Welcome to The Wire. Each month, we’ll deliver fresh insights into the world of learning, health, and work — combining news and data we’re tracking, perspectives from our team, and updates from our portfolio. Subscribe for the latest.

The best conversations are sometimes ones where you talk less and listen more. In today's post-pandemic education landscape, where districts are stretched thin and wary of empty promises, the art of active listening has never mattered more.

For all founders — in edtech, and elsewhere — establishing trust and credibility from the get-go has never been more important. This often starts with the sales discovery call.

Having reviewed dozens of such calls and feedback from buyers and sellers about their experience, our Partner Steve Kupfer created this tipsheet for the dos and don’ts during sales discovery conversations. Don’t rush to fill the silence. Resist the impulse to jump to a demo. Let them do the talking. Elevate the prospect, and deeply understand their (often thankless) jobs.

Done well, this approach not only unlocks immediate business opportunities but builds the foundation of knowledge needed to scale your sales function effectively.

Congratulations to Lovevery, Winnie and WorkWhile on getting named to the 2025 Inc 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America.

Campus has partnered with “The Big Aristotle” to launch the Shaq Scholar Program, a full-tuition merit scholarship for its online associate’s program with professors from top universities.

Coral Care’s State of Pediatric Development 2025 report shines a light on the gaps in early childhood support, which founder and CEO Jennifer Wirt has been sharing in local DC media and magazines. 

GPTZero, the AI detection leader, is now expanding its product suite to help people write better and more responsibly with A.I. “We want to make GPTZero the de facto tool for teachers — writing professors, science professors, essay instructors — to help students learn how to write and cite academic work,” says co-founder and CEO Edward Tian. 

Innovamat co-founder and CEO Andreu Dotti Boada received The Princess of Girona Award, given each year by Spain’s royal family to young entrepreneurs making social impact. Check out the award highlight video featuring their work in math education (in Spanish).

Seesaw CEO Matt Given chats with Whiteboard Advisors about its international aspirations with its latest move: acquiring Little Thinking Minds, a Jordan-based Arabic literacy company.

A behind-the-scenes look at WorkWhile’s internal AI “operations agent” that mirrors how marketplace ops teams work to match workers with job shifts.

Chatting with a bot is so 2024. Yet as AI enters classrooms, many tools still focus on solo experiences: a student alone with a screen. The real question: Can AI enhance not just individual learning, but the social dynamics that make great classrooms work?

Curipod is proving it can. What stood out to us about the lesson delivery and student engagement platform was how it enriches classrooms around peer learning and collaborative activities. Rather than replacing human interaction, it amplifies it through Nordic pedagogy that celebrates student voice and agency. It’s why we invested back in 2023.

Now serving 12 million students, Curipod is demonstrating how AI can transform classroom dynamics while delivering concrete learning gains. The evidence spans the globe:

While early studies are promising, these results point to something bigger: AI that strengthens rather than substitutes the social fabric of learning and teaching.

For over a decade, Emily Oster has helped millions feel smarter about pregnancy, parenting, and data-driven decisions. Her superpower: Translating research into stories that inform, build confidence, and reduce stress.

Last month, the renowned writer, economist and now founder of ParentData shared her guiding principles for data storytelling on an AMA with the Reach community:

If you’re building solutions to move the needle on these figures, or in other areas across learning, health, and work, we’d love to hear from you!

DEGREE OF UNCERTAINTY: At 6%, the unemployment rate among young U.S. men with a bachelor’s degree is now higher than those without. Young women with a bachelor’s are still more likely to be employed than those without, as job opportunities continue to grow in health care, a largely female profession.

MISTRUST ON THE MENU: 62% of consumers don’t trust health claims from food companies. Suspicious of “healthwashing,” 69% are more likely to buy from brands that prioritize health across their entire product lineup, not just a single product. 

SOFT SKILLS, HARD TRUTHS: Conscientiousness — being dependable and disciplined — is correlated with personal and career success. Yet this trait — along with trust, extroversion and agreeableness — is declining among young adults, while neuroticism rises. One culprit: digital distractions and the alluring conveniences of the online world that “make real-life commitments feel messy and effortful.”

(NOT) BACK TO SCHOOL: Nearly 1 in 4 U.S. K-12 students missed 10% or more of school days in 2024. Although this “chronic absenteeism” rate has come down since the pandemic, high-achieving and affluent students are skipping school more than before. Even “moderate absenteeism” is increasing.

SCHOOL SHAKE-DOWN: Ransomware attacks against schools, colleges and universities rose 23% year over year in the first half of 2025, with an average ransom demand of $556,000. Education is the fourth most targeted industry, after business, government and healthcare.

Big moves start with bold clicks. Where will you go next?

There are 629 job openings across the Reach portfolio. Check them out here.