edbizbuzz

Today, John Doerr, partner in the famed venture capital firm Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield and Byers briefed the National Governors Association on the emerging industry in green technologies. It was a masterful performance. I wish he had given its analog on the emerging school improvement industry when he founded NewSchools Venture Fund with Kim Smith in 1998. I wish anyone of his stature had done so then or anytime thereafter.

Continue reading "Watching John Doerr at NGA: Why School Improvement Providers Should Too" »

Posted by Dean Millot at 2:56 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Probably the best of the bunch of papers from the American Enterprise Institute's conference on education entrepreneurship in school reform - with entrepreneurship broadly defined to include philanthropy and nonprofits. Yours truly could not attend because he was not invited, but the papers are available to all here.

By way of full disclosure, Wireless Generation was one of K-12Leads and Youth Service Market Reports ($1500/yr) first clients. (I write this not so much to attract new clients, but to show readers' where there is a business relationship with an organization I discuss, and that it's going to be a small dollar value.)

Continue reading "Wireless Generation's Berger and Stevenson on Hurdles Facing "Real" - Make that "Classic" - Education Entrepreneurs" »

Posted by Dean Millot at 8:02 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

DeVry Inc., a publicly held firm you probably associate with television ads for adult technical education, is coming to public schooling. Today it signed an agreement to acquire Advanced Academics Inc., a venture-backed provider of online education for high school. AAI's clients include virtual high schools formed by school districts and as charters as well as traditional "bricks and mortar" public schools who employ online courses to supplement their own teaching and learning capacity.

I bring this transaction to readers' attention because of previous edbizbuzz postings about "virtual EMO" (Education Management Organization) K12's proposed initial public offering, an opportunity I have not embraced.

Continue reading "What DeVry's Entry into Online High Schools Means for Virtual EMO K12" »

Posted by Dean Millot at 6:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

In the course of preparing the “catch up” issue of School Improvement Industry Provider Announcements (the monthly publication takes a vacation in August), I was surprised at the number of investments that took place in July and August. Going back to July revealed even more transactions. Investment bankers did a lot more business in the sector than they have for a while.

Continue reading "A Busy Summer for Investment Bankers and Lawyers" »

Posted by Dean Millot at 12:05 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)