Impact at the Core of Investing
Improving Lives Through Edtech and Workforce Investments
At New Markets Venture Partners, our passion and dedication lie in fostering social and economic mobility through innovative investments. Access to quality learning and meaningful employment are fundamental drivers of systemic change, empowering individuals and strengthening communities.
We have discussed our mission to unleash the power of human potential and how we're leveraging our Theory of Change to address loss points along the education-to-employment journey. Now, we dive deeper into the systems we've decided to focus on and highlight some of the successes coming from our portfolio companies in these four critical areas.
Driving Social and Economic Mobility
Through Strategic Investments
At New Markets Venture Partners, we believe that deploying capital with intention and accountability can be a powerful lever to unlock large-scale impact. This is why we continue to invest in proven educational and workforce solutions to help scale their impact through deep institutional partnerships, rigorous data-driven ROI, and a relentless focus on long-term economic mobility.
By aligning incentives, shifting institutional practice, and delivering measurable outcomes, our investments demonstrate the success of rewiring fragmented systems to better serve learners and workers who have been historically excluded from economic opportunity.
We're investing in innovative solutions that empower individuals, strengthen communities, and create economic opportunity. Learn more about the successes of our portfolio companies below.
Tackling Chronic Absenteeism, Disengagement, and Improving Learning Models
Companies addressing academic challenges, chronic absenteeism,
and gaps in student support, encouraging early success and decreasing dropout risk,
particularly for low-income students:
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Acceleration Academies
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BetterLesson
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Brains & Motion Education
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Concentric Educational Solutions
Unlocking Persistence and Improving Student ROI in Higher Education
Companies focused on mental health, financial challenges, and lack of academic support, aiming to improve persistence and curb dropouts, and prevent an accumulation of debt without any credentials:
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Knack
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Mantra Health
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Motimatic
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Nexford University
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Noodle
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Regent Education
Rewiring Workforce Systems for Non-Degree Pathways and Rapid Skills Transformation
Companies providing accessible, skills-based pathways for the tens of millions of Americans without a college degree, set on solving the misalignment between how employers identify, evaluate, and develop talent in an era of rapid skills transformation.
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Censia
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Climb Credit
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Coding Temple
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CreatorUp
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Mursion
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Pathstream
Building Re-entry and Second-Chance Employment
Companies improving second-chance education and re-entry pathways for incarcerated and returning citizens:
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Orijin
Investing in Systemic Change
As cross-sector stakeholders increasingly recognize the need for systems-aligned solutions, we will continue to provide capital to ventures that operate at the nexus of innovation and institutional transformation.
Learn how New Markets is impacting systemic change in each of our areas of focus by addressing key issues through our transformative portfolio of companies.
To disrupt the cycle in which students fall further behind, lose their connection to learning, and ultimately drop out, New Markets is backing scalable, system-level interventions to address this crisis.
The K-12 Education System
The K–12 education system in the United States is facing a multidimensional crisis marked by declining student engagement, rising absenteeism, persistent academic underperformance, and deepening educator fatigue. Between 2018-19 and 2021-22, the percentage of chronically absent K-12 students nearly doubled from 15% to 28%, with only a marginal decline in 2022-23, remaining well above pre-pandemic levels (Attendance Works).
To be effective, the postsecondary system must evolve beyond one-size-fits-all models and support multiple, flexible pathways to economic opportunity. This is why New Markets is backing solutions enabling a systems-level shift in how colleges address student ROI and persistence, particularly for underrepresented learners.
The Postsecondary System
Postsecondary education has long been viewed as a gateway to economic mobility, but the American higher education system is increasingly falling short of meeting the diverse needs and life trajectories of today’s learners. Millions of learners are within reach of workforce development and credential completion, however, we recognize that a traditional college path is not the optimal or necessary route for all. Even among degree completers, many face continued barriers to stable employment, skills alignment, and long-term job readiness.
New Markets is backing companies that are rewiring the system to prioritize skills over pedigree in order to improve access to quality jobs via skills-based hiring and intentional upskilling and reskilling models.
The Workforce System
The U.S. workforce ecosystem is rapidly evolving yet continues to fall short in preparing adults for quality jobs. At the same time, employers report growing difficulty finding workers with the right skills for in-demand roles. This mismatch is widening as the nature of work shifts. With rapid advancements in AI and automation, workers need continuous reskilling to remain employable and economically mobile. And yet, most training ecosystems remain reactive, underfunded, and disconnected from employer needs.
New Markets invests in scalable solutions that expand access to education, credentials, and employment pathways.
The Criminal Justice System
Re-entry programs often focus on compliance and monitoring rather than workforce preparation or credential attainment. Only 5% of incarcerated individuals currently receive any form of postsecondary education, despite research showing that education can reduce recidivism by up to 43% (RAND Corporation). The employment rate for people with recent criminal convictions remains below 40%, even in a tight labor market.
Impact In Action
Student Stories
Check out some inspiring success stories from our portfolio companies that highlight how investing in innovative solutions empowers individuals, strengthens communities, and creates equitable opportunities.
Orijin
Empowering justice-impacted learners like Saulina Eady with trainging, re-entry, and second chance employment opportunities
Climb Credit
Helps learners like Amber Zufelt access skills-based alternative vocational pathways to develop new talent and further their careers
Mantra Health
Provides students like Alaina Campbell with mental health and academic support, curbing dropouts and fostering persistence in higher education
Acceleration Academies
Ensures students like Natalia Campos graduate by addressing academic challenges with personalized learning and dedicated student support
Our portfolio companies are making an impact every day. To learn more about a particular company, click on the name below. For additional news, press, and success stories from our portfolio companies, select Impact Stories.
