Insights

I made my first education technology investment in 2003, while I was a CUNY professor, and I helped launch Rethink Education in 2012. Since then, we have invested in more than a hundred companies. This has given me the chance to make quite a few mistakes, some of them repeatedly. Here are a few of […]

Childcare Isn’t a Family Issue. It’s Economic Infrastructure. After a brief post-pandemic rebound, women’s workforce participation in the United States is falling again. The decline is sharpest among mothers of young children. In many states, childcare now costs more than rent, erasing much of the financial benefit of working at all. Some parents step back […]

EdTech Week 2025 underscored how leaders across education, technology, and workforce development are confronting a shared challenge: how to innovate responsibly amid rapid change. Across panels, dinners, and discussions, one insight stood out — progress isn’t defined by speed alone but by how rigor, quality, and access scale alongside innovation.

Locked In and Moving Forward Dear Friends, As we move into the last quarter of the year, the energy across our community feels both grounded and determined. Guided by that spirit, Rethink Education continues to advance with focus and purpose, driving new investments, supporting portfolio growth, and partnering with founders who are redefining education and […]

How Our Portfolio Reached 50 Million Learners in 2024 We are excited to share our Impact Report with the Rethink Education Community. In 2024, our portfolio companies reached over 50 million learners, including more than 11 million low-income individuals, while advancing solutions encompassing lifelong learning, workforce development, and digital equity. We remained committed to diversity, […]

Rethink Education’s Bridget Duru and Ahzam Ahmed highlight why we’re investing in the future of skilled trades—empowering millions with pathways to high-quality jobs, economic mobility, and the tools to thrive in a changing workforce.

Rethink Education Managing Partner, Matt Greenfield, writes how receiving a cancer diagnosis two years ago helped clarify his mission as an impact investor and left him profoundly grateful for the chance to help build social enterprises that really unlock the full potential of people from vulnerable populations.

Happy Holidays from Rethink Education! As the 2024 season comes to a close, we’d like to share an update on what we’ve been working on over the past few months. Retreat Reflections: What we Learned and Where We’re Going in 2025 Over the last months of 2024, our team has been busy refining our approach, […]