SPARRING WORDS: Christopher Nyren, founder of Educated Ventures in Chicago, doesn't shy away from saying that "Silicon Valley Sucks at EdTech." Based on how ten edtech companies, each of which raised tens of millions from Valley investors during 1997-2001, are faring today, he argues that only one--Apex Learning--appears to be generating the returns that investors want to see. From his brief history lesson, Nyren offers some "humble" observations about business practices and why B2C models are problematic in education. Here's one zinger: "Far too often, Silicon Valley investors confuse their own household budgets/motivations with the actual mass addressable market," he writes.
