Camelback Ventures’ Fellows See Dramatic Uptick in Demand for Tech Services from School Systems Across The Country due to COVID-19
Tech Education ventures answer the virtual distanced learning call
As the COVID-19 public health crisis continues to move forward with no clear end in sight, Camelback Ventures Fellows report they are seeing a significant uptick in demand for their educational tools and services from school systems across the country as back-to-school time for educators, students, and families has arrived.
“Camelback Fellows have been building solutions for a future that was coming, but is here now. This public health crisis has made painfully plain the equity gaps that exist in education. The CEOs we work with have known that this is an issue from day one and are ready to meet the moment,” said Camelback Ventures Founder & CEO Aaron T. Walker.
Below is a list of four ventures led by founders who were each supported by the Camelback Ventures Fellowship and are making positive strides to help schools and school systems adapt to the challenges posed by educating students through the COVID-19 pandemic. These Camelback Fellows and their innovative ventures are offering critical support to schools, school districts, and families who are facing unprecedented educational obstacles. Many of these entrepreneurs are adapting their business models and offering new services to meet growing demands.
LiftEd is a cloud software company co-founded by Andrew Hill is on a mission to enhance effective, evidence-based practices for diverse learners from early intervention through grade 12+. LiftEd partners with public school districts, non-public alternative schools, and charters to equip school teams by providing a platform that integrates students compliance plans (IEPs, IFSPs, BIPs). It also supports instructional planning and centralizes progress monitoring, behavior management, team, and family collaboration tools for the entire school community. LiftED has introduced new services to meet growing COVID-19 demand with current partnerships extending across four states supporting both learners and professionals.
As a Spanish speaker, Norma Parraz saw a need and launched the Konekti app to help remove the barriers that often hinder parent engagement ultimately impacting student learning and success. The Konekti app is a simple and secure communication tool that connects home and school under one easy access platform. Teachers provide real-time notifications to parents and students to track and provide academic support. The multilingual tool allows families from different backgrounds to be fully engaged in their children’s academic success. Currently used in Arizona and California, Konekti has seen an increase in demand from school districts across the United States.
Kimberly Gray is the Founder & CEO of Universal Video Instructional Interface (Uvii) which is a minority-owned M/WBE certified education technology company based in New York City for distance learning assessment as well as a Learning Management System (LMS) plugin tool for mobile. Now more than ever, educational institutions must prove SLO’s (Student Learning Outcomes) and show the value of their distance-learning programs. Uvii uses a social media style interface and video response tools for education. Before launching Uvii, Gray worked in the film and television industry producing documentaries for HBO and MTV. Working with video for learning was a full circle moment for Gray, the daughter of two Washington, D.C. public school principals.
As coronavirus presents increased workloads for teachers and a pressing need to combat learning losses for students, keeping up with feedback is more important and more difficult than ever. The Graide Network founded by Blair Pircon helps build better writers by providing timely, effective feedback on student writing via a qualified network of online teaching assistants. The Graide Network recently released a new Administrator Dashboard, knowing school administrators would need more tools and information to align teachers and understand student progress. The platform has also rolled out new features to make it easier for teachers to use The Graide Network remotely with students.
“Our fellows are resilient and prepared to move expeditiously into problematic spaces with concrete solutions. These solutions serve to educate and uplift students and families. I am excited to see how our alumni shape the educational landscape during and post-COVID,” said Camelback Ventures Program Director Dr. Charles Corprew.
According to a Color of Change and UnidosUS Survey in May 2020, 45% of Black and Latinx small-business owners, say they will not survive beyond 6 months. Additionally, another survey showed similar devastating statistics, saying 40% of black-owned businesses are not expected to survive the pandemic and nearly a third of nonprofits expect to close within 12 months. Because of the new and evolving landscape with COVID-19 and the challenges that entrepreneurs of color and women face in sustaining their ventures through crisis, Camelback Ventures will offer dedicated support in the aforementioned areas to help alumni continue to meet their venture goals.
Camelback Ventures supports the growth and empowerment of livable communities; our tool of change is entrepreneurship. We provide a rigorous accelerator, known as the Camelback Fellowship, for untapped entrepreneurs tackling these three impact areas: 1) Education, 2) Conscious Tech, and 3) Local Economies. The Camelback Fellowship is a six-month program that supports the development of both founder and venture. Since 2015, Camelback has supported 84 entrepreneurs of color and women (many of whom have been recognized in Forbes 30 Under 30, received fellowships such as Echoing Green and Richards Draper Kaplan, and collectively gone on to raise over $50 million).
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