New Markets’ Entrepreneur Community
For Entrepreneurs
What Do We Invest In?
New Markets invests in Series A, Series B, and restructuring rounds for growth stage education and workforce technology companies with demonstrated efficacy addressing critical gaps in the education and labor markets.
We pursue investments that are:
Sucessfully Lead
Management teams with a track record of success.
Competitive
Sustainable competitive advantages.
Disruptive
Disruptive technologies.
Scalable
High gross margins and scalable business models.
Relevant
Large market opportunities.
Valuable
Strong value proposition with large return on investment to customers.
Proven
Companies that have referenceable customers and proven solutions.
Measurable
Positive outcome data.
Efficient
Capital efficient operations.
Credible
Credible exit alternatives.
We Provide
Community Support for Entrepreneurs
Come join the New Markets community of like-minded education and workforce entrepreneurs!
New Markets Venture Partners focus provides unrivaled access to a high-quality network of investors, operators, investors, and potential customers for companies.
We often help companies navigate challenges related to scaling, product development, marketing, hiring, fundraising, acquisitions, and exit. Plus, our 30 years of working with entrepreneurs gives us the ability to provide real support in difficult times, and a steady and aligned partnership in the best of times.
"The New Markets Mindfulness Leadership Retreat was a wonderful opportunity to connect with fellow founders and our team of New Markets investors and advisors to learn from each other. The time spent together in the natural setting of the Costa Rica mountains was rejuvenating, while we challenged both our minds and bodies to understand how we could become the best leaders we could be for our companies. From yoga, to hikes, to meals, and day trips - I grew closer to my fellow founders and investors, and honed my own leadership skills to help take me and our company to the next level.”
Michael Tringe
Co-Founder and CEO, CreaterUp
"To be the best leader one can be, one must show up to lead healthy and whole. I feel so privileged to be with New Markets, who values this. Our time together in Costa Rica allowed us to deeply discuss and solidify good practices of mindful leadership. This week pulled me out of my ruts and routine to remind me of what I need to do for myself to build resilience to the inevitable stresses of life.”
Amy Kardel
Senior Advisor
"The recent retreat that New Markets hosted fostered great community and connections across its portfolio companies. We're able to learn from one another, seek counsel from each other, share experiences, and learn techniques for improving our leadership. Thank you for giving us the time and space to learn, share, and connect.”
Keri Hoyt
COO & President, Noodle
"The mindful leadership retreat was a very positive experience. It was a great opportunity to connect with other CEOs to reflect on our leadership and the challenges we are facing. It was a great reminder that success has a lot more to do with leadership than with financial modeling and strategic planning. I am grateful to the New Markets team for making this opportunity available to us.”
Harris Ferrell
CEO, Orijin
"A calm, empathetic, and focused leader is an effective leader. Learning the basics of meditation and mindfulness helped me make progress towards being that type of leader"
Bart Epstein
CEO, BAM
Preparing to Meet with Us
Questions We Ask
These are the key questions we ask of entrepreneurs seeking funding.
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Do you measurably improve human capital outcomes?
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Is the company addressing a major problem preventing economic mobility (e.g. “loss points” within education/workforce journey)?
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Are the company’s solution(s) based on evidence-based research, and/or committed to efficacy, such that the company can achieve and measure scaled impact?
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Does the solution improve outcomes for underserved and historically disadvantaged populations?
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Can the company grow to serve a high percentage of its target population at a national scale, with improved profitability, with a reasonable amount of capital?
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Once scaled, could the company’s solution(s) serve as infrastructure or a platform to catalyze broader systemic change as part of a collective impact ecosystem?
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What is the history of your Company?
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Provide a list of your key accomplishments.
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List the Management track record including successes, broadly defined.
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Describe any important and exceptional skills that the team possesses. Describe the level of industry knowledge and contacts.
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What is your business model? How do you make money?
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What are your specific near and medium term milestones? What is the timing and cost to achieve them?
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What do you do/make? Describe the key product(s) and its features.
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Describe in detail your intellectual property?
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How many man hours went into developing your technology? How much time and money?
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What are the specific barriers to entry? How long/how much money would it take a large competitor to recreate the technology?
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What are your competitive advantages over the competition? What specific product feature addresses the greatest customer need?
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Describe an existing customer. What pain are you solving for them? How large is the problem? What is your value proposition? What is the customer’s ROI?
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Who is the customer (job title)? Do they have budgetary control? Who else is involved in the buying decision?
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What are customers currently using that competes with your product?
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What is the bottom-up size of your most narrowly defined addressable market?
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List all existing customers and a pipeline of potential customers with current status.
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What is the size of your target total available market (top down)?
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What is your distribution strategy?
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What are your immediately adjacent markets?
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Who are your strategic partners and what is your exact relationship with them?
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Who are the buyers of your business? What similar companies have they bought and at what price?
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Show financial projections and detail key drivers/assumptions.
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What are your historical and projected revenues by product and customer?
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What is your funding history? Include a cap table.
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OUR SUPPORT
Is More Than Financial
We understand that providing support to our founders, company leadership, and Senior Advisers goes beyond just financial backing. We strive to enhance the network of our portfolio companies and cultivate deep personal relationships among themselves, our advisors, and Limited Partners.
Recently, we hosted a CEO Mindful Leadership Retreat in Costa Rica. This retreat brought together the founders and CEOs of our portfolio companies, and our Senior Advisers, for a transformative experience focused on conscious, servant, and mindful leadership.
During the retreat, attendees participated in yoga sessions, hikes, and workshops and discussions led by industry experts and each other. The opportunity for these leaders to connect, share perspectives, and learn from each other resulted in a deep sense of learning, inspiration, and rejuvenation. By providing a space for personal growth and reflection, we aim to empower our partners to become better leaders, get out of their own way and drive the success of their companies forward.