Why Flashy Valuations Fail in EdTech: Juan Zavala of NMVP on Sustainable Growth
- Heather Harman
- Jun 8
- 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:
Why sustainable, capital-efficient growth beats flashy valuations in education technology.
How NMVP evaluates impact and efficacy before making investments.
The challenges and strategies of scaling edtech companies within slow-moving educational systems.
Why aligning incentives across stakeholders—from district leaders to entrepreneurs—is key to success.
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.