In the next few days, thousands of edtech entrepreneurs, investors, educators and policymakers will flood a hotel in San Diego to attend the Mecca of Education Innovation Optimism known as ASU GSV. So now is the perfect time to reflect on the state of edtech.
I was lucky enough to attend the inaugural ASU GSV back in 2010 in Tempe, Arizona. It was a modest two-day affair: maybe 350 attendees in sweaty overcrowded rooms, a few speeches by CEOs and academics. This year’s 13th edition will swamp San Diego’s waterfront for four days and feature 1,000 speakers, including Thomas Friedman and Margaret Atwood, plus the buzziest for-profit companies in our industry. More than $1 billion in headline-grabbing transactions are likely to be announced at the event.
