GSV Impact

For over 25 years, our North Star has been that ALL people deserve equal access to the future.
GSV Ventures seeks to partner with transformative companies and entrepreneurs democratizing quality education and knowledge.

Who We Are

GSV’s founders have been working together for over 25 years. Their focus in education innovation dates back to 1996, when GSV co-founder Michael Moe published the seminal white paper “Dawn of the Age of Knowledge” and predicted how the growing knowledge economy and the emergence of internet would come to transform how ALL people learn. Since then, GSV has been at the center of the education sector’s global transformation and invested in over 100 digital learning companies. GSV also co-founded the ASU+GSV Summit in partnership with Arizona State University, which has become the sector’s leading event convening over 25,000 global leaders over the last 15 years.

Over the last two decades, GSV has published 10+ sector white papers, convened over 25,000 global sector leaders, and invested in 100+ digital learning companies.

25 Years of Impact

Over the last two decades, GSV has published 10+ sector white papers, convened over 25,000 global sector leaders, and invested in 100+ digital learning companies.

Where We Invest

Thesis-Driven Investing In Learning From Pre-K to Gray

Hollywood Meets
Harvard

Engagement is critical to learning. Deeply engaging learning experiences will capture the quality and story-telling of Hollywood.

Robo-Ed

Use of modern AI/ML technologies to radically democratize access and accelerate learning and teaching.

Invisible Learning

Learning that is subtly and authentically infused into play and other activities.

Education as an Export

Shift toward “borderlessness” with international entrepreneurs increasingly driving global demand.

Employers as 4th Education System

Educating employees has benefits beyond closing skills gaps — attracting better talent, higher employee retention and more.

Weapons of Mass Instruction

Unprecedented scale now achievable thanks to global access to the internet, computers, and mobile phones.

Identifying “Stars of Tomorrow”

Developed by Michael Moe and GSV, our “5P’s Framework” offers a systematic and repeatable tool to identify the most transformational companies and teams — those with the most differentiated People, Product, Potential, Predictability, and Purpose.

People

Passionate and vision-driven founders
Experience and reputation of the founding team, advisors, clients, board, etc.
Ability to recruit and develop talent, hiring and compensation philosophies, management equity
Strategic strengths

Product

Disruptive products
Bet on innovators, not imitators - What’s the claim to fame?
Market share. What is it, and is it trending up or down?
Offer better products (along with higher and more sustainable margins or stronger and more visible growth)
Can this be a one-of-a-kind company?

Potential

“How big can this opportunity be?”
Large addressable markets or nascent growth opportunities with open-ended growth
Avoid companies experiencing the headwinds of “mega-trends” or secular shifts that lead to a shrinking market opportunity

Predictability

Are operating results predictable, and is there a path to achieve profitable economic scaling?
For those companies that have begun to monetize, are there recurring revenues, or is there a formula that produces predictable returns?
Do they gain operating leverage as they continue to achieve economies of scale?

Purpose

Delivering a high Return on Education or “ROE”: lowering cost, increasing access, improving outcomes, and/or driving leverage for learning leaders
Clear mission or north star that the team collectively strives towards
Have a passion for the problem they are solving and steers the culture toward finding the optimal solution

Measuring Impact (Return on Education)

Throughout the investment cycle, we look for and monitor a company’s “Return on Education”. We believe those with the
highest ROE will ultimately be the most successful. Specifically, we look at a company’s impact on cost, access, learner
outcomes, and the leverage they provide for learning leaders

Impact is deeply aligned with our mission of creating equal opportunity for all. We also believe over the long term that the
best-performing companies will be those with the strongest “Return on Education”. Evaluating a business’s real or potential
impact is a critical part of our company filtering and diligence. GSV analyzes Return on Education across five areas:

When companies deliver on ROE they…

Lower Costs
Increase Access
Improve Outcomes
Leverage to Learning Leader

…and they do it at scale

Our Portfolio at a Glance

Companies

450M+

Learners Served

Capital Raised

27%

of invested Capital
into Female Founded
Companies

57%

of Invested Capital
into POC Founded
Companies

190

Countries Represented

Portfolio Company Highlights

Learn More

April 17-19, 2023

April 17-19, 2023

GSV Impact

Who We Are

25 Years of Impact

Over the last two decades, GSV has published 10+ sector white papers, convened over 25,000 global sector leaders, and invested in 100+ digital learning companies.

Where We Invest