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Future of Learning & Work

Future of Learning & Work

By Spencer Kier

Interviewing the people and companies building the next generation of education, training, and work.

Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/SP1NS1R.
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#2 Michael Ioffe - Bite-Sized Education, Social Impact & Reducing Learner Friction

Future of Learning & WorkJan 26, 2021

00:00
40:28
#21 Danielle Strachman - The Thiel Fellowship & Investing in People

#21 Danielle Strachman - The Thiel Fellowship & Investing in People

This week’s guest is Danielle Strachman. Danielle co-founded the Thiel Fellowship & 1517 Fund. She and I talk about the fellowship and what she would do differently if starting today, philanthropic vs. capitalist approaches to investing, and much more.

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Apr 15, 202235:55
#20 Brian Flynn - Learning & Earning in the Metaverse

#20 Brian Flynn - Learning & Earning in the Metaverse

This week’s guest is Brian Flynn, co-founder & CEO of Rabbithole. Rabbithole helps people navigate the crypto Rabbithole and earn tokens & build reputation while doing it.

Brian and I talk about how crypto is redefining learning & work, how to sift through the noise, Rabbithole’s new Pathfinder program, & more.


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Jul 08, 202132:15
#19 Romeen Sheth - Rethinking Education & Work From First Principles

#19 Romeen Sheth - Rethinking Education & Work From First Principles

This week’s guest is Romeen Sheth. Romeen is President of Metasys, which helps organizations with attracting, engaging, & retaining top talent.

Romeen & I talk about shifts towards flexible work, using first principles & incentive alignment to fix education, angel investing, and the future of learning & work in India.

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Jun 30, 202144:12
#18 Tess Manning - GSV Ventures & Workforce Development

#18 Tess Manning - GSV Ventures & Workforce Development

This week’s guest is Tess Manning, Principal Investor at GSV Ventures. GSV Ventures is multi-stage fund investing in “PreK - Gray”.

Tess and I talk about GSV’s theses & the state of venture capital in the space, opportunities in workforce development, and more.

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Jun 23, 202138:26
#17 Megan O'Connor - Chegg, Higher Ed, & Continuous Skilling

#17 Megan O'Connor - Chegg, Higher Ed, & Continuous Skilling

This week's guest is Megan O'Connor, Head of Strategic Partnerships at Chegg.

We talk about Chegg's efforts around up-skilling & re-skilling, high level questions about the future of education & work, & more.

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Jun 15, 202131:14
#16 Andrew Sutherland - Memorization, Meta-Learning, & Raising the Status of Teachers

#16 Andrew Sutherland - Memorization, Meta-Learning, & Raising the Status of Teachers

This week’s guest is Andrew Sutherland, founder of Quizlet.

Andrew and I talk about building Quizlet, teaching "Learning" at MIT, tools for thought, raising the status of teachers, & more.

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May 26, 202141:08
#15 Genevieve Ryan Bellaire - Realworld, Practical Education, & Navigating Adulthood

#15 Genevieve Ryan Bellaire - Realworld, Practical Education, & Navigating Adulthood

This week’s guest is Genevieve Ryan Bellaire, founder & CEO of Realworld. Realworld is a platform, marketplace, & community for navigating adulthood & life’s big moments.

Genevieve and I talk about the lack of practical education post-college, how they're solving the problem, their vision, & more.


Follow me on Twitter (@SP1NS1R) & subscribe to my email list (flw.carrd.co).

May 19, 202128:40
#14 Alberto Arenaza - Helping Future of Learning & Work Founders Have an Impact

#14 Alberto Arenaza - Helping Future of Learning & Work Founders Have an Impact

This week’s guest is Alberto Arenaza, co-founder of Transcend Network. Transcend offers a fellowship for early-stage founders building in the future of learning and work (FLW).

Alberto and I talk about being in the first graduating class of Minerva, what Transcend is doing, and the big problems in FLW.

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Apr 14, 202143:25
#13 Damian Brychcy - Colossus and Mapping Business & Investing Knowledge

#13 Damian Brychcy - Colossus and Mapping Business & Investing Knowledge

This week's guest is Damian Brychcy, CEO of Colossus. Colossus was born out of Patrick O'Shaughnessy's podcasts, and it's on a mission to create and curate the world's best information on business and investing. Damian and I discuss curiosity, mapping knowledge, the vision of Colossus, & more.

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Apr 06, 202135:15
#12 Ana Fabrega & Chrisman Frank - Learning via Games, Problem Solving, & First Principles

#12 Ana Fabrega & Chrisman Frank - Learning via Games, Problem Solving, & First Principles

This week I have two guests from Synthesis: co-founder and CEO, Chrisman Frank, as well as Chief Evangelist, Ana Fabrega. Synthesis is a weekly enrichment program where students learn through "simulations".

Synthesis was born out of Ad Astra, a school started by Elon Musk and Josh Dahn for students of SpaceX employees.

We talk about the value of games in learning, why “how” you learn is more important than “what”, & more.

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Mar 30, 202139:18
#11 Raj Kunkolienkar - Education in India & The Power of the Internet

#11 Raj Kunkolienkar - Education in India & The Power of the Internet

This week's guest is Raj Kunkolienkar, co-founder of Stoa School. Stoa is an alternative MBA program in India. Raj & I talk about the Indian education system and labor market, the power of the internet, & more.

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Mar 24, 202143:06
#10 Victoria Ransom - Prisma & Connected Learning

#10 Victoria Ransom - Prisma & Connected Learning

This week's guest is Victoria Ransom, co-founder & CEO of Prisma. Prisma is a connected learning platform for 4th-8th graders. Victoria and I talk about the idea of connected learning, Prisma’s philosophy, uncommon yet common sense approaches to learning, & more.

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Mar 17, 202146:30
#9 Ryan Delk - Homeschooling & Redefining Learning

#9 Ryan Delk - Homeschooling & Redefining Learning

This week I talk with Ryan Delk, co-founder and CEO of Primer.

Primer is building tools for homeschooling. We talk about the misconceptions & advantages of homeschooling, Ryan’s own homeschooling experience, interest & community-driven learning, and much, much more.

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Mar 09, 202147:48
#8 Wes Kao - All Things Cohort-Based Courses

#8 Wes Kao - All Things Cohort-Based Courses

Wes Kao is a co-founder of a new cohort-based course (CBC) platform. We talk about all things CBCs, her insights and best practices from launching several programs, her own educational experiences, & more.

Follow Spencer Kier on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SP1NS1R.

Mar 02, 202139:44
#7 Ish Baid - Democratizing Teaching & The Importance of Community

#7 Ish Baid - Democratizing Teaching & The Importance of Community

Ish Baid is the CEO and founder of Virtually. Virtually is the Shopify for online courses and schools. Ish and I talk about universities, democratizing teaching, the importance of community, & more.

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Feb 23, 202118:50
#6 Amy Molk - Edutainment & Redefining Screen Time

#6 Amy Molk - Edutainment & Redefining Screen Time

Amy Molk is founder and CEO of Beanstalk. Beanstalk hosts live shows online where kids help shape the story & characters. We talk about live shows, edutainment, screen time, & more.

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Feb 19, 202122:44
#5 Ruben Harris - Breaking Into Tech & Unlocking Human Capital

#5 Ruben Harris - Breaking Into Tech & Unlocking Human Capital

Ruben Harris is the co-founder and CEO of Career Karma. Career Karma bills itself as the easiest way to find a job training program online. In this conversation we discuss breaking into tech, career matchmaking, unlocking human capital, & more.

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Feb 16, 202139:12
#4 Austen Allred - Bootcamps, Early Childhood Education, & Optimizing Employment

#4 Austen Allred - Bootcamps, Early Childhood Education, & Optimizing Employment

Austen Allred is the co-founder and CEO of Lambda School. Lambda is one of the leading software engineering bootcamps. In this conversation we touch on bootcamps, universities, early childhood education, optimizing employment, & the power of Twitter.

Follow Spencer Kier on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SP1NS1R.

Feb 09, 202131:03
#3 Kelly Smith - Microschools & Putting Learners First

#3 Kelly Smith - Microschools & Putting Learners First

Kelly Smith is the founder and CEO of Prenda. Prenda helps launch in-home micro schools by providing curriculum, equipment, supplies and ongoing support.

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Feb 03, 202138:53
#2 Michael Ioffe - Bite-Sized Education, Social Impact & Reducing Learner Friction

#2 Michael Ioffe - Bite-Sized Education, Social Impact & Reducing Learner Friction

Michael Ioffe is the co-founder and CEO of Arist, a text message-based course platform. Michael also founded TILE.org which makes in-person conversations with leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs accessible to everyone.

Follow Spencer Kier on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SP1NS1R.

Jan 26, 202140:28
#1 John Danner - EdTech Investing, Trends & Opportunities

#1 John Danner - EdTech Investing, Trends & Opportunities

John Danner is the general partner of Dunce Capital, which makes pre-seed investments in the "future of learning and work". John has a wide range of experience in technology and education. Having started in Silicon Valley in the late eighties, then pivoting to education in the early two thousands and building three companies along the way (NetGravity, Zeal Learning & Rocketship Education).

Follow Spencer Kier on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SP1NS1R.

Jan 19, 202140:51