Why Flashy Valuations Fail in EdTech: Juan Zavala of NMVP on Sustainable Growth

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Juan Zavala joined New Markets Venture Partners in 2019 and is a Partner. He is responsible for sourcing, evaluating, and executing new investment opportunities as well as supporting existing portfolio companies and firm operations. He serves as a Board Director for Brains and Motion Education, Nexford University, and CreatorUp, and as a Board Observer for App Academy, BetterLesson, Censia, Climb Credit, Concentric Educational Solutions, Datapeople, Motimatic, and Regent Education. He is also actively involved with Mantra Health and Acceleration Academies.

💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:

1. Why sustainable, capital-efficient growth beats flashy valuations in education technology.
2. How NMVP evaluates impact and efficacy before making investments.
3. The challenges and strategies of scaling edtech companies within slow-moving educational systems.
4. Why aligning incentives across stakeholders—from district leaders to entrepreneurs—is key to success.
5. How AI fits into edtech’s future and why infrastructure partnerships may outlast flashy standalone tools.

✨ Episode Highlights:

[00:02:18] From private equity to impact investing in edtech
[00:04:52] Only 15% of the U.S. is well-served by education—huge market gap
[00:05:51] Balancing mission and money in edtech investing
[00:11:30] Why VC might not be right for every founder
[00:16:36] Insights from NMVP portfolio companies like Nexford and BetterLesson
[00:27:22] CreatorUp as a case study in workforce and content innovation
[00:36:37] The importance of aligning with existing school infrastructure
[00:42:54] AI in edtech: picks and shovels, not gold rushes
[00:48:12] Why most edtech exits fall below $300M
[00:54:23] Creating shared success across founders and investors

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🎉 Presenting Sponsor/s:

This season of Edtech Insiders is brought to you by Starbridge. Every year, K-12 districts and higher ed institutions spend over half a trillion dollars—but most sales teams miss the signals. Starbridge tracks early signs like board minutes, budget drafts, and strategic plans, then helps you turn them into personalized outreach—fast. Win the deal before it hits the RFP stage. That’s how top edtech teams stay ahead.

This season of Edtech Insiders is once again brought to you by Tuck Advisors, the M&A firm for EdTech companies. Run by serial entrepreneurs with over 25 years of experience founding, investing in, and selling companies, Tuck believes you deserve M&A advisors who work as hard as you do.

Chapters

1. Why Flashy Valuations Fail in EdTech: Juan Zavala of NMVP on Sustainable Growth (00:00:00)

2. From private equity to impact investing in edtech (00:02:49)

3. Only 15% of the U.S. is well-served by education—huge market gap (00:05:23)

4. Balancing mission and money in edtech investing (00:06:22)

5. Why VC might not be right for every founder (00:12:01)

6. Insights from NMVP portfolio companies like Nexford and BetterLesson (00:17:07)

7. CreatorUp as a case study in workforce and content innovation (00:28:16)

8. The importance of aligning with existing school infrastructure (00:37:31)

9. AI in edtech: picks and shovels, not gold rushes (00:43:48)

10. Why most edtech exits fall below $300M (00:49:06)

11. Creating shared success across founders and investors (00:55:17)