Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs launch Imagine K12, a start-up incubator for ed-tech companies
New vehicle to aid high-tech startups focusing on K-12 education
Palo Alto, CA. March 17, 2011 – Three veteran Silicon Valley entrepreneurs announced the creation today of Imagine K12, an incubator dedicated to the launching of new high-technology companies focused on the K-12 education space. Tim Brady, Alan Louie, and Geoff Ralston are all engineers and entrepreneurs who went on to play key roles in companies like Yahoo!, Netscape, Shutterfly, and Google. The three share a passion for the education space and have launched Imagine K12 in order to help nurture technological innovation in education. Their thesis is that the time has arrived when the educational system in the United States is ready for tools and processes which incorporate the latest technologies and capabilities available in the connected world. And with these innovations can come positive change and, most importantly, improved outcomes for children K-12.
"We believe there is a perfect storm of factors making it the right time to launch our effort," said Alan Louie. "The technology is ready, the infrastructure has been built, there now exists a whole generation of teachers who have grown up with this technology, and the financial downturn has everyone looking to technology as a means to do more with less."
The new incubator was created in close consultation with Paul Graham at Y Combinator, one of the most successful incubators in Silicon Valley history. The founders of Imagine K12 were given extraordinary access to the thinking and processes behind YC and modeled much of Imagine after YC example. Rather than feel competitive towards the new incubator, the startup gurus at YC felt instead that an important niche was being filled. As Paul puts it:
We’re big supporters of this project and have been talking to them about it since the beginning. We’ve told them everything about how YC works and brought them in to observe what we do. ... I’m pretty excited to be able to do anything to help schools, even indirectly. After I watched Waiting for Superman I felt a bit bummed that I was spending all my time working on startups instead of trying to help schools. So I was delighted when an opportunity to help schools by working on startups dropped into my lap.
Imagine K12 intends to create an ecosystem around education which will give new companies in the space every opportunity to succeed. More than cash, mentoring, and advice, the new incubator will forge relationships with schools and platform providers to allow startups access to customer testing in real-life environments as well as ready made distribution vehicles. Imagine's three month program will help companies take their ideas and turn them into compelling products and promising companies.
Entrepreneurs who wish to propose their ideas and companies to Imagine K12 may complete the application which is available starting today at http://www.imaginek12.com/application.html. All applications must be complete and submitted by May 1, 2011. Finalists will be selected during the middle of May and the selected companies will work with Imagine K12 for three months starting June 1.
For more information, visit http://www.imaginek12.com.
About Imagine K12
Imagine K12 is an incubator of start-up companies intending to use technology to create positive change in K-12 education. With its founders' proven start-up, product, company building, and investing expertise, Imagine K12 intends to aid in the creation of companies that will improve outcomes for children and allow those kids to play a much more productive, positive role in the 21st century. The company is headquartered in AOL's Silicon Valley office in Palo Alto, CA.
Contact:
Karen Lien
Imagine K12
395 Page Mill Road
Palo Alto, CA 94306
press@imaginek12.com
New vehicle to aid high-tech startups focusing on K-12 education
Palo Alto, CA. March 17, 2011 – Three veteran Silicon Valley entrepreneurs announced the creation today of Imagine K12, an incubator dedicated to the launching of new high-technology companies focused on the K-12 education space. Tim Brady, Alan Louie, and Geoff Ralston are all engineers and entrepreneurs who went on to play key roles in companies like Yahoo!, Netscape, Shutterfly, and Google. The three share a passion for the education space and have launched Imagine K12 in order to help nurture technological innovation in education. Their thesis is that the time has arrived when the educational system in the United States is ready for tools and processes which incorporate the latest technologies and capabilities available in the connected world. And with these innovations can come positive change and, most importantly, improved outcomes for children K-12.
"We believe there is a perfect storm of factors making it the right time to launch our effort," said Alan Louie. "The technology is ready, the infrastructure has been built, there now exists a whole generation of teachers who have grown up with this technology, and the financial downturn has everyone looking to technology as a means to do more with less."
The new incubator was created in close consultation with Paul Graham at Y Combinator, one of the most successful incubators in Silicon Valley history. The founders of Imagine K12 were given extraordinary access to the thinking and processes behind YC and modeled much of Imagine after YC example. Rather than feel competitive towards the new incubator, the startup gurus at YC felt instead that an important niche was being filled. As Paul puts it:
We’re big supporters of this project and have been talking to them about it since the beginning. We’ve told them everything about how YC works and brought them in to observe what we do. ... I’m pretty excited to be able to do anything to help schools, even indirectly. After I watched Waiting for Superman I felt a bit bummed that I was spending all my time working on startups instead of trying to help schools. So I was delighted when an opportunity to help schools by working on startups dropped into my lap.
Imagine K12 intends to create an ecosystem around education which will give new companies in the space every opportunity to succeed. More than cash, mentoring, and advice, the new incubator will forge relationships with schools and platform providers to allow startups access to customer testing in real-life environments as well as ready made distribution vehicles. Imagine's three month program will help companies take their ideas and turn them into compelling products and promising companies.
Entrepreneurs who wish to propose their ideas and companies to Imagine K12 may complete the application which is available starting today at http://www.imaginek12.com/application.html. All applications must be complete and submitted by May 1, 2011. Finalists will be selected during the middle of May and the selected companies will work with Imagine K12 for three months starting June 1.
For more information, visit http://www.imaginek12.com.
About Imagine K12
Imagine K12 is an incubator of start-up companies intending to use technology to create positive change in K-12 education. With its founders' proven start-up, product, company building, and investing expertise, Imagine K12 intends to aid in the creation of companies that will improve outcomes for children and allow those kids to play a much more productive, positive role in the 21st century. The company is headquartered in AOL's Silicon Valley office in Palo Alto, CA.
Contact:
Karen Lien
Imagine K12
395 Page Mill Road
Palo Alto, CA 94306
press@imaginek12.com
