Dunce Deals #13 - TinyIvy, Bindr, Tope, Clicked, Manara, Tortoise
Hi, I'm John Danner, Managing Director of Dunce Capital. Dunce Deals is my look at the most interesting deals and news from edtech and the future of work. In the last four years, I have made over two dozen pre-seed investments in the space including Lambda School, where I am on the board, Outschool, Prenda, and Contra. Before Dunce, I founded three companies, NetGravity (IPO), Rocketship Public Schools (12k students) and Zeal (sold 2018).
Thoughts
Increasingly, I’m pushing all of my first looks into our @EdPitches clubhouse. This is a bit counter-intuitive because deal-hoarding is the default behavior among investors. If you can get to know a founder first, you have an advantage in winning that deal. As a former founder, I have kind of the opposite perspective. I think the critical thing is that this is a movement. We are trying to improve humanity by making learning and working much much better. That’s a larger mission than any single company or any single fund. And I think one of the most important things in furthering that movement is to find the best match between founders and early investors.
I don’t by any means think I am the most helpful person for all founders. I know a lot about product market fit, and I have the perspective of a former founder who has gone through IPO, but those may not be the biggest needs for any given company. So if there is someone else that can be more helpful, even if I love the company, that’s the way it goes.
My piece this week is about the mechanics of seed startups and a plea to funders to ask the tough questions.
News
I’m so happy I signed up for Lenny Rachitsky’s cohort based course, that Wes and Gagan’s newco helped create. I have been deeply critical of MOOCs and apps as methods of learning for most people, and I think this new form of course is going to fundamentally improve the way people learn, certainly in high school, higher ed, and lifelong learning.
Here is an unapologetic shoutout for Carole Robbin’s new book on relationships. I was lucky enough to do an in-person Touchy Feely group for a weekend with Carole a year ago, and it truly changed the way I think about relationships. This book is a great intro to rethinking the way you work and connect with others.
Deals
Here is my rundown on what I saw this week, mostly from EdPitches. I’ve also added Manara again, because they are finishing up YC and I am a big fan of the founder. And I inserted one of my non-edtech companies, Tortoise, because it’s such a crazy idea and they are filling the last $500k of their Series A right now.
TinyIvy
Description: TinyIvy reinvented the ABCs. - We develop curriculum, technology and products so teachers can get students reading faster, easier, and with more joy.
Website: tinyivy.com
Founder: Zachary Silverzweig
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/silverzweig/
Email: zach@tinyivy.com
Stage: Pre-seed
Raising: Yes
Current Dunce Investment: No
Notes: I was a reading teacher for two years. Teaching kids to read well is really difficult. TinyIvy’s approach looks very solid. If a company selling to schools does not scare you, you should get in touch with Zach.
Bindr
Description: Virtual library for students to stay focused and meet new people while studying from home.
Website: bindr.uk
Founder: balint jakabos
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/balint-jakabos/
Email: balint.jakabos@prepaired.eu
Stage: Idea
Raising: Yes
Current Dunce Investment: No
Notes: Bindr is in that realm of company that those of us with even a little grey hair may not understand. It is literally a zoom room you go to study silently with other students. Luckily, I have a daughter who is a freshman in college and she does this all of the time. Bindr was this week’s winner in @Edpitches and moves on to the GSV Cup finals.
Tope
Description: unaccredited Netflix-style MBA in LatAm
Website: topeuniversity.com
Founder: rori alvarez cadavieco
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roberto-alvarez-cadavieco-rori/
Email: rori@topeuniversity.com
Stage: Seed
Raising: Yes
Current Dunce Investment: No
Notes: These guys did a great job presenting this week. I haven’t made an MBA investment yet, mostly because I’m still trying to figure out if folks like altMBA and profG, which are a fraction of the cost of accredited MBAs but very engaging, will be the mass market. Tope follows the trend of successful LatAm companies going with less live and lower price.
Clicked
Description: Clicked gives career seekers real-life learning experiences paired with peers and coaches to help them find and pursue a career they're passionate about.
Website: clicked.com
Founder: Jeff Sample
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-sample
Email: jeff@clicked.com
Stage: Pre-seed
Raising: Yes
Current Dunce Investment: No
Notes: I love this space. I haven’t gone deep enough into Clicked to know if they can build something differentiated from FourthRev, Greenfig and others.
Manara
Description: Helping senior engineers in MENA find US jobs.
Website: manara.tech
Founder: Iliana Montauk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilianamontauk/
Email: iliana@manara.tech
Stage: Seed
Raising: Yes
Current Dunce Investment: No
Notes: Manara is in the YC cohort and raising right now. Obviously I’m bullish on this space. My big questions here are how many senior software engineers there are in MENA and how does Manara keep from running the race to the bottom like many other recruiters do. Iliana is very impressive.
Tortoise
Description: They deliver stuff (usually groceries) very slowly to houses nearby using tele-operated robots.
Website: tortoise.dev
Founder: David Graham
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-graham-4aa593/
Email: david@tortoise.dev
Stage: Series A
Raising: Yes
Current Dunce Investment: Yes
Notes: OK, here is your bonus deal. David is a good friend and a mad inventor. He and his co-founder Dmitry, a former Uber BD pro, built tortoise to go after the last mile of delivery. They are doing well, some big pilots, and Rosecliff is leading their Series A. They’ve got about $500k left if you want a piece of this.