Week in Edtech 1/15/2025: LA School Fires, ChatGPT's To-Do's & Reminders Feature, PowerSchool Data Breach, $175M for Element451, Student Loan Forgiveness, and More! Feat. Emily Lai of Pearson, Dominik Kovacs of Colossyan and Adele Smolansky of AI-Learners

Edtech Insiders

Send us a text

Happy New Year! Welcome to the first Week in EdTech episode of 2025! Join hosts Ben Kornell and guest co-host Matt Tower as they dive into the biggest stories shaping the education technology landscape, from AI innovations to major edtech funding and cybersecurity challenges.
✨ Episode Highlights:

[00:03:16] 🌐 OpenAI introduces a feature enabling ChatGPT to handle reminders and to-dos.
[00:05:04] 🔥 LA schools face closures and damage as wildfires disrupt education.
[00:22:54] 🔐 PowerSchool data breach exposes student and staff data, raising cybersecurity concerns.
[00:29:55] 🎓 $4.2 billion in student loans canceled for 150,000 borrowers under Biden’s plan.
[00:41:44] 💼 Element451 secures $175M for its AI-first CRM and student engagement platform.
Plus, special guests:

[00:44:22] 🎙️ Emily Lai, VP of Learning Impact Measurement at Pearson, discusses how AI tools improve study habits & learning outcomes and the Pearson end-of-year AI report.
[00:56:15] 🎙️ Adele Smolansky, CEO of AI-Learners, explains how AI Learners is enhancing accessibility in education.
[01:06:42] 🎙️ Dominik Mate Kovacs, CEO at Colossyan, explores the future of AI-driven video and personalized learning.

😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders!

• Follow our Podcast on:
  • Apple Podcasts
  • Spotify
  • Amazon Music
• Sign up for the Edtech Insiders newsletter.
• Follow Edtech Insiders on LinkedIn!

🎉 Presenting Sponsor:

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.

فصول

1. Week in Edtech 1/15/2025: LA School Fires, ChatGPT's To-Do's & Reminders Feature, PowerSchool Data Breach, $175M for Element451, Student Loan Forgiveness, and More! Feat. Emily Lai of Pearson, Dominik Kovacs of Colossyan and Adele Smolansky of AI-Learners (00:00:00)

2. 🌐 OpenAI introduces a feature enabling ChatGPT to handle reminders and to-dos. (00:03:34)

3. 🔥 LA schools face closures and damage as wildfires disrupt education.
 (00:05:22)

4. 🔐 PowerSchool data breach exposes student and staff data, raising cybersecurity concerns. (00:23:35)

5. 🎓 $4.2 billion in student loans canceled for 150,000 borrowers under Biden’s plan. (00:30:36)

6. 💼 Element451 secures $175M for its AI-first CRM and student engagement platform. (00:42:25)

7. 🎙️ Emily Lai, VP of Learning Impact Measurement at Pearson, discusses how AI tools improve study habits and learning outcomes. (00:45:03)

8. 🎙️ Adele Smolansky, CEO of AI-Learners, explains how AI Learners is enhancing accessibility in education. (00:56:56)

9. 🎙️ Dominik Mate Kovacs, CEO at Colossyan, explores the future of AI-driven video and personalized learning. (01:07:23)