Mark Grovic and New Markets had the skills and acumen to thoughtfully articulate their position (they have deep knowledge of the edtech sector) while not distracting the execution. The result was New Markets had significant influence on GA’s ability to execute and its resultant growth. Mark Grovic was a critical partner and became a trusted friend.

New Markets has a very deep history in education – now decades of relationships to tap, experience and seeing education investments through cycle and how to support entrepreneurs. I really feel like they are in our corner in a way that is quite unique.

New Markets Venture Partners has been a steadfast partner to Credly from the start. From reliable operational advice to critical partner introductions, to playing a key role in supporting Credly’s transformative acquisition of the Pearson’s Acclaim digital credential business, New Markets has been a trusted partner to me and our company.

One of things when you think about an investor, you need to have a partner who will give you the cold, hard facts, that’s going to tell you what they think and how they think you can do better as a business and as a CEO. That was very valuable. We went through a tough time and [they] helped guide us to make good decisions so that we would get through that and be stronger. That was a real special sauce for them.

Jason [is] a great listener who really looks out for entrepreneurs who have the right mission in their heart and a good strategy in place, and he supported me. It’s been a great partnership, and he’s always at the top of the list when I think of someone I want to call when we have good news or when we have a challenge or area of improvement. I always look for his advice.

I feel like they are sitting beside me at the table and trying to figure out how to make our business successful. We’ve gone through some rocky roads at APDS, when the future didn’t feel all that certain, and yet Mark’s commitment in the company and what we could achieve never wavered...you just feel they are by your side and not going to let you fail.

In a word: engagement. Lots of venture capital firms and venture capitalists claim they are in the trenches with their entrepreneurs. New Markets actually delivers it.

I am an LGBTQ founder, and I believe in elevating and providing access to education and training as a means to work, and New Markets is very focused on providing access to education in order to create social mobility. That’s very important to me as a founder. For us growth is important, and going to market and solving problems. But what’s even more important to us is changing the world. And for us New Markets was that partner who was going to help us make a difference and change the world for the better.

New Markets is uniquely positioned because they don’t expect their portfolio companies to fail. They expect every one of those companies to succeed... they take the mission very seriously – they don’t want any company that’s serving students or learners to fail.