Where Does the Money Go? Venture Capital and the Future of Learning

Founder and Executive Chairman of Educraftor, education innovation consultancy (https://educraftor.com) former and current clients are: the Ministry of Education and culture in Finland, Ministry of Education and Research in Estonia, Foundation Innove Estonia, National Agency of Education in Finland, 40% of all Finnish Teacher Training Schools (Universities), Erasmus+ Innovation projects, the European Commission, Microsoft (Education), startups, municipalities, cities and UNESCO Education.

Educraftor drives the #evolutionofeducation as its core mission through #craftogogy and the Educraftor Learning Ecosystem Framework.

Co-Founder and CEO
Teach Millions, a learning bazaar with 60+ portfolio companies (https://teachmillions.org) Teach Millions is based on 3-pillars: 1. donations and support for education during the pandemic, 2. development aid, 3. a commercial marketplace. Part of the UNESCO Global Education coalition, supporting institutions, especially schools, across the globe with education technology and teacher training solutions. 18 regional and global partnerships.

Founding member and Advisor to the Board
Edtech Finland, the first edtech industry association in Finland (https://edtechfinland.com).

Co-Chair
Nordic Edtech Forum N8, a cross border Nordic (5) Baltic (3), the new Nordics (8), edtech industry association with 140+ companies across all education and learning segments (https://nordicedtechforum.org).

Education Lead
the Global Help Desk, a PCI (People Centered Internet) initiative, connectivity and education innovation ecosystems implementation on a global scale.

Founder and Honorary Member
HUB Turku, co-working and makerspace (1000m2) in Turku, Finland. HUB Turku is located in the middle of Turku Old town on the oldest street still existing and only half a block from the river. It’s an regional innovation platform bringing together everything from robotics and a coding school to graphics freelancers, musicians and psychologists.

Building and orchestrating purpose driven innovation and learning ecosystems across the globe, focusing on large scale strategic and systematic change.

As an experienced consultant for regional development and management systems as well as a coach for team learning, blended learning, phenomenon based learning, education for sustainable development, entrepreneurship education and digitalisation as well as using ICT as tools for and to accelerate learning and innovation.

He implements, together with his team innovation and learning processes, in local and regional organisations as well as in networks, helping them become learning organisations and purpose driven innovation and learning ecosystems.

Peter is a serial venturepreneur (4 companies, 3 NGOs), he has also started a startup program at a university for both students and staff, co-chaired the executive board for a spearhead project for the Ministry of Education in Finland focusing on integrated entrepreneurship education, and is the initiator of three (3) startup hubs.

He has a phenomenal ability to perceive large, complex systems, and finds connections where none are apparent, enabling situations where the sum of two parts are greater than simple addition. He can work on a vision no matter how big and is not afraid to challenge conventional mindsets and the way we work, he brings positive disruption into any process.

Peter's vision is to enable all human beings to fulfil their dreams.

He does this by piecing together learning ecosystems through a plethora of projects with the end goal that together they will make possible an active learning society.

Such a society would be based on dialogue and learning and would support growth, innovation and maturity of all humanity. Learning, earning and thriving together we could easily solve the challenges we face as a human race.

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Kai is Partner and Co-founder of Sparkmind.vc, the 1st Nordic VC firm focused on the learning sector. Sparkmind invest in teams transforming early childhood, K12, higher, secondary and vocational education as well as corporate and lifelong learning. They are focused on Europe, but can also selectively invest outside the region. Our investment sweet spot is from seed to international growth phase with single investments up to €5m.

Nick Kind has worked in strategy, investment, corporate development and digital product management for over 20 years, with the vast majority of his time spent in the education sector. Until mid-2016, Nick was Head of Business Insights for one of the largest media organizations in the world, the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, where he managed a thought leadership, market intelligence and internal strategy consultancy team for the board. His work in learning has covered all age groups from “Pre-K to grey” and a wide range of geographies and contexts across the world.

Previously, Nick imagined, created and managed a series of high-profile and cutting-edge software development companies and projects in education markets across the globe, including co-founding a startup which raised £3m of venture capital in the 2000 “dot-com” boom and survived, executive producing major digital learning projects for the BBC, and putting the Complete Works online for the Arden Shakespeare.

Whenever possible, Nick undertakes projects which seek to create social impact as well as, or instead of, financial return. Nick has worked with investors, family offices, governments, businesses of all sizes, foundations, not-for-profits and charities.

Pro bono, Nick also advises the charities Big Change and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and serves on the advisory board of The Institute of Education’s EDUCATE project. He also acts as a mentor for NHS Clinical Entrepreneurs, and is very proud that he helped the genesis of Big Change’s Reimagining Education Together campaign.

Nick is based in the UK and also a husband & dad; and fan of the outdoors, good food, culture and the world’s diversity.

Hannes Aichmayr is an Associate at Brighteye Ventures, one of the leading Edtech venture capital funds in Europe. Investing at Seed and Series A stages, Hannes helps portfolio companies refine product, build partnerships and scale across geographies. Before joining Brighteye, Hannes worked in strategy consulting with the Boston Consulting Group and worked as a math teacher for 2 years in a middle school in Vienna. Hannes was responsible for the digital education projects of Europe’s largest operative foundation and built and managed an EdTech incubator for the Austrian Government.

Based in the UK, Helen is Director of Ufi Ventures, working with and investing in early-stage technology companies focused on the future of work and skills. Ufi Ventures back businesses developing innovative digital tools to positively transform vocational learning in the workplace, in formal education or learning the skills you need to secure or progress in work. Helen currently sits on the board of Learnerbly, Learning Labs and Data Literacy Academy, has been investing in early-stage ventures since 2002, and has focused on impact investing since 2016.

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Maria is Co-CEO of HolonIQ, the world's leading platform for impact intelligence. HolonIQ’s intelligence platform is shaping the global impact economy, accelerating social and economic outcomes around the world. Prior to HolonIQ, Maria led digital learning futures for a global education company, envisioning new futures for education through investment and research into the future of learning.

Maria has worked in public and private higher education for over 20 years in the APAC region specializing in transforming education through technology. Maria has built and led global innovation teams, driving innovation in curriculum, teaching and the student experience in over 50 countries.

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