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 workforce opportunity.
Over the past few months, we’ve completed three new investments and supported continued growth across our portfolio. We’re also proud to share that our broader platform, Rethink Capital Partners, was named to TIME’s list of Top Venture Capital Firms of 2025, a recognition that reflects our shared commitment to partnering with visionary entrepreneurs who are building a more sustainable and equitable future.
Below, you’ll find highlights from the quarter, recent milestones, and details on where to meet us this fall as we continue shaping the future of learning and work.
Q3 Portfolio Highlights
Flourish Schools 📚🍎
We’re thrilled to announce our pre-seed investment in Flourish Schools, founded by education veterans John Danner (Rocketship Schools) and Adam Nadeau (KIPP). Flourish is creating a microschool model that leverages Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) and AI-enabled personalization to deliver high-quality, no-cost education to underserved families. Focused on the pivotal but often overlooked middle school years, Flourish launched its first pilot in Tennessee and plans to expand rapidly amid growing policy and technology tailwinds, enabling a full reimagining of the classroom experience.
Rallyboard 💡📈
We’re proud to back Rallyboard in its pre-seed round. Founded by Jackson Boyar, who also co-founded Rethink Education portfolio company Mentor Collective, Rallyboard is reimagining professional learning for the $32 billion-plus association market, building tools that enable peer learning and structured cohort-based pathways for member advancement. The company is now working closely with design partners to refine and scale its platform, improving professional-advancement pathways for members.
Stealth Early Learning Platform 🌱🧠
We participated in a pre-seed round for a stealth early childhood company focused on improving developmental screening and intervention in preschool settings. The company provides a free assessment to preschools and daycare centers to help identify speech, motor, and other developmental delays in children early on. It then delivers speech, occupational, and physical therapy directly in the classroom, ensuring that children receive timely interventions that increase kindergarten readiness, without families needing to navigate time-intensive appointments outside the school day. Following a successful pilot, the company is launching with an initial set of schools in North Carolina this fall.
Acquisition Updates
Campus, one of the most notable growth stories in U.S. EdTech, expanded its capital base this quarter through a new financing associated with its acquisition of Sizzle AI. The acquisition strengthens Campus’s AI capabilities and brings Jerome Pesenti (former VP of AI at Meta and co-architect of IBM’s Watson) onto the team. Since our initial pre-seed investment in 2019, Campus has continued to grow and exemplify how technology, paired with world-class instruction and student support, can transform higher education.
Ignite Reading, which provides one-to-one literacy instruction focused on foundational reading skills through evidence-based methods aligned with the Science of Reading, recently announced its acquisition of Esteam to enhance its AI-driven assessment capabilities. 🚀
Where to Find Us This Fall
We’re looking forward to connecting with many of you on the fall conference circuit. Members of the Rethink Education team will be attending:
- Phenix Capital’s Impact Summit America — October 16 | New York 📍
- EdTech Week — October 20–22 | New York City (see below for panels and speaking details) 🗣️
- SOCAP Global — October 27–29 | San Francisco 🤝
- Stanford Accelerate EdTech Impact Summit 2025 — November 4–5 | Palo Alto 👥
- L&D Reimagined Conference — November 4–5 | Washington D.C. 🌐
- All Raise VC Summit — November 5–7 | Half Moon Bay 🏛️
- Impact Capital Managers Fall Convening — November 12 | New York 🧳
Panels & Speaking Engagements at EdTech Week NYC (October 20–22, 2025) 🎤🏛️🎒
- Matt Greenfield, Founder & Managing Director
- Investing in the Future of Learning: Venture Capital & Private Equity Insights into the EdTech Market — October 21 | 3:00–3:45 PM
- Bridget Duru, Vice President
- Future of Work Shark Tank — October 20 | 11:00–11:45 AM
- The Future of Entry-Level Jobs — October 21 | 1:00–1:45 PM
- Monique Malcolm-Hay, Vice President
- Bridging Innovation and Equity in the EdTech Ecosystem — October 22 | 9:00–9:45 AM
Insights & Reading
A selection of recent insights from the Rethink Education team and articles shaping the broader conversation around education, work, and technology. ✍️📚💡
From the Rethink Education Team:
- Matt Greenfield, Founder & Managing Director, shares his perspective on “Rethinking School in the Age of AI,” exploring how artificial intelligence can both challenge and enhance learning, and why thoughtful integration matters more than ever.
- Bridget Duru, Vice President, and Ahzam Ahmed, Summer Venture Fellow, co-authored “Building Better Futures: Unlocking Opportunity Through the Skilled Trades”
- Monique Malcolm-Hay, Vice President, continues her thoughtful commentary on “The Next Normal” in her Substack series.
From Around the Ecosystem:
- Stanford Digital Economy Lab — Canaries in the Coal Mine? — six revealing data points on how AI is already reshaping the labor market.
- The Brookings Institution — “New Data Show No AI Jobs Apocalypse—for Now” — insights on how automation and adaptation are coexisting in the workforce.
- OpenAI — “Expanding Economic Opportunity with AI” — perspectives on how AI can broaden access to education and employment.
Upcoming: Rethink Education + Emerge Happy Hour
Rethink Education and Emerge are excited to partner on a Happy Hour celebrating the close of EdTech Week, an evening to connect with fellow EdTech, HRTech, and Future of Work innovators over bites, drinks, and conversation.
The event is currently at capacity, but we welcome you to join the waitlist here. 🍷
With gratitude,
Amy, Matt, Dre, Monique & Bridget
CONFIDENTIALITY AND TERMS This newsletter was prepared by representatives of Rethink Capital Partners (“Rethink“) and the information contained herein must be kept strictly confidential and should not be distributed, published or reproduced, in whole or in part, nor should its contents be disclosed by recipients to any other person without the prior written approval of Rethink.
Rethink Education, LLC. Rethink Education Management, LLC (together with its investment management and general partner affiliates, the “Firm”) provides, among other things, investment advisory services to Rethink Education, LP (the “Fund”) and other funds and accounts advised by the Firm.
Purposes of Presentation. This document has been prepared solely for qualified investors for the purposes of (i) providing summary information regarding the Firm; (ii) determining your level of interest in investing in the Fund; and (iii) providing general background information on the Fund.
No Offer or Solicitation. The information contained herein is not, and should not be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities (including, without limitation, an interest in the Fund). Any such offer or solicitation may be made only by means of a final Confidential Private Placement Memorandum (the “PPM”). The Fund’s PPM, which will be furnished upon request, contains important information about investing in the Fund, including risk factors associated with making such an investment. The PPM, if requested and furnished, should be read carefully by all potential investors. In the case of any inconsistency between the descriptions or terms in this document and the PPM, the PPM shall control.
Confidentiality; Use. Any reproduction or distribution of this document, in whole or in part, or the disclosure of the contents hereof, or the use of this presentation for any other purposes other than those described above, without the prior written consent of the Firm, is prohibited.
Other Funds and Accounts. The principals of the Firm may have been employed by other entities, or may have engaged in other activities, that may utilize similar (but not necessarily the same) investment strategies as the Firm and/or the Fund (collectively, the “Predecessor Firms”). In addition, the Firm advises other funds and accounts, that may utilize similar (but not necessarily the same) investment strategies as the Fund (collectively, the “Predecessor Funds”). This document presents summary information with respect to certain activities of the Predecessor Firms and the Predecessor Funds. However, in certain respects, the Predecessor Firms and the Predecessor Funds pursued different investment programs from the Fund. As a result, no conclusion should be drawn with respect to any specific nexus between the Predecessor Firms or the Predecessor Funds, on one hand, and the Fund, on the other hand.
Summary Information Only. The information contained herein does not purport to present a complete picture of the anticipated financial position, activities, results, actions and/or plans of the Predecessor Firms, the Predecessor Funds, the Firm, or the Fund. There are numerous factors related to the markets in general or to the implementation of any specific investment program that cannot be fully accounted for in the preparation of the summaries presented herein. No conclusion of any type or kind should be drawn regarding the future performance of the Firm or the Fund based upon the information presented herein.
Past Performance Not Indicative of Future Results or Results of the Fund. Any performance information presented is not necessarily comparable to, indicative of, or a guarantee of the future results of the Fund. The Firm is making no representation that the Fund has, will, or is likely to achieve profits or losses similar to those of the Predecessor Firms, Predecessor Funds, any other fund or account managed by the Firm, or any particular investment decision.
Performance Information. Any investment activities summarized herein are historic and reflect an investment for a limited period. Results may not have been audited or realized and should not be relied upon as such.
Investment Examples. Certain investment examples presented herein represent a limited number of investments made by the Firm, the Predecessor Firms, and/or the Predecessor Funds, and do not purport to be representative of (or constitute a material portion of) all investments purchased, sold, or recommended for investment by the Firm, the Predecessor Firms, or the Predecessor Funds, and are not necessarily indicative of investments that the Firm and/or the Fund will make in the future. It should not be assumed that the Firm’s investment recommendations in the future will be profitable or will equal the investment performance of the investment examples discussed herein. The actual investments of the Firm and/or the Fund in the future may have no correlation with the ideas presented herein. The investment examples contained herein are provided for informational purposes only, are not complete, and do not contain certain material information about the Predecessor Fund, the Predecessor Firms, and the Firm, including important disclosures and risk factors associated with an investment in the Predecessor Firms or the Predecessor Funds. No representation or warranty is made concerning the completeness of this information. As a result of the inherent limitations of the information contained herein, including but not limited to the limitations of the investment examples presented, prospective investors must not rely on any such information in making any investment decision with respect to the Firm and/or the Fund.
Forward-Looking Statements. Notwithstanding the information presented in this document, investors should understand that the Firm is not limited with respect to the types of investment strategies it may employ or the markets or instruments in which it may invest (subject to the terms of the offering and governance documents of any given fund or account, including the Fund). Over time, markets change, and the Firm seeks to capitalize on attractive opportunities wherever they might exist. Depending on conditions and trends in the capital markets and the economy generally, the Firm may pursue objectives or employ techniques it considers appropriate and in the best interest of the Fund, which may differ from the objectives, techniques or investments presented in this document. In addition, no strategy (or breadth of available resources) can guarantee future results.
Ability to Alter Strategies Employed by Firm. Notwithstanding the information presented in this document, investors should understand that the Firm is not limited with respect to the types of investment strategies it may employ or the markets or instruments in which it may invest (subject to the terms of the offering and governance documents of any given fund or account, including the Fund). Over time, markets change, and the Firm seeks to capitalize on attractive opportunities wherever they might exist. Depending on conditions and trends in the capital markets and the economy generally, the Firm may pursue objectives or employ techniques it considers appropriate and in the best interest of the Fund, which may differ from the objectives, techniques or investments presented in this document. In addition, no strategy (or breadth of available resources) can guarantee future results.
Advisory Services of the Firm. The information contained herein does not constitute a complete description of the Firm’s or any Predecessor Firm’s investments or investment strategies, and is for informational purposes only. Investors can request additional information regarding the Firm’s investments or investment strategies.
Risks of Investing. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk. Investors should clearly understand the significant degree of risk involved with investing in any alternative investment strategies, such as those anticipated to be employed by the Firm on behalf of the Fund. Alternative investment strategies are only available to qualified investors who have reviewed detailed information concerning investment terms and risks.
No Accounting, Tax, or Legal Advice. The Firm does not provide
accounting, tax, or legal advice, and all investors are strongly urged to consult with their own advisors regarding any investment with the Firm.
Source of Information; No Obligation to Update. The performance and operating information set forth herein is based on information reasonably available to the Firm as of the date of this presentation. Furthermore, the information set forth herein has been obtained from sources that the Firm believes to be reliable. However, these sources cannot be guaranteed as to their accuracy or completeness. The delivery of this presentation shall not, under any circumstances, create any implication that the information contained herein is correct as of any time subsequent to the date of this presentation, and the Firm does not undertake an obligation to update such information at any time after such date