50 Fascinating Edupreneurs

UPDATED May 31, 2012 - additional edupreneurs  

There’s something about an edupreneur (you know, an entrepreneur in the education sector). It’s one thing to have all that extraordinary drive, innovation and passion for creating a business—this moves our economy forward. But combine that with an area of existence so vital it’s nearly synonymous with changing lives—education—and now you’re talking real power. So, what kind of person does it take to deliver the goods? In no particular order, assembled here are 5o fascinating ‘edupreneurs’—people as passionate about their businesses as they are about their purpose in helping future generations thrive.

Editor’s Note: In assembling this feature, we are inviting you to meet us half way. We’ve selected 25—now, who are your picks? Send us a reason and a link, that is, a one-sentence reason to include them and a link to something relevant about them. Heck, even suggest yourself to our list. Check back often as we continue our tally and eventually close it out—at least for now. Write to: victor@edtechdigest.com

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Ji Shen | for stimulating curiosity

Ellen Siminoff | for helping us fall in love with literature

Melissa Pickering | for allowing participation

Elizabeth Schmidt | because she makes wishes come true

Sarah White | for keeping things rolling

Andrew Grauer | because he listens to his customers

Robert Romano | for inspiring higher levels of thinking

Andrew Sutherland | for making studying easier

Alex Rappaport | because he’s motivating students

Nikki Navta | for preparing students to become enlightened world citizens

Jonathan Mann | for meeting teachers where they’re at and helping them forward

Shantanu Bala | for providing an easy solution to a common problem

Jim Fruchterman | because he likes to share with everyone

Mark Gross | for becoming a teacher and letting everyone in on a great class project

Sandy Khaund | for wanting to help others change their station in life

Sharon Lowe | for being a caring mom to more than just her own kids

Nic Borg | for listening to teachers

Paul Edelman | for paying teachers millions of dollars

Josh Salcman | for opening up and being a helpful nerd

Farb Nivi | because he wants others to really get it

Felipe Sommer | because he saw a possibility and made a new reality

Becky Splitt | for liking smoothies and having fun

Shawn Bay | for making sense of all that data

Berj Akian | because four women keep him in check as a great leader

Murugan Pal | for engineering a better way

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Anthony Kim | for blending learning in schools across America

Judi Coffey | because she knows that 4-year-olds will save the world

Harry Keller | for reinventing the science lab

Sheryl Nussbaum Beach | for paradigm-shifting professional development

Michael Staton | because social networks + engagement = student success

Yovel Badash | for advocating no child is ever held back

Ginny Norton | for mixing rigor and fun for children

Jared Cosulich | for unlocking the puzzles of learning