Founder & CEO : Aaron Feuer

Venture name : Panorama Education (Learning Analytics)

 Venture Description :

Panorama Education is a company providing data analysis solutions for K-12 to more than 4000 schools. By analyzing the feedback from various stakeholders, it helps schools in improving teaching, increasing student and parent engagement, attracting and retaining great teachers, and fostering a positive campus culture. Panorama Education provides an end to end solution right from design of surveys, administration, report, analysis and follow up. Apart form these, it also provides implementation consultation, technical assistance, and training to the client.

As far as the value proposition is concerned, as predicted by most of the EdTech Surveys, learning analytics is going to hit it big in 2014. So Panorama Education is a right company at the right time. The point of differentiation for this venture is that it is built specifically for educators and is customizable district by district. It is the first to include all the stakeholders of a district on one integrated platform.

Aaron Feuer – Biography :

A Yale Graduate in Political Science and Global Affairs in 2013. Aaron, who began to code from grade 4, also brings with him, extensive experience as a web developer and programmer in projects ranging from a desktop widget app for Google to album promotion for Madonna to a Facebook app for National Public Radio. Shocked by the fact that of his freshman class of 1600 students, only about 800 graduated, Aaron was motivated to find the  reason for these problems in education. Aaron and his group received a $25,000 grant from the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute (YEI) and other Yale fellowships. They also received $25,000 grant from a YEI pitch competition to build a new analytical system which is now Panorama Education. He also served as the President of the California Association of Student Councils.

His LinkdIn profile also states that he was an intern for the U.S.  House of Foreign Affairs, Head page for the US Senate and Legal Assistant for Bet Tzedek Legl Services (a non Profit). According to me Aaron’s success comes from his vision developed partly because of the various roles he played – both for the Government and the Non Profits, his leadership in taking initiative for the problem that motivated him, his multi skilled personality (Political Science, Global affairs and computers). Also I think working with the government system as an intern helped him understand the nitty grtties of the system and also make the right contacts. The fact that Panorma Education worked with big names like Los Angeles Unified School District and Connecticut State Department of Education might have some links to this. Reaching out to 4000 schools across 26 states might not have been possible otherwise

Team members:

His team seems to consist mostly of Yale graduates – with fellow Yale graduate – Xan Tanner and David Carel – also the co founder of the Venture, Jessica Cole (Winner of the Yale inventor Challenge) . Mark Zuckerberg also invested $4 million dollar in the Panorma Education – which is a big name to be associated with. Also Ashton Kutcher is one of the investors. The investor list includes people who have been part of many successful ventures like skype, Flipboard, Chegg so there is a good possibility that the venture does well.

Personal Reflections:

My most important take aways have been the following –

1. There has to be a correct time for the venture launch – every technology has one

2. Passion to solve a problem will take you a long way.

3. Having a hollistic understanding /vision and the right contacts are necessary.

More information:

https://angel.co/panorama-education

https://www.panoramaed.com/

http://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronfeuer

www.haikulearning.com Haiku Learning offers cloud-based content, creation and sharing. Users are able to create websites, share information, manage on-line group projects, create e-portfolios and facilitate group discussion. Haiku learning partners with many other educational leaders to enhance their work, such as Google Apps for Education, Intelligent Papers and Jigsaw Meeting. Their goal is to improve learning and education by creating a digital framework to support students, teachers and school divisions. Harmony, simplicity and community are the elements used to customize support. Founders : Bryan Rafael Falcon is Co-Founder and CEO of Haiku Learning. His vision for Haiku Learning came as a result of his work as a consultant with various school districts in the United States. He noted that many school boards were dissatisfied with the options available for learning management systems. His innovative and creative facilitated the development of digital learning in an effort to provide a more effective learning management system for students, teachers and school boards. Bryan has a BA in Theatre from Goshen College and a MFA in Directing from Western Illinois University. Allen Angell is Co-Founder and President of the Company. While Bryan supports the creative side of the Haiku Learning, Allen is involved with the business development side of the organization. Allen earned a BA in Communication and Business from Goshen College.                                                                                                    Bryan Falcon, Founder & CEO                                                                                                         Allen Angell, Founder & President Team: According to their website, their Business Development team consists of eight members, twelve individuals support Client Services, Operations are handled by four staff members and their Product team has fourteen employees. Haiku Learning works with numerous other educational technology companies that complement their product. The process of analyzing educational ventures has enhanced my understanding of the many elements involved in the successful support of a company. In addition, it has given me a better perspective on the opportunities for employment and the fact that I possess many of the attributes necessary for positions such as curriculum development. I have been impressed with the level of education and experience of Board Members and employees of other ventures I researched. Haiku Learning Founders do not possess the same level of educational and professional background as other educational technology companies. Their vision, passion and creativity have driven their ambition and success. I was surprised Google Apps for Education was one of their partners. When reading through the Haiku Learning website, I wondered how their product could provide something unique as I presently am able to perform many of the same functions with my Gmail account. I am interested in signing up for a trial account to assess its value and ability to uniquely support a classroom.

Venture Description

First in Math is a comprehensive online resource for K-8 mathematics. It uses an engaging and interactive game based approach to support mastery and encourage practice. Practice is self-directed and progression based. Learners receive immediate feedback to help develop their problem solving and reasoning skills, building the foundation for algebra in higher grades. The game also uses friendly competition, through ranking and virtual award stickers, to motivate learners. Other key features include the ability for teachers to track student progress and family logins.

The original value appears to lie in the notion that this resource will engage learners to the point where they will want to practice math, just like they would a sport. The First In Math website states that they aim to make math appealing and accessible through a cost-effective instructional tool. Robert Sun also states that his goal is to create a new generation of thinkers.

Founder Bio/Critique

Robert Sun is the founder, chairman, president and chief executive of Suntex International Inc. He has an impressive background that traverses the titles of inventor, engineer, entrepreneur and social activist. His educational background is in electrical engineering and he spent 7 years working as a senior project engineer. He holds a number of US patents and originally developed a successful card based mathematics game, 24 Game. Over 10 million students use his games. Having a varied background he is likely skilled in a number of areas that have proven to benefit his ventures. He has been involved with a number of organizations including the Pennsylvania State Board of Education. He has also won a number of awards including: Asian Entrepreneur of the Year Award (2008) and a US Congressional Medal of Distinction (2008). Based on his community achievements he appears to be a highly self-motivated individual with strong networking connections. The First In Math website describes Sun as a mixture of creativity and technical skills and that he balances the intellectual with the practical. The following statement is found on his website, “a student of Eastern philosophy, Sun believes that we have the power to direct or influence our life energy. He knows that if he thinks positively enough about making something happen, it will.” A philosophy likely shared by many successful entrepreneurs.

It was difficult to find any information about other team members. The only thing I found was that Suntex International Inc. employs 10-19 people. Based on the website and the estimated annual revenue of the company, I suspect that he has assembled a good quality team.

Resources/More Information

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-sun/

http://explore.firstinmath.com/about-fim/robert-sun/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/24_Game

http://www.manta.com/c/mmjbzzp/suntex-international-inc