The Benefit of Student Venture Capitalists for EdTech Founders
By: Kate Gigliotti
STORRS, CT — As a student venture capitalist, facing a founder with more years of experience than years I have been alive can be incredibly intimidating. For me, there are two main points of anxiety that arise as the call begins. The first is the fear that the founder will question my legitimacy as an investor, and the second is a form of imposter syndrome. As I explored these feelings further, I realized that on the other side of the call, the founder, may be experiencing uncertainties of their own. Founders work around the clock pitching their product and passion to investors, most of whom are 10 years out of the academia world. My team and I, however, offer an invaluable perspective as current college students.
Hillside Ventures analysts, specifically in the EdTech vertical, are often the target market segment for many products we get pitched. We are able to use our current experience to gauge the potential of the product, by personally deciding the magnitude of the problem that is being solved or offering advice to the founder to make the product more intriguing to ourselves or peers. Trends such as digitalization, gamification, and AI learning have directly impacted our learning experience. These very learning models can feel foreign to those who did not grow up with them.
Additionally, we have experienced academia before, during, and after the pandemic. Learning through the pandemic is an experience most founders and established venture capitalists cannot share. We can communicate insight on how our learning styles and preferences have changed, as well as changes we wish would be made. If a founder values their mission and can eliminate underlying marketing myopia, they will take our feedback and directly apply it to their models.
All in all, EdTech, the industry of educational technology that strives to deliver effective solutions to all involved in academics including students, parents, teachers, etc., is a difficult space to navigate as a founder. The market is highly saturated, which poses a large challenge to startups trying to gain and retain traction. A deal with a student venture capitalist not only serves as a strict business investment, but instead it can be considered a component of research and development to better understand the products target audience’s needs and demands.