEdu.com. Every year, K-12 districts and higher ed institutions spend over half a trillion dollars—but most sales teams miss the signals. Starbridge tracks early signs like board minutes, budget drafts, and strategic plans, then helps you turn them into personalized outreach—fast. Win the deal before it hits the RFP stage. That’s how top edtech teams stay ahead. As a tech-first company, Tuck Advisors has developed a suite of proprietary tools to serve its clients better. Tuck was the first firm in the world to launch a custom GPT around M&A. If you haven’t already, try our proprietary M&A Analyzer, which assesses fit between your company and a specific buyer. To explore this free tool and the rest of our technology, visit tuckadvisors.com.

    33 min
  3. Reimagining Math Education in the Age of AI with Ted Dintersmith

    SEP 1

    Reimagining Math Education in the Age of AI with Ted Dintersmith

    Send us a text While you spent thousands of hours studying math in high school, odds are you never use any of it. There is math that really matters – it’s just not covered in school. Just as Freakonomics made us rethink economics, Aftermath does the same for math. Today’s guest, Ted Dintersmith, is a bestselling author, education advocate, and former venture capitalist who believes math has been weaponized—and it’s time to set things right. If you’re curious about the math you missed, and how it can empower you, you won’t want to miss this conversation. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode Why most high school math is irrelevant — and what truly matters insteadThe impact of standardized testing on creativity and curiosityHow mathematical thinking can help students interpret real-world dataThe role of AI in reshaping math learning and career readinessPractical ways schools and parents can rethink accountability and purpose✨ Episode Highlights [00:02:29] Ted introduces Aftermath and the shift from formulas to ideas [00:07:08] Why estimation skills matter more than test prep [00:15:48] The hidden costs of standardized math testing [00:26:12] AI and automation forcing a reset in math priorities [00:39:39] Portfolios and creativity as new measures of learning [00:50:21] Restoring creativity in schools inspired by Ken Robinson  😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders!  Follow our Podcast on:Apple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon MusicSign up for the Edtech Insiders newsletter.Follow Edtech Insiders on LinkedIn!🎉 Presenting Sponsor/s: Innovation in preK to gray learning is powered by exceptional people. For over 15 years, EdTech companies of all sizes and stages have trusted HireEducation to find the talent that drives impact. When specific skills and experiences are mission-critical, HireEducation is a partner that delivers. Offering permanent, fractional, and executive recruitment, HireEducation knows the go-to-market talent you need. Learn more at HireEdu.com. Every year, K-12 districts and higher ed institutions spend over half a trillion dollars—but most sales teams miss the signals. Starbridge tracks early signs like board minutes, budget drafts, and strategic plans, then helps you turn them into personalized outreach—fast. Win the deal before it hits the RFP stage. That’s how top edtech teams stay ahead. As a tech-first company, Tuck Advisors has developed a suite of proprietary tools to serve its clients better. Tuck was the first firm in the world to launch a custom GPT around M&A. If you haven’t already, try our proprietary M&A Analyzer, which assesses fit between your company and a specific buyer. To explore this free tool and the rest of our technology, visit tuckadvisors.com.

    54 min
  4. Week in EdTech 8/20/25: GPT-5 Fallout & GPT-6 Memory, Blackstone Exits $6B Cognita Deal, Pearson AI Study Prep & More! Feat. Brittany Miller of Center for Outcomes-Based Contracting, Jahque Bryan-Gooden of My CRE Buddy & Jim Marggraff of Kibeam Learning

    AUG 29

    Week in EdTech 8/20/25: GPT-5 Fallout & GPT-6 Memory, Blackstone Exits $6B Cognita Deal, Pearson AI Study Prep & More! Feat. Brittany Miller of Center for Outcomes-Based Contracting, Jahque Bryan-Gooden of My CRE Buddy & Jim Marggraff of Kibeam Learning

    Send us a text Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell as they dive into the biggest headlines shaping the future of education technology, from AI breakthroughs to new models of learning challenges. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:03:23] GPT-5 fallout and Altman’s vision for GPT-6 [00:08:14] AI risks: AGI fears, scams, misinformation [00:14:37] Post-COVID learning gaps and inequities [00:18:33] Students solving problems with AI [00:21:42] AI updates from Google, Meta, Microsoft, Grammarly [00:25:29] Higher ed: Minerva’s rise, enrollment, dropouts [00:27:45] Micro-innovations from Stanford and student startups [00:29:14] Funding shifts: early-stage gains, PE stress, Nintendo schools [00:33:19] Cutting through AI hype cycles [00:39:20] Schools banning phones for student wellness [00:43:04] Big tech vs. local edtech visibility [00:45:07] Blackstone exits $6B Cognita deal [00:46:33] Pearson launches AI Study Prep  Plus, special guests: [00:47:43] Brittany Miller, CIO and Executive Director at the Center for Outcomes-Based Contracting, on edtech-school partnerships [01:10:31] Jahque Bryan-Gooden, Founder of My CRE Buddy on culturally responsive teaching with AI [01:20:00] Jim Marggraff, CEO and Founder  of Kibeam Learning on screen-free AI reading and learning tools 😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders!  Follow our Podcast on:Apple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon MusicSign up for the Edtech Insiders newsletter.Follow Edtech Insiders on LinkedIn!🎉 Presenting Sponsor/s: Innovation in preK to gray learning is powered by exceptional people. For over 15 years, EdTech companies of all sizes and stages have trusted HireEducation to find the talent that drives impact. When specific skills and experiences are mission-critical, HireEducation is a partner that delivers. Offering permanent, fractional, and executive recruitment, HireEducation knows the go-to-market talent you need. Learn more at HireEdu.com. Every year, K-12 districts and higher ed institutions spend over half a trillion dollars—but most sales teams miss the signals. Starbridge tracks early signs like board minutes, budget drafts, and strategic plans, then helps you turn them into personalized outreach—fast. Win the deal before it hits the RFP stage. That’s how top edtech teams stay ahead. As a tech-first company, Tuck Advisors has developed a suite of proprietary tools to serve its clients better. Tuck was the first firm in the world to launch a custom GPT around M&A. If you haven’t already, try our proprietary M&A Analyzer, which assesses fit between your company and a specific buyer. To explore this free tool and the rest of our technology, visit tuckadvisors.com.

    1h 54m
  5. AI + No-Code: How Thunkable Supercharges Student Creativity and Problem-Solving with Arun Saigal

    AUG 25

    AI + No-Code: How Thunkable Supercharges Student Creativity and Problem-Solving with Arun Saigal

    Send us a text Arun Saigal is the Co-Founder and CEO of Thunkable, the no-code platform where anyone — from students to startups to enterprise teams — can build powerful, native mobile apps. With an intuitive drag-and-drop interface and integrated Gen AI tools, Thunkable empowers creators to go from idea to real, publishable app without writing a single line of code. Arun has an S.B. and M.Eng. in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering from MIT and has held various leading roles at technology companies, including Quizlet, Khan Academy, Aspiring Minds, and Google. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode How Thunkable evolved from an MIT project into a global no-code platform.The unique cycle between educational and enterprise use of Thunkable.Ways students are building professional portfolios by publishing real apps.The role of generative AI in accelerating creativity and problem-solving.Why meeting learners “where they are” drives deeper engagement in EdTech.✨ Episode Highlights [00:02:27] The origins of Thunkable: from Scratch-inspired tools to no-code apps. [00:05:23] How a platform for students became popular with Fortune 500 companies. [00:10:15] Real classroom stories: from Spanish teachers to student entrepreneurs. [00:18:31] The leap from “idea to real” and why mobile is the perfect entry point. [00:23:39] Seeing your own app on your phone: the paradigm shift for students. [00:31:43] Teachers building custom AI-powered apps for their classrooms. [00:34:43] Combining AI features—speech, vision, LLMs—into powerful student tools. [00:42:57] Lessons from Arun’s career at Quizlet, Khan Academy, and Google. [00:50:12] The next wave of EdTech: custom learning, AI co-pilots, and empowerment. 😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders!  Follow our Podcast on:Apple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon MusicSign up for the Edtech Insiders newsletter.FollowInnovation in preK to gray learning is powered by exceptional people. For over 15 years, EdTech companies of all sizes and stages have trusted HireEducation to find the talent that drives impact. When specific skills and experiences are mission-critical, HireEducation is a partner that delivers. Offering permanent, fractional, and executive recruitment, HireEducation knows the go-to-market talent you need. Learn more at HireEdu.com. Every year, K-12 districts and higher ed institutions spend over half a trillion dollars—but most sales teams miss the signals. Starbridge tracks early signs like board minutes, budget drafts, and strategic plans, then helps you turn them into personalized outreach—fast. Win the deal before it hits the RFP stage. That’s how top edtech teams stay ahead. As a tech-first company, Tuck Advisors has developed a suite of proprietary tools to serve its clients better. Tuck was the first firm in the world to launch a custom GPT around M&A. If you haven’t already, try our proprietary M&A Analyzer, which assesses fit between your company and a specific buyer. To explore this free tool and the rest of our technology, visit tuckadvisors.com.

    57 min
  6. Week in EdTech 8/13/25: Back-to-School Uncertainty, B2B vs B2C Learning, GPT-5 Backlash, School Choice Surge, Google’s Gemini Power Play, and More! Feat. Evan Harris of Pathos Consulting Group, Becky Keene of AI Optimism & Max Spero of Pangram Labs

    AUG 22

    Week in EdTech 8/13/25: Back-to-School Uncertainty, B2B vs B2C Learning, GPT-5 Backlash, School Choice Surge, Google’s Gemini Power Play, and More! Feat. Evan Harris of Pathos Consulting Group, Becky Keene of AI Optimism & Max Spero of Pangram Labs

    Send us a text Join hosts Alex Sarlin, Ben Kornell, and guest co-host Matt Tower from Whiteboard Advisors for a back-to-school edition of Week in EdTech, covering market shifts, Big Tech’s push into education, the GPT-5 rollout, and the rising challenge of deepfake abuse in schools. ✨ Episode Highlights: [00:03:40] Back-to-school funding uncertainty and “back-to-basics” mentality [00:06:40] B2C vs. B2B: consumer learning grows while institutions tighten [00:09:31] Big Tech moves from infrastructure to competing in applications [00:13:40] GPT-5 rollout backlash and prioritization of B2C users [00:17:34] Rethinking schools’ role: raising the floor vs. raising the ceiling [00:19:52] School choice and flexible student pathways through ESAs [00:20:58] Proposal for an AI user Bill of Rights [00:27:36] Media panic: critiques of AI in education from major outlets [00:34:19] SoftBank executive buys stake in UK university [00:38:10] Workforce training gap: Google and Microsoft invest billions [00:39:12] Google’s Gemini leads in image and video generation  Plus, special guests: [00:49:18] Evan Harris, President of Pathos Consulting Group, on deepfake abuse in schools and crisis response [00:56:02] Becky Keene, author of AI Optimism, on AI literacy for teachers and classroom integration [01:03:47] Max Spero, Co-Founder and CEO of Pangram Labs, on building future-ready schools with emerging tech 😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders!  Follow our Podcast on:Apple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon MusicSign up for the Innovation in preK to gray learning is powered by exceptional people. For over 15 years, EdTech companies of all sizes and stages have trusted HireEducation to find the talent that drives impact. When specific skills and experiences are mission-critical, HireEducation is a partner that delivers. Offering permanent, fractional, and executive recruitment, HireEducation knows the go-to-market talent you need. Learn more at HireEdu.com. Every year, K-12 districts and higher ed institutions spend over half a trillion dollars—but most sales teams miss the signals. Starbridge tracks early signs like board minutes, budget drafts, and strategic plans, then helps you turn them into personalized outreach—fast. Win the deal before it hits the RFP stage. That’s how top edtech teams stay ahead. As a tech-first company, Tuck Advisors has developed a suite of proprietary tools to serve its clients better. Tuck was the first firm in the world to launch a custom GPT around M&A. If you haven’t already, try our proprietary M&A Analyzer, which assesses fit between your company and a specific buyer. To explore this free tool and the rest of our technology, visit tuckadvisors.com.

    1h 41m
  7. Claude for Education: How Anthropic is Shaping AI’s Role in Learning with Drew Bent

    AUG 21

    Claude for Education: How Anthropic is Shaping AI’s Role in Learning with Drew Bent

    Send us a text Drew Bent leads Education as part of Anthropic's Beneficial Deployments. He also co-founded the tutoring non-profit Schoolhouse.world with Sal Khan. Prior to that, he wrote code at Khan Academy, taught high school math, and has been tutoring students for over a decade. Drew has degrees in physics & CS from MIT, and an education master's from Stanford. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why Anthropic made education one of Claude’s first real-world focus areasInsights from Anthropic’s Education Report on how students actually use AIHow Claude’s “learning mode” fosters Socratic dialogue and reduces “brain rot”The tension between LLMs as answer machines vs. pedagogically sound tutorsWhat the future of AI tutoring, peer learning, and collaborative tools could look like✨ Episode Highlights: [00:01:13] Drew Bent’s journey from teaching and tutoring to leading education at Anthropic [00:02:50] Why education emerged as a top use case for Claude [00:04:20] Findings from Anthropic’s Education Report: how students really use AI [00:06:59] Claude and Bloom’s Taxonomy—strengths, gaps, and risks of cognitive offloading [00:09:22] Building learning modes: shifting from answer machines to Socratic dialogue [00:12:53] How Drew’s tutoring background informs AI product design [00:17:26] The role of AI in fostering—not replacing—human-to-human learning [00:21:00] Students’ call for “learning mode” to avoid brain rot [00:26:41] Sneak peek: Anthropic’s upcoming learning mode for Claude Code 😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders!  Follow our Podcast on:Apple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon MusicSign up for the Edtech Insiders newsletter.Follow Edtech Insiders on LinkedIn!🎉 Presenting Sponsor/s: Innovation in preK to gray learning is powered by exceptional people. For over 15 years, EdTech companies of all sizes and stages have trusted HireEducation to find the talent that drives impact. When specific skills and experiences are mission-critical, HireEducation is a partner that delivers. Offering permanent, fractional, and executive recruitment, HireEducation knows the go-to-market talent you need. Learn more at HireEdu.com. Every year, K-12 districts and higher ed institutions spend over half a trillion dollars—but most sales teams miss the signals. Starbridge tracks early signs like board minutes, budget drafts, and strategic plans, then helps you turn them into personalized outreach—fast. Win the deal before it hits the RFP stage. That’s how top edtech teams stay ahead. As a tech-first company, Tuck Advisors has developed a suite of proprietary tools to serve its clients better. Tuck was the first firm in the world to launch a custom GPT around M&A. If you haven’t already, try our proprietary M&A Analyzer, which assesses fit between your company and a specific buyer. To explore this free tool and the rest of our technology, visit tuckadvisors.com.

    30 min
  8. How AI Agents Are Transforming Learning at Scale with Uplimit’s Julia Stiglitz

    AUG 18

    How AI Agents Are Transforming Learning at Scale with Uplimit’s Julia Stiglitz

    Send us a text Julia Stiglitz is the CEO and Co-Founder of Uplimit, an AI learning platform helping companies equip their talent with the skills of tomorrow. She previously was a Partner at GSV Ventures, where she invested and partnered with some of the most innovative entrepreneurs in edtech. Prior to GSV, Julia was one of the first hires at Coursera and led many groundbreaking initiatives, mostly notably as Vice President of Enterprise, where she founded and led Coursera's enterprise business, growing it from concept to over 1400 organizations across the globe. 💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode How AI is transforming corporate learning & developmentThe move from catalogs to custom AI academiesWhy SMEs are becoming company instructorsThe new role of L&D teams in an AI workplaceHow rapid AI innovation drives upskilling✨ Episode Highlights [00:02:22] Julia on moving from teaching to Coursera and founding Uplimit. [00:04:29] Pivoting from B2C courses to an AI-powered enterprise platform [00:06:44] Introducing Uplimit’s suite of AI agents for program management, skill-building, and teaching assistance. [00:12:32] How small L&D teams can create custom, interactive learning experiences at scale. [00:18:35] Leveraging subject matter experts to teach and drive business-aligned learning. [00:23:21] Building AI academies to enable entire organizations. [00:27:39] Using AI for real-time sales enablement and rapid product updates. [00:31:47] AI as a tool for making learning experiences more human, not less. [00:33:54] Julia’s vision for achieving quality education at scale in the AI era. 😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders!  Follow our Podcast on:Apple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon MusicSign up for the Edtech Insiders newsletter.Follow Edtech Insiders on LinkedIn!Innovation in preK to gray learning is powered by exceptional people. For over 15 years, EdTech companies of all sizes and stages have trusted HireEducation to find the talent that drives impact. When specific skills and experiences are mission-critical, HireEducation is a partner that delivers. Offering permanent, fractional, and executive recruitment, HireEducation knows the go-to-market talent you need. Learn more at HireEdu.com. Every year, K-12 districts and higher ed institutions spend over half a trillion dollars—but most sales teams miss the signals. Starbridge tracks early signs like board minutes, budget drafts, and strategic plans, then helps you turn them into personalized outreach—fast. Win the deal before it hits the RFP stage. That’s how top edtech teams stay ahead. As a tech-first company, Tuck Advisors has developed a suite of proprietary tools to serve its clients better. Tuck was the first firm in the world to launch a custom GPT around M&A. If you haven’t already, try our proprietary M&A Analyzer, which assesses fit between your company and a specific buyer. To explore this free tool and the rest of our technology, visit tuckadvisors.com.

    39 min
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About

At Edtech Insiders, we interview founders, investors, operators, educators, and thought leaders about the future of education technology. You’ll hear from leaders across the education technology industry and learn about all of the important edtech trends happening globally.

Information

  • Creator
    Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2025
  • Episodes
    384
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Edtech Insiders
  • Show Website
    Edtech Insiders

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