
Imagine K12 Graduates Its First Class of Ed-Tech Startups - audreyw
http://www.hackeducation.com/2011/09/14/imagine-k12-graduates-its-first-class-of-ed-tech-startups/#.TnDdeSZSM90.hackernews
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japhyr
I love this idea, because there is so much room for improvement in the field
of ed tech. There are some pretty interesting questions to answer, many of
which are a mix of social/ business/ ethical/ technical considerations. For
example, we have a huge gap in access to educational resources. I would hate
to see ed tech startups widen this gap.

US government funding is $800bn, so obviously there is a pool of money
available to effective innovators. But this brings into question the issue of
how much profit to aim for, and how to ensure equitable access to new
technologies.

How should ed tech startups approach trying to find a balance between
maximizing profit, and while maintaining equitable access to their product?
One thought I had was to aim for a distribution between pay-in-full access,
discounted access (in price only, not in features), and free access - this
distribution should align with a society's income distribution somehow.

Is this issue being addressed at all?

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ericmsimons
As a part of the Imagine K12 cohort announced here, I can tell you that this
issue is being addressed. It varies from company to company, but overall we're
trying new ways to monetize and close the gap.

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japhyr
Can you offer any links to a discussion of the issue, or how it is being
approached by different startups?

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wccrawford
I love the thought of encouraging better education, especially through
technology, but I have to wonder if that's a wide enough base to support the
incubator? It seems a rather narrow vision.

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ig1
US Government spending on education this year (at local/state/federal levels)
is $800bn, how big a market do you want ?

Saying education is a small market is saying healthcare or defence is a small
market.

ImagineK12 isn't even the only education incubator, there's also Startl based
out of NY.

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streeter
There is also the large markets of tutoring and online learning. Not to
mention the huge market that is higher education.

