A

Power Law company profile

AltSchool

Edtech · San Francisco, United States · Founded 2013

Originally established in 2013, AltSchool was the brainchild of former Google executive Max Ventilla, who, along with co-founder Bharat Mediratta, sought to redefine K-8 education. Ventilla's journey began with a desire to create a learning environment for his own child that could adapt to individual needs and a rapidly changing world. This vision materialized as a network of technology-driven micro-schools in locations like San Francisco, Palo Alto, and Brooklyn. The initial business model centered on operating these private lab schools, which also served as real-world testing grounds for its proprietary software. Tuition fees from enrolled students, which could be as high as $27,500, were the primary revenue source. The company's core offering was a personalized learning platform that provided students with daily "playlists" of lessons and projects tailored to their individual learning styles and goals. This platform collected and analyzed student progress data, using even in-classroom cameras and microphones, to provide teachers and parents with detailed insights to optimize the educational experience. Attracting significant attention from Silicon Valley investors, the company raised over $176 million from backers including the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and Peter Thiel's Founders Fund. Despite the substantial funding, the model of running physical schools proved challenging and costly. This led to a strategic pivot, shifting focus from opening new schools to licensing its sophisticated educational technology platform to other institutions, including public, private, and charter schools. This move introduced a recurring revenue stream from software licensing fees. In 2019, the company underwent a significant transformation, rebranding to Altitude Learning and signaling a formal break from its school-operating origins. The co-founders, Ventilla and Mediratta, stepped back from their daily operational roles to serve on the board, handing over leadership to seasoned educators Ben Kornell and Devin Vodicka. Concurrently, the operation of its remaining lab schools was transferred to Higher Ground Education, an operator of Montessori schools. The business then concentrated on enhancing and selling its software platform and providing professional development services to a network of partner schools. In a final evolution, Altitude Learning sold its learning management system software to Higher Ground Education in 2021, transforming into what is described as a technology-enabled service organization focused on education consulting and redesigning instructional models for schools and districts. Keywords: personalized learning, edtech, learning management system, K-8 education, venture capital, education software, Altitude Learning, micro-schools, education consulting, student-centered learning