JFFVentures

SO excited to announce our oversubscribed $2M pre-seed round! In addition, we are celebrating 1 whole year of Making Space! Here is a quick round up of what the Making Space team has achieved to date: Democratized accessible, free education to over 1,800 Disabled people, Signed a partnership with NBC Sports to enhance employment opportunities for Disabled talent during the upcoming Paris Olympics and Paralympics broadcasts. This collaboration included hiring the first-ever Disabled hosts for NBC’s Paralympics coverage, Signed a partnership with Netflix to provide job-specific education to build a pipeline of prequalified Disabled graphic designers, Signed on Amazon to provide accessible education to industry leaders, Making Space Media secured a first-look deal with Hello Sunshine and has co-produced it's first prime-time documentary being released next week, Won Gold at Pepperdine Most Fundable Companies, won the WGULabs ASU+GSV pitch, completed the Techstars Economic Mobility Program and participating in the Remarkable Tech Program, In the USA, Disabled people are still 2x more likely to be unemployed than non-disabled people, and are 2x more likely to live in poverty. Globally, Disabled people are up to 50% less likely to complete primary and secondary education, and there are even greater disparities in higher education. We have LOTS to solve and build for, and I believe when we tie impact to fundamental business strategy, we can start making systemic change. Thank you for our amazing investors, advisors, partners, team members and learners! Thank you Dominic-Madori Davis for covering our news. Beta Boom FullCircle American Student Assistance JFFVentures ECMC Foundation One Planet Group Samaritan Partners WGU Labs Fund Techstars Workshop Venture Partners Release: https://lnkd.in/egZZwFgw. TechCrunch: https://lnkd.in/e4Wj-3xV Image description: "Making Space Secures Oversubscribed $2M Pre-Seed to Scale Talent Acquisition & Learning Platform for Disabled Talent. Below the headline is the TechCrunch logo. A quote reads, 'When we build solutions that integrate impact into fundamental business strategy, rather than treating it as an easily discarded initiative, we can start making systemic change.'" #DisabilityRights #MakingSpace

It’s official! 🚀 EdVisorly was selected as 1 of 20 companies across 4 continents selected to participate in Google’s 2024 Black and Latino Founders Fund! 🏆 All 2024 Founders Fund participants are leading AI-powered or AI-augmented companies and have demonstrated traction, growth, and the positive impact AI can have in business and society. 💙 We will receive $150,000 in non-dilutive cash awards, $100,000 in Google Cloud credits, and hands-on mentorship from Google experts across artificial intelligence (AI), sales, marketing, and more to help build and scale our impact across our partner institutions. 💫 More news to come very soon! https://lnkd.in/gu2Fm-_i #EdVisorly #Google #GoogleForStartups #BlackFoundersFund #HigherEducation #TransferEnrollment #CommunityCollege #AI #Artificialintelligence

🔔 New Episode! Dr Philippa Hardman, Creator & Founder of DOMS™️ learning design process and affiliated scholar at Cambridge, is revolutionizing learning design through AI and learning science. She joined me on my podcast this week to reveal how AI and learning science can create better learning experiences faster. She tackles the challenges and opportunities in the field, offering insights that will resonate with any learning professional grappling with creating effective learning at scale. Here's a glimpse of what we covered: - [04:37] The journey from educator to learning design innovator - [09:31] Key principles for great learning design - [14:13] Core drivers of intrinsic motivation in learning - [18:44] The multidisciplinary nature of learning design - [22:53] Leveraging AI to accelerate learning design velocity and quality - [31:05] The role of human expertise in an AI-powered world - [33:37] Empowering learning designers through AI and learning science - [41:42] Rethinking the relationship between learning and content - [44:24] The magic of experience-based learning Check out the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/gj2smgSx

Join us at the Horizons summit for Candid Conversations: Accessibility for People with Disabilities, an intimate, unscripted dialogue where change makers, Keely Cat-Wells, Founder and CEO of Making Space, and Rylin Rodgers, Disability Policy Advisor at Microsoft, tackle accessibility and economic advancement for people with disabilities. Gain exclusive behind-the-scenes access and be part of the live audience for this transformative discussion. Don't miss your chance to engage with these trailblazers as they redefine workplace inclusivity! Already registered to attend? Make sure to add this event to your summit agenda via the Horizons App! Not yet registered? Horizons registration ends on July 1, so secure your spot today: https://hubs.la/Q02CD3Bs0 #JFFHorizons #Inclusivity #DEI

Applications for Transcend Fellowship’s TF14 cohort are now open! 📢 In our last cohort, we helped 35 Transcend Fellows from 19 countries run 500+ PMF experiments in aggregate (yes, we track this!), ranging from AI-enabled assessment to audio-based learning or cybersecurity for schools: 🏫 13 of our TF13 Fellows are tools for educators 💼 14 are building upskilling platforms and products 🖥️ 11 are building AI tools that focus on learning and teaching We believe founders’ #1 priority should be to find product-market fit, but most founders don’t have the accountability or guidance to run daily PMF tests. At Transcend, we hold our fellows accountable by assigning them a PMF coach, an accountability group of founders all serving similar niche customer persona, and highly curated 1:1s with veteran founders and operators who have exited in their niche. We are now looking to meet the best early-stage founders building in the space to help them move towards sustainability and impact! If this sounds like you or someone you know, say hello in the comments and we’ll reach out to chat 1:1 with you! Link to apply ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dkXydVV4 Applications close 📅 June 28 #edtech #founders

In her latest Forbes column, CEO and President, Jobs for the Future (JFF), Maria Flynn discusses three clear strategies companies can take to turn skills-based hiring commitments into practice. As companies like Walmart, McDonald's and Verizon join a growing number of employers leading the way by removing degree requirements to create more inclusive job opportunities, Maria points out, “We are very much in the early inning of a long game”. She highlights key lessons learned through an innovative pilot program with SHRM and Jobs for the Future (JFF) to help drive this important shift to a skills-based future. Read the full article here to learn how these practices are reshaping the workforce landscape. https://lnkd.in/eeQxhiBs

As progress pushes us forward, many companies are reconsidering their traditional talent practices. Plum is at the forefront of this transformation, pioneering new ways to foster innovation and growth. Introducing PlumThrive, a revolutionary solution unrivaled in its ability to enhance hiring accuracy, boost workforce efficiency, and deliver insights for strategic decision-making in a single comprehensive platform. Through tailor-made job matching, comprehensive skill alignment, and deep cultural insights, PlumThrive bridges the gap between current performance metrics and true potential, paving the way for sustainable success.