The GSV Big 10: One if by Land, Two if by Sea
The GSV Big 10: One if by Land, Two if by Sea
Here's your weekly coverage corner for the top 10 stories, insights, and major plays in learning and skilling.
#1 2023: The Year of Education Freedom
It’s Spring of 1776, pre-Declaration of Independence, for the Education Revolution. Akin to No Taxation Without Representation, 55% of parents are unhappy with the public school system. 25% are completely dissatisfied and are throwing the tea into the Harbor.
#2 KIPP Middle and High School Students Have Far Higher College Completion Rates
KIPP has created the largest and certainly one of the best charter school networks in the USA.
KIPP middle and high school students are 31% more likely to enroll in a four-year college within three years of high school and 19% more likely to graduate college within five years. Importantly, its student population is one of the most challenged in the country. That’s transformative success at scale.
#3 PitchBook Universities: Top 100 colleges ranked by startup founders
Given this data covers the last decade, it's not shocking to see Stanford and Cal leading the pack. What’s more interesting is who’s emerging, with 75% of the top 50 universities are outside New York, Massachusetts, and California. From Austin to Boston; from Chicago to Sao Paulo; from Shanghai to Mumbai to Dubai, there is something very powerful happening: a Global Silicon Valley is emerging.
#4 Opinion | The Value of an Education That Never Ends
Many of us have family members who’ve never had a job and were “professional students.” This shift is different…it’s not you’re one or the other, you have to be both. It’s not a four year academic journey…it’s forty years.
#5 The Value of Community Colleges: Recent Students’ Motivations and Outcomes
The opportunity is to put the community back in college. Providing low-cost, high-quality impact and learning to earn will be hallmarks of the community college opportunity. 55% of community college students are non-white, which reflects the future of America. Accordingly, we better get this right.
#6 The End of School as You Know It: Education in 2050
Interesting from a standpoint that it says more than just ChatGPT is going to be your teacher in the future. This forward-looking whitepaper articulates a vision of a convergence of emerging technologies and learning experiences. AIR (aka the Artificial Intelligence Revolution) will be ubiquitous, invisible, and necessary to live.
#7 An Exceptional Parrot: Investing in an Age of AI Wizardry
This is not to say that AI is incredibly useful and a game-changer, but we also have to appreciate it for what it is and what it isn’t.
#8 Could $2,000 a Year Keep Students in College?
People have become aware of the extraordinary expense of tuition, but maybe are less aware of all the other costs associated with getting a degree. One cost is the tradeoff of time, but a lot of it is basic human needs. This is hoping to put a dent in the fact that 40% of students fail to graduate within six years…and so far it’s working.
#9 Druid, a conversational AI platform for enterprises that integrates with ChatGPT, raises $30M
ChatGPT as a Service is here. Druid has jumped into a crowded pool, with everybody trying to find the data without drowning. TQ Ventures (Scooter Braun, Andrew Marks, and Schuster Tanger’s VC firm) led the $30M Series B round.
#10 English learning platform ELSA lands $23M Series C
Not to be confused with the Elsa from Frozen, this “ELSA” is looking to let speaking anxiety go. The double play of AI’s pattern matching prowess and Duolingo’s dominant 2023 (up 125% YTD) have reignited interest in the language learning space. ELSA’s round was led by UOB Venture Management, Asia Growth Investment Fund, and Gradient Ventures, Google’s AI-focused venture fund.