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A Focus on Impact

Our Portfolio Companies Make a Difference

Our portfolio companies spend every day removing obstacles and working to overcome challenges students and workers have to get a good education and a good job.

Recent Posts

Feb 5, 2026

2

min read

Censia

Censia AI Adds Peter M. Fasolo to Board, Strengthening the Workforce Intelligence Layer for Enterprise Transformation

Censia AI, the enterprise workforce system of intelligence, announced today the appointment of Peter M. Fasolo to its Board of Directors. Fasolo brings decades of experience leading global talent strategy and organizational transformation and will help guide Censia's mission to make workforce decisions faster, more precise, and continuously adaptive.

Feb 5, 2026

3

min read

Orijin

Instructure and Orijin Partner to Expand Secure, Scalable Education Across United States Correctional Systems

Instructure, the leading learning ecosystem and maker of Canvas LMS, powered by AWS, announced a partnership with Orijin, a leading education and workforce development platform for correctional systems, to expand secure, scalable education across correctional facilities nationwide. Orijin chose to partner with Instructure for its ability to scale alongside Orijin and address the increasing complexity of delivering secure, high-quality education for correctional facilities.

Feb 3, 2026

2

min read

Regent Education

Regent Education Joins the CollegeBuys Institutional Purchasing Program

Regent Education, a leader in SaaS-based financial aid and fund management solutions, announced today a new partnership with CollegeBuys. As part of this agreement, California's community colleges will have access to discounted pricing for the Regent Award Suite of financial aid and fund management solutions.

Feb 2, 2026

2

min read

Regent Education

Regent Education is Excited to Announce We’re TrustEd App Certified for CBE

Higher education is facing increasing pressure to demonstrate how learning translates into real-world skills, sparking a rise in competency-based education (CBE) programs nationwide.

Jan 29, 2026

3

min read

Knack

Knack Appoints National Higher Education Leader Dr. Mark Becker to Board of Directors

Former Georgia State University and APLU president brings deep experience in student success and institutional transformation. MIAMI, Jan. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Knack, the eminent student-led learning strategy for colleges and universities, today announced the appointment of Mark P. Becker, Ph.D., to its Board of Directors as it continues to expand student-centered peer learning at institutions nationwide. As colleges face growing pressure to improve student outcomes, institutions are...

Jan 28, 2026

1

min read

Noodle Partners

Noodle Achieves SOC 2 Compliance to Protect University and Learner Data

Noodle today announced that it has achieved SOC 2 Type I compliance, reinforcing the company’s commitment to protecting the data of its university partners and learners. The independent, third-party assessment provides validation that Noodle’s security controls are appropriately designed to meet applicable SOC 2 criteria at a point in time.

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Why Flashy Valuations Fail in EdTech: Juan Zavala of NMVP on Sustainable Growth

  • Heather Harman
  • Jun 8, 2025
  • 1 min read

Juan Zavala joined New Markets Venture Partners in 2019 and is a Partner. He is responsible for sourcing, evaluating, and executing new investment opportunities as well as supporting existing portfolio companies and firm operations. He serves as a Board Director for Brains and Motion Education, Nexford University, and CreatorUp, and as a Board Observer for App Academy, BetterLesson, Censia, Climb Credit, Concentric Educational Solutions, Datapeople, Motimatic, and Regent Education. He is also actively involved with Mantra Health and Acceleration Academies.


💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:


  1. Why sustainable, capital-efficient growth beats flashy valuations in education technology.

  2. How NMVP evaluates impact and efficacy before making investments.

  3. The challenges and strategies of scaling edtech companies within slow-moving educational systems.

  4. Why aligning incentives across stakeholders—from district leaders to entrepreneurs—is key to success.

  5. How AI fits into edtech’s future and why infrastructure partnerships may outlast flashy standalone tools.


✨ Episode Highlights:


[00:02:18] From private equity to impact investing in edtech

[00:04:52] Only 15% of the U.S. is well-served by education—huge market gap

[00:05:51] Balancing mission and money in edtech investing

[00:11:30] Why VC might not be right for every founder

[00:16:36] Insights from NMVP portfolio companies like Nexford and BetterLesson

[00:27:22] CreatorUp as a case study in workforce and content innovation

[00:36:37] The importance of aligning with existing school infrastructure

[00:42:54] AI in edtech: picks and shovels, not gold rushes

[00:48:12] Why most edtech exits fall below $300M

[00:54:23] Creating shared success across founders and investors


Listen to the podcast in full here.


 
 
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