ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Valor Ventures Fund 2 leads the seed equity round in Ecotext, a startup that helps universities and colleges improve admissions and retention. Led by co-founders Joel Nkounko and Nelson Thomas, Ecotext helps schools that compete for student dollars be more competitive, attract more students, and retain students that historically would transfer away.
Lisa Calhoun, founding general partner at Valor, says, “We met Ecotext a year ago when the team pitched at Startup Runway. Since then, we tracked the development of their digital collaborative textbook platform. After they launched this fall, it only took a few weeks to acquire 1,000 paying customers. Timing is right to support academic institutions as they reexamine priorities in light of COVID-19.” Calhoun takes a board seat.
Nkounkou says, “I’m excited to have Valor on board as our lead investor. They’ve added a ton of value already and I’m looking forward to how this partnership helps us scale with capital and with the advice of the seasoned operators on the Valor team.”
Ecotext leverages realities faced by academic institutions and turns them into advantages. It is particularly supportive of the rapidly growing student demographic of black and brown students, the fastest-growing population in the United States and the majority of students entering college today. The platform makes it easy to lower the overall cost of matriculation while upgrading educational quality with a modern collaboration environment. Professors engage with students as they engage with key texts from anywhere, creating a seamless experience that drives better learning outcomes and greater student success. “We’re looking for introductions to schools that prioritize student performance, academic value, and diversity and inclusion for the Spring semester,” says Nkounkou.
About Valor Ventures
Founded in 2015 to pair premium venture capital returns with inclusion, Valor Ventures backs experienced founders solving big problems with software at the first professional round. We focus in the fastest-growing, largest region in the US, the Southeast, which features 40% of the U.S. population and the greatest density of under-represented founders. Our purpose is creating market-leading returns for our stakeholders. Our mission is making inclusion the new normal in venture capital. Our platform includes Startup Runway, the largest pitch event for underrepresented founders in the country; the Atlanta Startup Podcast; and Atlanta Tech Park, the 45,000 sqft innovation center. Find out more at valor.vc.
About Ecotext
Ecotext is a collaborative digital learning platform that brings academic resources to life while unlocking classroom discussion and insights. Our team empowers the anywhere, always-on classroom with dynamic, adaptative and insightful tools to improve each student's academic trajectory. Invite a student or instructor to join our ecosystem today at ecotext.co.
