Jason Palmer is General Partner at New Markets Venture Partners, one of the nation’s leading education-focused venture capital firms. As a double-bottom line investor, New Markets focuses on innovative, high impact, early and growth stage edtech companies that improve student outcomes while building profitable organizations.

Jason has been affiliated with New Markets since 2011 and became a General Partner in 2016 after three years at the Gates Foundation. Jason brings twenty years of experience as an education technology entrepreneur, executive and investor, and focuses on fund strategy, supporting portfolio companies, and leveraging deep connections with industry leaders. He serves as a board director for Climb Credit, CreatorUp, KidzToPros, Motimatic, Mursion, Nexford University, PAIRIN, and Village Capital, and serves as a board observer for APDS and Regent Education. Jason previously served on the boards of Moodlerooms (acquired by Blackboard), Signal Vine (acquired by Modern Campus), and StraighterLine (acquired by BV Investment Partners), and as a board observer for Credly (acquired by Pearson NYSE: PSO), Galvanize (acquired by Stride, Inc. NYSE: LRN), and LearnPlatform (acquired by Instructure NYSE: INST).

Prior to his current role, Jason served as Deputy Director at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, leading postsecondary innovation efforts to improve the outcomes of disadvantaged college students by investing in colleges, universities and entrepreneurs pursuing digital and adaptive learning, student coaching and advising, financial aid innovation, and employer pathways. Prior to the Foundation, Jason founded and grew three investor-backed technology and services companies before holding a series of executive positions at Microsoft, SchoolNet, Kaplan, and StraighterLine. At Kaplan, Jason led three education businesses as general manager or president, in addition to founding and leading the company’s venture capital effort.