BUILDING EDTECH: Imagine K12 is wrapping up its third "cohort" of companies -- startups that it has nurtured in three-month intervals. Here's a smart overview of what the experience is like, from EdWeek, complete with a nifty video overview. Key observation from Matt Candler, founder and chief executive officer of 4.0 Schools, based in New Orleans: “Imagine K12 has really struggled with a lack of educators in the pipeline.” Even so, the experiences of the entrepreneurs seem powerful. “Imagine K12 is our best pipeline,” said Jennifer Carolan, a co-leader of the NewSchools Seed Fund, which has supported ClassDojo and Educreations, both which emerged from Imagine K12. (Disclosure: NSVF also supports EdSurge.) Imagine K12 entrepreneurs are learning that edtech is a trickier marketplace than say, consumer products. But many are driven by mission, the piece points out. “I wouldn’t want to go into any other area of entrepreneurship,” Ms. Brustein said. “This is where I come from. I come from education. This is what I care about.”
Applications for the next round of Imagine K12 are due October 29. The session will run from January through April 2013.
