innovation + impact in early childhood
Early Futures was a first-of-its-kind event focused on innovation and impact in ECD in November 2018.
We gathered a diverse cross section of 200 of the sector’s most influential leaders — from experts to funders to government leaders — and featured 52 promising early childhood entrepreneurs who demo-ed their ventures in 3- and 1- minute presentations. The event sparked new ideas and new connections, and challenged us to think bigger about how to move the field forward.
“I didn’t even think this was possible, but this event changed the culture of the whole field and things won’t be the same again.”
— Field academic and expert
“[A leading tech exec] approached me as I walked off stage. Two days later, I was at [his office] and it looks like we’ll be the first test user for a new platform.”
— Venture founder (for-profit)
“The remarkable interdisciplinary mix of people — from pioneers who've been in the field for decades to newcomers whose passion is newfound; from doctors to policy wonks to media producers to entrepreneurs; from people coast to coast — made the event spectacular.”
— Foundation executive
Fast Facts
165 influential ECD leaders in attendance
40% funders, 15% practitioners, 15% researchers, 10% government / policy, 15% media, 5% corporate
52 promising entrepreneurs who demo-ed their ventures
Selected from a pool of 175 applicants by a team of academics, funders, policy makers, and entrepreneurs
35% nonprofit, 55% for-profit, 10% TBD
representing 15 states, Canada, and Mexico
62% female founders / leaders
23 main stage speakers
Countless new connections and reconnections made
Countless new ideas, debates and discussions started
Link to highlight reel
Selected Ventures
To see a full list of our selected Early Futures ventures, go here OR view by groupings:
Domain: Assessment, Childcare, Early Education, Early Health, Human Capital, Parent Education, Technology
Business model: Nonprofit, For-profit
Size and stage
For-profit: Pre-Seed to Seed, Series A, Beyond Series A
View and feel free to share all 52 Early Futures venture demos and one-pagers
To see our full Promise ECD Venture Index, go here
Event Resources
Stories
“Why the Littlest Learners Deserve the Most Attention—and Money”, by Meg Hamel, EdSurge
“Early Futures: Shining a Light on Early Childhood Innovation”, by Steffanie Clothier, Gary Community Investments
“The Time is Now: Investing Early in Our Children’s Future”, by Isabelle Hau, Omidyar Network; Michael Levine, Sesame Workshop; Matt Glickman, Promise Venture Studio
You can visit here to see a full list of speakers, view the agenda, learn about our partners and more. You can also read our event press release.
Selected Ventures
