Companies to Watch: EdTech Founders Powering Next-Gen Learning

Class is in session.

But increasingly, the learning methods used in the class look a bit different from your grandparents’.

The U.S. EdTech market is projected to reach $57.7 billion by 2027. And NYC is in the thick of this EdTech boom:

New York City allocated $350 million for personalized learning tech in 2024.
NYC EdTech startups raised $1.8 billion in 2023, a 30% increase from 2022.
35% of NYC EdTech startups focus on K-12 education, the highest percentage nationwide.
40% of NYC EdTech startups have at least one founder from an underrepresented background.

Plus, each year the city hosts the EdTech Week conference (the next one is this fall!), bringing together the movers and shakers in education and technology.

This month, we spoke with 10 founders from five startups who are transforming education and shaping the future of learning.

For this edition of our Companies to Watch series, meet:

Emily Yudofsky and Stefan Bauer (founders of Marker Learning)
Yusuf Ahmad, Ian Serlin, Narcisa Codreanu, and Wyman Khuu (founders of Playlab.ai)
Olivia Levenson Korchagin (founder of Scientist Maker)
Garrett Smiley (founder of Sora Schools)
Ilya Lyashevsky, PhD and Melissa Cesarano, PhD (founders of ThinkHumanTV)

Marker Learning

“I (Stefan) used to love coming into the city as a kid, and it is a dream come true to be able to build a company based out of New York.”

What does your company do? What problem is it working to solve?
Marker is the trusted platform for special education teams to manage their caseloads and write high quality psychoeducational reports, in a fraction of the time. Marker’s platform empowers school evaluators and special education teams with innovative tools that streamline report-writing, enhance workflow efficiency, and ensure report accuracy. Designed with student privacy and compliance in mind, it simplifies the process while maintaining the highest standards of precision and security.

A question we like to ask every founder – why New York?
Beyond it being the best city in the world, I'm (Stefan) from New Jersey, right across the Hudson! I used to love coming into the city as a kid, and it is a dream come true to be able to build a company based out of New York.

How have your personal experiences with disabilities shaped your vision for Marker Learning?
Stefan: Growing up, I struggled in school and really had a difficult time learning how to read. Teachers told my mom that I'd be lucky to graduate high school, and thankfully, she didn't take that as a valid prognosis and went out and paid thousands of dollars for a learning disability evaluation. I was diagnosed with dyslexia, and from that on, she made it her mission to get me the help I needed.

I was able to get to grade-level reading and go on to Yale and work at McKinsey before starting Marker, but I am fully aware that millions of students don't have access to the incredible support system that I had, and if I were born into another situation, I likely wouldn’t have graduated high school. So Marker's mission is essentially that — to provide the same level of support I received to millions of students who learn differently.

What are your long-term goals for Marker Learning, and how do you envision its role in the broader landscape of EdTech?
We would love to live in a world in which all students have access to best-in-class evaluation and support services. Parents and educators will understand their student’s unique learning DNA and be able to tailor lesson plans and approaches for education accordingly. We believe that is the future of education and plan for Marker to get us there by helping evaluators and special education teams to assess more students and at a higher degree of clinical quality.

If you could wave a magic wand and fix one thing about how learning disabilities are handled in schools, what would it be?
Stefan: I really wish that educators were able to understand the strengths of all of all their students, especially those who think a little bit differently than the general population. My heart breaks for all the students who learn differently but are in an education system that teaches one type of learner. This situation usually causes a lot of self-doubt and anger, and students not meeting their full potential. So I would love for all students to feel understood and inspired at school and be taught in a manner that best suits their needs.

As founders, what are your self-care routines to recharge while still being heads down building a company?
Stefan: Em and I are big fans of working out. I personally love going to Barry's or Rumble or just going for a run along the West Side Highway.

Time for some New York-themed rapid fire questions – where’s your favorite place to grab a slice of pizza in New York?
Bleeker Street pizza — the jalapeno pepperoni is the best slice in the city

Where’s your favorite coffee shop in New York?
11th Street Cafe in the West Village.

Do you have a favorite spot to escape the noise of the city?
Stefan: Early days, when Emily and I were just getting going, we had a small office in the West Village and would always go to James Walker Park with Emily's dog, Pip. Every time I walk by, I think of all the strategy sessions we had there while also playing fetch with Pip.

What’s one piece of advice – that you’ve shared or was shared with you – on building a startup in New York City?
There is such an incredible startup community here. I've met so many amazing founders and investors at networking events, so I would definitely recommend trying to take advantage of those opportunities and putting yourself out there as an early-stage founder in New York.

Playlab.ai

“New York is a hotbed of diversity, ideas, and collaboration — the core ingredients for innovation.”

What does your company do? What problem is it working to solve?
Playlab is a 501c3 nonprofit organization devoted to creating a future where educators and students around the world have the agency to not just use AI, but to shape it. On their terms. As part of a global community working to improve education. They use Playlab to build AI literacy, to create tools that reflect their values and needs and to explore the potential and the risks of AI.

A question we like to ask every founder – why New York?
We love New York! New York is a hotbed of diversity, ideas, and collaboration — the core ingredients for innovation. Playlab embraces innovation and the wonderfully diversely talented people creating it. NYC educators are among the smartest, scrappiest and hardest working people on the planet. To adapt some long-time lyrics: If we can make AI work for educators in NYC, we can make it work for everyone!

What’s been the hardest part about getting teachers and students to start using AI tools — and how have you worked through that?
So. Much. Noise. Not just in New York but everywhere, people feel like they’re drowning in a fire hose of all things AI. Yes, AI offers great promise, and, yes, it also threatens great harm. That’s why we feel so much urgency to help as many educators and students as possible to become critical creators and consumers of AI. Community is key: When we invite people to take part in professional development with their peers, they start to build a supportive community that collectively evaluates when AI does — and doesn’t — make sense.

What surprised you most about getting Playlab off the ground?
When you supercharge people’s ability to shape technology to meet their needs — we call that “human agency” — they soar. Some of the most vocal skeptics of AI have become Playlab’s most passionate champions. We have earned their trust by staying close to educators, by leading with empathy and by helping educators do what they do best–share their passion for learning with others. At a time when “algorithms” seem to drive the Internet, we have flourished thanks to that human connection: Word-of-mouth. To all educators: We appreciate you!

Where do you see AI in education going over the next few years, and how is Playlab getting ready for that?
Within the decade, there will be more AI bots than people. We believe educators should have an enormous role in preparing students for this world: What instincts will our students need to develop? What should they know about AI? How can they flex their ability to shape the emerging technology? To lead it? Everything we do starts with supporting educators build AI bots with intention and clarity. Playlab is the place where educators experiment and learn about AI so they can best prepare their students for this new world.

As founders, what are your self-care routines to recharge while still being heads down building a company?
Wyman: My self care starts with carving out time to be away from all technology by biking in the city and then finishing off the ride with a delicious coffee and pastry. There is always an email, notification or project to move forward, but it takes a well-balanced person to accomplish all those things. Investing in yourself means not putting off the jobs-to-do or your self care. It means breathing and then feeling energized by a vision of the organization you’re building.

Time for some New York-themed rapid fire questions – where’s your favorite place to grab a slice of pizza in New York?
Wyman: As a native Queens resident, Lucia’s Pizza on Roosevelt Avenue in Flushing, Queens is my favorite go-to slice. I have spent many afternoons grabbing a slice or two before taking the No. 7 train into the city on my way to school.

Where’s your favorite coffee shop in New York?
Wyman: My favorite coffee shop is ACRE in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Incredible coffee; mouthwatering food. Most important: It’s a retreat from the hustle and bustle of the city. At ACRE, I can step back and reflect and relax.

Do you have a favorite spot to escape the noise of the city?
Wyman: My favorite spot to escape the noise of the city is the Unisphere in Flushing Meadows Corona park. Nope, not quiet. But as a native New Yorker, it has everything I need — the noises, smells, and sounds that calm me.

What’s one piece of advice – that you’ve shared or was shared with you – on building a startup in New York City?
Lean into the values of your organization, into the people you are working alongside. New York has always been at its best as an archipelago of beautifully diverse people and ideas: Lean into that. And, as a startup, be okay with not knowing all the answers. Your team will help you build and find answers.

Scientist Maker

“NYC’s density makes it the perfect place to help kids see that science is local, not distant. And the energy of this city — the diversity, curiosity, and grit — is exactly how we want kids to feel about learning: Empowered, excited, and ready to explore their world.”

What does your company do? What problem is it working to solve?
Scientist Maker reimagines how young kids learn to think critically. Too often those skills are introduced too late (or not at all), and in today’s AI-driven world, they’re more essential than ever.

While many EdTech tools focus on content delivery or assessment, we focus on how children actually learn — through storytelling, hands-on discovery, and real-world connection. What Sesame Street did to make early literacy feel magical and accessible, we aim to do the same for scientific and critical thinking for all kids. We combine world-class media, research-backed pedagogy, and tech that helps kids engage with the world — not escape from it.

A question we like to ask every founder – why New York?
In New York City, many people think science only happens in classrooms, museums, or green spaces like Central Park — but we're here to change that. Science is on every block — in a puddle, a rooftop garden, a broken sidewalk. It's everywhere, ripe for scientific thinking. You just have to know where to look. NYC’s density makes it the perfect place to help kids see that science is local, not distant. And the energy of this city — the diversity, curiosity, and grit — is exactly how we want kids to feel about learning: Empowered, excited, and ready to explore their world.

Scientist Maker integrates storytelling, inquiry-based learning, and citizen science. How do these components work together to foster scientific thinking in young students?
We see scientific thinking as a holistic experience. It starts with storytelling — engaging media that sparks curiosity and emotional connection. We follow that with inquiry-based learning, helping kids ask questions, test ideas, and grow confident in their ability to think critically. Then we bring it all into the real world through citizen science projects rooted in their own communities.

It’s a collaborative, high-impact model that turns passive learning into active investigation — and helps kids see themselves as capable problem-solvers in and outside of the classroom.

What obstacles have you encountered in implementing the Scientist Maker program, and how have you addressed them?
Time and overload are big challenges. Most elementary teachers have only 20 minutes a week for science, and many feel stretched by complicated EdTech tools and existing curricula. We designed Scientist Maker to be simple, flexible, and joyful. It fits into ELA, math, or outdoor time — and works online or off. We didn’t want to be another app that adds stress. We wanted to build something that teachers love, that kids return to, and that communities can actually use.

What got you interested in EdTech specifically, and how do you see technology changing the way kids learn?
My background is in storytelling — I studied screenwriting at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts — and I shifted into educational media and technology when I saw that the power of narrative media goes far beyond entertainment: It has the power to positively impact humans’ lives. For the past eight years, I’ve focused on creating content that nurtures curiosity, creativity, and well-being in kids. Along the way, I’ve seen how integrating technology into storytelling can expand access, personalize learning, and help kids connect more deeply with ideas, each other, and the world around them.

As a founder, what are your self-care routines to recharge while still being heads down building a company?
I’m super consistent with running and yoga throughout the week — they’re both great ways to move the body, unplug, and meditate. Having a dog is also a great forcing function to take walking breaks around the neighborhood.

Time for some New York-themed rapid fire questions – where’s your favorite place to grab a slice of pizza in New York?
Two Boots Pizza is so unique — who knew cornmeal crust could give sourdough a run for its money!

Where’s your favorite coffee shop in New York?
Cafe Patoro in South Street Seaport is my latest obsession! Incredible Brazilian coffee and treats. Their Pão de Queijo cheesebread is unreal.

Do you have a favorite spot to escape the noise of the city?
Ferrying to Governor’s Island for a bike ride and food trucks is a great way to unwind without traveling too far.

What’s one piece of advice – that you’ve shared or was shared with you – on building a startup in New York City?
Remember who you’re building for. Build with your community, not just for it. New York is fast-paced and full of opportunities, but what really powers a mission-driven venture here is deep, local collaboration. Listen closely, test early, and stay rooted in real needs.

Sora Schools

“New York uniquely offers every ingredient necessary for systemic change: Cutting-edge tech, finance, diverse industries, culture, and political influence, all concentrated in a small, vibrant island.”

What does your company do? What problem is it working to solve?
We’re building the world’s best project-based middle and high school and putting it online so millions can benefit. Traditional schools fail to prepare students for today’s world — they are coercive institutions that rely on outdated methods disconnected from student interest, real-world skills, and meaningful learning. It’s time they were replaced.

A question we like to ask every founder – why New York?
New York is the capital of the Western world. I’m interested in solving the real problems holding back our collective flourishing, not B2B SaaS. New York uniquely offers every ingredient necessary for systemic change: Cutting-edge tech, finance, diverse industries, culture, and political influence, all concentrated in a small, vibrant island.

Was there a moment when you realized the traditional school system just wasn’t cutting it?
When I was a high schooler in the 2010s, laptops started appearing in our classrooms. Even then, it seemed absurd to me that teachers kept lecturing as if nothing had changed — despite each student now having access to the collective knowledge of humanity through YouTube, Khan Academy, Coursera, and countless other platforms. Why were we still passively listening to sub-par lectures when content was no longer scarce? And, if delivering information wasn’t the primary purpose of school anymore, what was? Those questions sent me down a rabbit hole, ultimately resulting in Sora.

What’s something about how Sora works that surprises parents or students when they first join?
Most families expect online school to feel isolating and impersonal. At Sora, they quickly discover the opposite — we deeply believe learning thrives on relationships. Students connect meaningfully with peers and mentors who genuinely understand and respect them. We intentionally build a vibrant community that aligns learning with each student’s emerging interests and identity. Parents are often amazed when their kids enthusiastically report feeling more socially connected at Sora than they ever did at their previous in-person school.

What’s been the biggest challenge growing Sora — and has anything about building an education startup surprised you?
The biggest challenge has been navigating the deep trust required to build a school. A school isn’t just a consumer product — it’s a cultural institution that’s deeply personal and emotional for families. Parents are entrusting us with what’s most precious to them, so naturally, they’re risk-averse. Many prefer what’s familiar — even if it’s broken — over the unknown, which also means breaking perhaps the last link connecting their childhood to their kids’. Teenagers today have vastly different lives than in the ’90s, but school remains a common thread. Parents often secretly worry about losing that final point of relatability.

As a founder, what is your self-care routine to recharge while still being heads down building Sora?
I need other challenges in my life to create a healthy distance. If I never zoom out, I miss the forest for the trees. Furthermore, founders are trying to manifest a new and improved vision for the world. If I’m miserable and lack the perspective found in other endeavors, I could be working hard to push the world in the wrong direction. So, I run, read books, hang out with friends, build small side-projects, play chess, and generally try to live a well-rounded life.

Time for some New York-themed rapid fire questions – where’s your favorite place to grab a slice of pizza in New York?
Joe’s, because it’s across the street!

Where’s your favorite coffee shop in New York?
La Cabra

Do you have a favorite spot to escape the noise of the city?
Cold Spring

What’s one piece of advice – that you’ve shared or was shared with you – on building a startup in New York City?
Everyone who matters in your industry comes through New York at least a few times a year. Take advantage of that. Reach out for breakfast, lunch, or afternoon coffee. Simply being friendly, proactive, and centrally located in the city will quickly help you build an incredible network.

ThinkHumanTV

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Ilya Lyashevsky, PhD, Melissa Cesarano, PhD

“We met at our PhD program at Columbia in NYC, and we’ve continued to teach at Columbia Teachers College after graduation, so it was natural to build our company here.”

What does your company do? What problem is it working to solve?
ThinkHumanTV creates science-backed emotional literacy tech solutions for kids and youths, meeting them where they are by integrating learning with their favorite movies and shows. Think of us as ‘Inside Out,’ but for all media!

Right now, kids aren’t getting the support they need to develop emotional skills like self-regulation and empathy, which are essential for psychological health, as well as academic and professional success. Parents and educators lack engaging and effective tools to help them bolster these skills. Existing solutions often fail because of their simplistic and insufficiently diverse content, and inadequate attention to evidence-based design.

A question we like to ask every founder – why New York?
We met at our PhD program at Columbia in NYC, and we’ve continued to teach at Columbia Teachers College after graduation, so it was natural to build our company here. And in fact a number of our former students have gone on to work with us. Mel is also a born and raised New Yorker who wanted to give back to the community. As part of that goal, we’ve been working with underserved NYC families via Robin Hood Blue Ridge Labs to codesign ThinkHumanJr, our app for younger kids.

Can you tell us a bit about your latest launch, ThinkHumanJr.?
We’re very excited about this product launch: It’s a mobile app targeting young kids (3-8) in the home where we think we can have large-scale impact. By offering a mobile experience, we can meet young kids where they tend to watch media. At the same time, we are turning passive watching into an active learning experience. When it comes to emotional literacy, the earlier you start the better. So we’re thrilled to be able to offer an engaging, evidence-based application that serves young children and their families. Stay tuned for more updates as we near launch!

What challenges did you face in developing a platform that combines entertainment with educational content, and how did you overcome them?
One of the biggest challenges from the outset was how to leverage popular media without incurring prohibitive licensing costs or violating copyright laws. Over time, we’ve found different ways of doing that, including using a browser extension on the web, and YouTube embeds on mobile.

The other challenge was how to give learners flexibility such that they could watch any content while learning. To do that, we developed a unique engine that decouples media and learning content, and which will generate appropriate activities based on what a learner is watching and where they are in their training.

Can you explain the Deep Emotion Learning (DEL) methodology that ThinkHumanTV employs and how it enhances users’ emotional skills?
Deep Emotion Learning brings the concept of deep learning that’s historically associated with more traditional subjects like math and science to emotional literacy. That means focusing on helping learners understand the ‘deep structure’ of emotional experience by giving them a more accurate understanding of how emotions work and providing opportunities for sufficient practice variability to lead to skill mastery and ultimately skill transfer. Popular media offers an ideal vehicle for DEL because it provides near limitless opportunities for practice in various low stakes, emotionally compelling scenarios.

As founders, what are your self-care routines to recharge while still being heads down building a company?
Ilya: Making sure I get in regular exercise — jogging and working out (even if it’s 15-20 min at a time) at least a few times a week; time with my family — dinner, reading to my kids; the downtime is important for both my relationship with my wife and kids, and for my own wellbeing.

Mel: Yoga, writing poetry, baking rainbow cookies, aerial circus dance (aerial silks and hammock), seeing plays and comedy shows, going to fine art museums, and laughing with loved ones. I also love to travel and hike when I’m outside of the city.

Time for some New York-themed rapid fire questions – where’s your favorite place to grab a slice of pizza in New York?
Ilya: Table 87 in Brooklyn, when I can manage it.

Mel: Prior to being gluten free, definitely Artichoke pizza (the vodka and artichoke slices specifically). Now that I’m gluten free, I’ve gotten pretty fantastic slices at Fornino’s at Brooklyn Bridge Park. For straight up Italian food, I recommend Gersi in Carroll Gardens or Aurora in Williamsburg.

Where’s your favorite coffee shop in New York?
Ilya: Swallow on the corner of Clinton and Atlantic. I used to live right around the corner and would spend quite a bit of time working there.

Mel: Enso Cafe in Park Slope on President and 5th Ave!

Do you have a favorite spot to escape the noise of the city?
Ilya: Jersey, where I moved during the pandemic :).

Mel: It’s almost impossible to escape the noise, but I love Riverside Park (specifically the running/biking path along the Hudson River from 96th street to 125th street). This little stretch was essential for keeping my mental health in check as a doctoral student at Columbia.

What’s one piece of advice – that you’ve shared or was shared with you – on building a startup in New York City?
Leverage NYC public and private startup resources!! Mel was a Visible Hands NYC/EDC Venture Access NYC Fellow, we are now a part of Robin Hood’s Blue Ridge Labs Accelerator’s 2025 Cohort, and we have an ongoing collaboration with the Office of Safety and Youth Development of the NYC DOE. Finally, the Teachers College and Columbia Communities have been integral to the inception and growth of thinkHumanTV.

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