The Impact of EdTech Partnerships

Celebrating the leaders and experts that are powering education into the future, host JW Marshall sets out to ask the “right questions” in EdTech to understand the changes in policy and technology that will power our universities, tradeschools, and companies – and drive growth in upskilling certifications.

 

Voices of eLearning enjoys bringing success stories to listeners that demonstrate the power of technology, innovation, and opportunity. Host JW Marshall welcomed Anne Wintroub, Director of Social Innovation at the AT&T Foundation, and Maxeme Tuchman, CEO and Co-Founder of Caribu.

Wintroub leads the AT&T Aspire Accelerator program, which provides investments to early EdTech companies. She’s been with the company for 10 years and previously worked with nonprofits in the space. Tuchman is a former 12th-grade teacher that started Caribu, an app that creates virtual playdates with interactive video calls that include books and activities.

“I got a text from Anne on that Sunday asking how AT&T could help. I was so grateful and thought AT&T could sponsor subscriptions, and they did with a $560,000 investment.” – Maxeme Tuchman

Caribu was a recipient of the AT&T Aspire Accelerator program. Wintroub said, “The platform and Max wowed us.”

Tuchman then shared how AT&T made a difference during the pandemic. She said that once they realized children would be out of school, they decided to go free, which was on March 14. In 24 hours, subscribers grew by 10X. “I got a text from Anne on that Sunday asking how AT&T could help. I was so grateful and thought AT&T could sponsor subscriptions, and they did with a $560,000 investment.”

Wintroub and Tuchman both realize there’s still a huge inequity in education, calling in not a gap but a canyon. Tuchman added, “It’s not going to be solved by one company or technology but by many.”

That’ sentiment was the catalyst to launch Caribu. As a 12th grade teacher, she saw that these almost adults weren’t ready for the real world, which started in early childhood development.
“It was a pipeline problem, and I knew I had to focus on early childhood literacy because we spend so much of our day reading. Every child needs equitable access to early childhood literacy experiences.”

Listen to Previous Episodes of Voices of eLearning Right Here!

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

Sarah Dawn talks PayPal Business
Transform Your Payment Processes with PayPal Business Tools
June 23, 2025

Tired of complicated payment systems? Discover how PayPal is simplifying invoicing and payment experiences for small business owners like Sarah Dawn of Swell Little Donuts. See how innovation meets reliability with PayPal’s tailored solutions. Why PayPal Matters Now In an era where seamless transactions can make or break a business, PayPal offers accessible…

Read More
leadership resilience
Rewriting the Odds: Leadership Resilience at the Heart of Norberto Orellana’s Rise
June 23, 2025

Economic mobility is often portrayed as a straight climb. In reality, it’s shaped by adversity, identity, and access to opportunity. As research from the University of Michigan notes, mobility requires not only income, education, and employment, but also more intangible resources such as social inclusion and power—the ability to make choices and exert influence….

Read More
revenue growth strategy
Aligning People, Process, and Innovation Creates a Revenue Growth Strategy Built for Long-Term Impact—Not Just Quick Wins in High Trust Industries
June 20, 2025

Law enforcement agencies are under growing pressure to investigate faster, operate smarter, and serve increasingly complex communities. Yet many still rely on legacy systems that slow progress. Private sector partners are stepping in, offering tools that bridge this divide using a focused revenue growth strategy that balances speed, trust, and long-term impact. A recent…

Read More
human-centered
How Human-Centered Design Led to a Startup Accelerator for Education: A Conversation with Transcend Network’s Co-founder Michael Narea
June 20, 2025

The convergence of human-centered design and education innovation is reshaping how edtech ventures emerge and scale. As AI enables hyper-efficiency and bootstrapped entrepreneurship becomes more viable, the real differentiator is empathy—founders who listen deeply to users before building solutions. A McKinsey study of 300 public companies found that design-led organizations significantly outperformed their peers, with…

Read More