Some of the most established names in the region are coming together to create what they believe will be Tampa Bay’s next great company.
Scholar, an education technology startup in stealth mode, first made headlines when Ed Buckley announced in April he would be the lead investor in the company.
“There was a group of people milling about an idea, and I’m always happy to bring the kick to the rear, saying, ‘Don’t worry about a company; we’ll go get it,’” said Buckley, who serves as chairman of Scholar’s board. “For me, that’s my wheelhouse; education obviously is not. But I was happy to bring the motivation and step up first and bring up the first check.”
And on July 1, Buckley will be joined by another Tampa Bay innovator.
Marlee Strawn was the first-ever principal at Patel High School, an innovation-focused school backed by Tampa philanthropist Kiran Patel. Strawn will soon dive into another “first” position, serving as Scholar’s head of school.
“[The Patel High School] was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but I feel very similar about this project,” Strawn said. “This is something that’s spread beyond just my school; it’s a big leap and a big change, but I see this as an opportunity to make a greater impact on a larger scale.”
It’s not as large of a leap as it may seem. Strawn has spent the last 15 years in education, many focusing on emerging technology that can benefit parents, students and teachers.
“Throughout my entire career, I’ve focused on how can I be connected to the best and latest technology,” she said. “And focused on how to implement that, not only when I was a teacher in my classrooms but the schools I’ve managed over time. I’ve found it to be exciting because I’ve found it provides stakeholders a cutting edge.”
Scholar will provide a “next-generation learning management system,” which uses technologies like artificial intelligence and virtual reality and creates a curriculum where teachers feel they have buy-in, according to Strawn.
It has no launch date but is being rolled out at a space-themed summer camp at Pasco County-based Day Springs Academy. Students will use VR to explore planets culminating in a rocket launch.
The curriculum will track students’ daily progress, allowing teachers and parents to see the progress being made in their students. Scholar will ultimately have a mix of original content and current curricula in the education sector.
Scholar’s offerings are intended to take some of the workload off teachers while helping students with a more personalized approach to education. But Strawn said one of the biggest selling points is its inclusion of parents in the system.
“I’m a big believer that parent involvement is the key to success, but it’s really challenging because the current platforms don’t make it easy,” she said. “I think [the progress tracking technology] is really missing in education and needed in education. I do see this as game-changing technology that will make the lives of schools easier.”
In addition to Buckley, Scholar has caught the attention of longtime entrepreneur Reuben Pressman. Pressman exited his edtech startup Presence in June 2021 for an undisclosed amount. Both Pressman and Buckley declined to disclose the amount of their investments in Scholar.
“At this stage of a company, you’re backing people and backing sectors,” Buckley said. “And Marlee is just a rare find. I couldn’t be more happy to support it in every way I can with my Rolodex, energy, capital and lessons learned.”
