Ventures

NewSchools Venture Fund invests in organizations that are working to improve public education and reimagine learning. Our venture portfolio includes more than 300 organizations across the country.

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… results in Past venture.

Watts of Power Foundation
Entrepreneur: Peter Watts, Jr.
Nonprofit | Founded: 2017 | Visit the Site
Watts of Power Foundation aims to strengthen families and communities in Los Angeles through a focus on education and community revitalization. The Teacher Village Initiative (TVI) is Watts of Power’s newest program focused on addressing the teacher diversity gap in South Central Los Angeles. TVI is a multifaceted program that builds a bridge for undergraduate students and paraprofessionals to complete teacher education programs, and settle into teaching careers. The initiative will supplement existing teacher education programs with professional support, peer and community connections, and training in the soft skills needed to build effective relationships with students. The entire program will be rooted in South Central Los Angeles where teachers will also be provided housing near the school where they will train and ultimately work.
Weird Enough Productions
Entrepreneur: Tony Weaver Jr.
For-profit | Visit the Site
Weird Enough Productions was part of the Future of Work Ed Tech Challenge. Funds supported Weird Enough Productions’ solutions using superheroes and comic books to teach middle and high school students how to combat fake news.
Wildflower Foundation
Entrepreneur: Matt Kramer
Visit the Site
Wildflower launched in 2014 and quickly grew to 12 decentralized, self-governing Montessori micro-schools. Its schools are small and teacher-led, with deep parent engagement. The model includes tools and support to launch a site and technology to iteratively learn about student actions and learning. With hopes to become a nationwide model provider, the organization intends to refine administrative support tools, broaden its impact to other schools, and extend its geographical reach.
Woot Math
Entrepreneur: Krista Marks
For-profit | Visit the Site
Woot Math was part of the Middle & High School Math Ed Tech Challenge. Funds supported Woot Math’s engaging, research-backed solutions for the math classroom.
Words Liive
Entrepreneur: Sage Salvo
For-profit | Visit the Site
Words Liive offers The Opus, an application which integrates music, via song lyrics, into reading and writing assignments alongside auto-generated, comprehensive supplemental materials. The solution works by identifying grammar and literary techniques (e.g. alliteration, imagery) in both popular song lyrics and classical source texts like novels, speeches, plays, and poems. In this way, the solution enables teachers to easily generate culturally responsive instructional materials for any secondary literacy classroom.
WriteReader
Entrepreneur: Babar Baig, Janus Madsen, Ulrik Jensen
For-profit | Visit the Site
WriteReader was part of the Early Learning Ed Tech Challenge. Funds supported WriteReader’s learning platform that enables children to create, share, and publish books that improve their literacy skills.
YES Prep Public Schools
Nonprofit | Founded: 1998 | Visit the Site
For over 20 years, YES Prep Public Schools has reenvisioned public education. With 14,100 college-bound students across 19 campuses, YES Prep is a system of high-performing public charter schools emphasizing engagement with students from underserved communities. This organization participated in the first cohort of our ‘Transcend+NewSchools Collaborative’ – a multi-faceted nine-month program that guided districts and charter network leaders through a process to reimagine their schools.
Yoga Foster
Entrepreneur: Nicole Cardoza
Nonprofit | Founded: 2014 | Visit the Site
Yoga Foster was part of the Expanded Definition of Student Success Ed Tech Challenge. Funds supported Yoga Foster’s online platform give school teachers the training, lesson plans, and tools they need to practice with their students.
Youcubed
Entrepreneur: Jo Boaler
Nonprofit | Founded: 2013 | Visit the Site
Youcubed was part of the Middle & High School Math Ed Tech Challenge. Funds supported Youcubed’s work transforming the latest research on math learning into accessible and practical forms.
Zaption
Entrepreneur: Jim Stigler, Charlie Stigler
For-profit | Founded: 2013 | Visit the Site
Funds supported Zaption’s platform and suite of interactive tools to create, publish, and share interactive videos and provide information about how users interacted with a video through its analytic tools.
Zeal
Entrepreneur: John Danner
For-profit | Visit the Site
Zeal was part of the Middle & High School Math Ed Tech Challenge. Funds supported Zeal’s solution to bring a live math coach to every student in your classroom.
Zearn
Entrepreneur: Shalinee Sharma
Nonprofit | Visit the Site
Zearn was part of the Middle & High School Math Ed Tech Challenge. Funds supported Zearn’s comprehensive approach to learning and teaching math, combining personalized digital lessons with targeted small group instruction so that every teacher can reach every student, every day.
Zeta Charter School
Entrepreneur: Emily Kim
Nonprofit | Visit the Site
Zeta Charter Schools opened three public charters schools, which are all based in New York, NY. These schools will eventually serve over 2,000 students combined in grades K-12. Zeta’s mission is to build and sustain high-performing schools that forge thriving communities of lifelong learners, problem solvers, and innovators.
Zyrobotics
Entrepreneur: Dr. Johnetta MacCalla, Dr. Ayanna Howard
For-profit | Visit the Site
Zyrobotics was part of the Special Education Ed Tech Challenge. Funds supported Zyrobotics’ STEM educational products designed to make a difference in the lives of children with special needs ages three to 12 years old.

Ventures

About Us

All Ventures

Watts of Power Foundation

Entrepreneur: Peter Watts, Jr.

Weird Enough Productions

Entrepreneur: Tony Weaver Jr.

For-profit | Visit the SiteWeird Enough Productions was part of the Future of Work Ed Tech Challenge. Funds supported Weird Enough Productions’ solutions using superheroes and comic books to teach middle and high school students how to combat fake news.

Wildflower Foundation

Entrepreneur: Matt Kramer

Woot Math

Entrepreneur: Krista Marks

For-profit | Visit the SiteWoot Math was part of the Middle & High School Math Ed Tech Challenge. Funds supported Woot Math’s engaging, research-backed solutions for the math classroom.

Words Liive

Entrepreneur: Sage Salvo

WriteReader

Entrepreneur: Babar Baig, Janus Madsen, Ulrik Jensen

For-profit | Visit the SiteWriteReader was part of the Early Learning Ed Tech Challenge. Funds supported WriteReader’s learning platform that enables children to create, share, and publish books that improve their literacy skills.

YES Prep Public Schools

Yoga Foster

Entrepreneur: Nicole Cardoza

Nonprofit | Founded: 2014 | Visit the SiteYoga Foster was part of the Expanded Definition of Student Success Ed Tech Challenge. Funds supported Yoga Foster’s online platform give school teachers the training, lesson plans, and tools they need to practice with their students.

Youcubed

Entrepreneur: Jo Boaler

Nonprofit | Founded: 2013 | Visit the SiteYoucubed was part of the Middle & High School Math Ed Tech Challenge. Funds supported Youcubed’s work transforming the latest research on math learning into accessible and practical forms.

Zaption

Entrepreneur: Jim Stigler, Charlie Stigler

For-profit | Founded: 2013 | Visit the SiteFunds supported Zaption’s platform and suite of interactive tools to create, publish, and share interactive videos and provide information about how users interacted with a video through its analytic tools.

Zeal

Entrepreneur: John Danner

For-profit | Visit the SiteZeal was part of the Middle & High School Math Ed Tech Challenge. Funds supported Zeal’s solution to bring a live math coach to every student in your classroom.

Zearn

Entrepreneur: Shalinee Sharma

Zeta Charter School

Entrepreneur: Emily Kim

Zyrobotics

Entrepreneur: Dr. Johnetta MacCalla, Dr. Ayanna Howard

For-profit | Visit the SiteZyrobotics was part of the Special Education Ed Tech Challenge. Funds supported Zyrobotics’ STEM educational products designed to make a difference in the lives of children with special needs ages three to 12 years old.

For-profit | Visit the Site
Weird Enough Productions was part of the Future of Work Ed Tech Challenge. Funds supported Weird Enough Productions’ solutions using superheroes and comic books to teach middle and high school students how to combat fake news.

For-profit | Visit the Site
Woot Math was part of the Middle & High School Math Ed Tech Challenge. Funds supported Woot Math’s engaging, research-backed solutions for the math classroom.

For-profit | Visit the Site
WriteReader was part of the Early Learning Ed Tech Challenge. Funds supported WriteReader’s learning platform that enables children to create, share, and publish books that improve their literacy skills.

Nonprofit | Founded: 2014 | Visit the Site
Yoga Foster was part of the Expanded Definition of Student Success Ed Tech Challenge. Funds supported Yoga Foster’s online platform give school teachers the training, lesson plans, and tools they need to practice with their students.

Nonprofit | Founded: 2013 | Visit the Site
Youcubed was part of the Middle & High School Math Ed Tech Challenge. Funds supported Youcubed’s work transforming the latest research on math learning into accessible and practical forms.

For-profit | Founded: 2013 | Visit the Site
Funds supported Zaption’s platform and suite of interactive tools to create, publish, and share interactive videos and provide information about how users interacted with a video through its analytic tools.

For-profit | Visit the Site
Zeal was part of the Middle & High School Math Ed Tech Challenge. Funds supported Zeal’s solution to bring a live math coach to every student in your classroom.

For-profit | Visit the Site
Zyrobotics was part of the Special Education Ed Tech Challenge. Funds supported Zyrobotics’ STEM educational products designed to make a difference in the lives of children with special needs ages three to 12 years old.