Explore every episode of the podcast Pitch Playground
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
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| Introducing Pitch Playground | 22 Nov 2024 | 00:01:27 | |
How could $50,000 transform learning? On Pitch Playground, we invite education innovators and social entrepreneurs to throw their best ideas at us. From technologies that build empathy to providing affordable childcare and reimagining the way we learn—this is a place for pitches from visionaries. Each episode features an intrepid edupreneur workshopping a $50,000 project to solve a critical problem in education. With support from mentors, funders, and fellow entrepreneurs we'll explore what it takes to turn dreams into reality. At the end of the season, we award $50,000 to the best pitch we've heard on the show. We're inviting educators and social entrepreneurs to play in the sandbox with us and share their vision for the future of education. We encourage these visionaries to be BOLD—don't just think outside the box; reshape the box itself. Draw outside the lines. It's about making good ideas last longer and go further. About the Host, Nicole Jarbo:
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| Why College Isn’t the Only Option: How Victoria Chen’s BridgeYear Transforms Career Pathways | 21 Jan 2025 | 00:31:05 | |
What are the options after high school for non-college bound students? Victoria Chen, a former high school biology teacher, founded BridgeYear, a Houston based nonprofit, to address gaps in the education system that fail to provide non-college-bound students with viable career options. As a teacher, Victoria witnessed a valedictorian abandon a full scholarship due to family issues and end up working as a cashier. BridgeYear offers a hands-on career exploration for high-demand well paying jobs that don't require a four-year degree. Bridgeyear’s flagship program is the Career Test Drive, where students walk into school one day and find their gymnasium completely transformed. Different booths are set up where students can test drive different careers that don’t require a four year degree. Careers such as being an electrician, an auto tech or a surgical technologist. As Victoria says, you should never buy a car without test driving it, and you should never choose a career without giving it a try either. Right now, Victoria is at a pivotal moment with BridgeYear. As she works to scale she’s also developed morepathways.org, a tech platform that can connect students with vetted workforce training programs. She has the opportunity to pitch morepathways.org to New Profit’s Molly O’Donnell. Molly is a venture philanthropist that invests in social entrepreneurs working to transform education. They dive into how Victoria can balance the organizations direct service work, as they scale for widespread impact. 02:06 Victoria's Journey: From Teacher to Founder 03:04 The Reality of Student Challenges 08:17 The Birth of BridgeYear 09:07 BridgeYear's Career Test Drive Program 13:35 Impact on Student’s 17:18 Scaling Up: The Tech Platform MorePathways.org 19:56 Introducing Molly O’Donnell 23:27 Trade-Off’s: Direct Service and Widespread Impact 24:54 Impact Jenga 29:01 Final Takeaways Links:
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| Immersive Classrooms in Mixed Reality: How Jonathan Teske's Reframe XR Brings Learning to Life | 04 Feb 2025 | 00:30:51 | |
How can XR headsets empower teachers in the classroom? Jonathan Teske, a former teacher and edtech expert, founded ReframeXR to make immersive, interactive learning experiences an everyday reality. ReframeXR allows educators to create spatial classrooms where students can engage in collaborative, hands-on learning. Imagine an earth sciences lesson where students manipulate the James Webb Telescope in real time to explore the electromagnetic spectrum, or a science class where they conduct experiments on virtual sinkholes to understand ecosystems and erosion. Jonathan’s diverse background as a teacher, gamer, and football player makes him uniquely positioned to bring this idea to life. As the former Future of Education Lead at Meta, Jonathan led research on VR in education. Through his research, he discovered a major flaw—VR doesn’t work in classrooms because it isolates students and overwhelms teachers. With ReframeXR, he’s developed a teacher-first approach, ensuring mixed reality enhances education rather than disrupting it. As Jonathan works to scale, he has the opportunity to pitch his tool to Jin-Soo Huh from The Learning Accelerator, an education nonprofit dedicated to bringing innovative and effective teaching practices to life. Jin-Soo is a former teacher himself, and understands the challenges of edtech adoption. Together, they dive into how Jonathan can navigate school funding constraints, get buy-in from educators and administrators, and ensure ReframeXR is both impactful and accessible for classrooms nationwide. 02:35 Jonathan's Journey 09:51 The Problem with VR in Classrooms 10:18 The Birth of ReframeXR 13:31 Stargazing with the James Webb Telescope in Reframe 16:54 Impact on Teachers 19:18 Meet Jin-Soo Huh from The Learning Accelerator 21:44 Impact on Student Engagement 24:09 Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze? 27:14 Final Advice from Jin-So Huh Links:
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| Interrupting the School to Prison Pipeline: How Lisa María Rhodes' Alas Advocates for Students | 18 Feb 2025 | 00:30:11 | |
How can educators disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline? Lisa María Rhodes, founder of Alas, is on a mission to ensure students impacted by the criminal legal and immigration systems have a fighting chance at success. Alas creates interventions that support young people facing incarceration and deportation, providing them with legal advocacy, educational resources, and a path to reclaim their futures. By equipping educators and communities with the right tools, Alas is changing the narrative for students who are too often left behind. Lisa María’s journey began in the classroom, where she encountered a heartbreaking reality: many of her students were being arrested, detained, and lost in a system that saw them as statistics rather than as individuals with potential. She pivoted from teaching to social work, eventually founding Alas to bridge the gap between educators and the justice system. Her first-hand experiences in both classrooms and courtrooms gave her the insight to design interventions that truly make a difference. In this episode, Lisa María gets a chance to pitch her idea to Molly O’Donnell, Managing Partner at New Profit, to refine her pitch and strategize on sustainable growth. They dive into how Lisa María can approach hiring a fully functional founding team, what steps she should take to ensure the organization can impact as many students in need as possible, and what funding sources she should look into as she scales their impact. They also discuss the challenges of expanding services without losing sight of the organization’s core mission and how to sustain long-term systemic change. 02:25 Lisa María’s Journey: From Educator to Advocate 04:24 Pivoting from Education to Social Work 09:44 The founding of Alas 10:02 Success Stories: Lorenzo and Monica 16:55 Youth Organizing and Systemic Change 21:18 Scaling Alas: Challenges and Opportunities 27:01 Lisa María’s Vision for the Future 30:06 Final Advice from Molly O’Donnell Links:
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| Consent-Based Education: How Dr. Erin Flynn’s Hedge School Prioritizes Student Autonomy | 04 Mar 2025 | 00:30:52 | |
What if students had full autonomy over their learning? Dr. Erin Flynn, founder of the Hedge School, is reimagining education through consent-based learning. Located in Texas, the Hedge School is a microschool where students have the freedom to choose what and how they learn, creating an environment that fosters curiosity, confidence, and emotional well-being. Erin’s journey to founding the Hedge School was shaped by her experiences as a teacher, principal, and ultimately, her disillusionment with the traditional education system. She saw firsthand how rigid policies, standardized testing, and lack of student agency stifled learning. Rather than conforming to a system she felt was failing students, Erin took a bold step: she created a school designed around student choice, inclusivity, and self-directed learning. The Hedge School’s approach is radically different from conventional education. Students decide how to engage with lessons, whether that means taking a walk, skipping an assignment that doesn’t resonate with them, or learning in a way that best suits their interests. For Erin, learning should be a collaborative process, not something imposed upon students. With an opportunity to expand the Hedge School’s model, she receives mentorship from Kelly Smith, founder of Prenda, a venture-backed microschool network. Kelly helps Erin refine her pitch and strategize on how to scale. They explore questions like: how can Erin establish satellite Hedge Schools while ensuring each maintains its unique community-driven culture? What support do new educators need to replicate the Hedge School model successfully? How can Erin balance business objectives with her deeply held beliefs about education? Together, they dive into strategies to sustain Hedge School’s mission while expanding its reach. 02:01 Erin's Educational Journey 07:18 Challenges in the Public School System 10:11 Founding The Hedge School 11:23 What is Consent-Based Education? 13:58 The Micro School Movement 20:09 Scaling The Hedge School 27:51 Final Thoughts and Takeaways Links:
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| Beyond Compliance: How jacob adams’ Inner Spark Learning Lab Cultivates Critical Thinkers | 18 Mar 2025 | 00:28:00 | |
What if education wasn’t about compliance but about discovery? jacob adams, founder of Inner Spark Learning Lab, believes students should have the power to question, explore, and create—not just memorize and obey. In this episode of Pitch Playground, jacob shares his journey from being labelled a “troublemaker” in school to reimagining learning environments that prioritize student agency and self-actualization. jacob’s first teaching job was at a majority-Black elementary school in Brooklyn, where he quickly realized how rigid discipline policies and top-down control stripped students of autonomy. Witnessing kindergarteners being forced into silence, he began to question the foundations of education. His experiences led him to launch Inner Spark Learning Lab (formerly STEM to the Future), an initiative that engages students in hands-on, community-driven learning projects designed to foster critical thinking, self-awareness, and social impact. If jacob wins the $50,000, the funds will support a Dreamweaver position—a dedicated team member responsible for learning about students, their families, and the broader school community to ensure programming meets real needs. He sits down with Niloy Gangopadhyay, Vice President at Teach for America, to refine his pitch and tackle key questions: What role do community facilitators, or “Dreamweavers,” play in ensuring students feel seen and heard? How can jacob provide measurable outcomes that school leaders and funders will recognize? Tune in to hear jacob’s vision for student-centered education. 02:54 jacob's Early Education and Challenges 05:07 College Struggles and Overcoming Obstacles 06:17 Teach for America Experience 07:55 Questioning the System 10:13 Creating a New Teaching Approach 16:53 Inner Spark's Impact and Future Goals 18:47 Pitching to Niloy Gangopadhyay 25:57 Final Thoughts and Reflections Links:
About the Host, Nicole Jarbo:
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| Hard Hats, Soft Skills: How Aaron Frumin's unCommon Construction Prepares Students for College and Career Success | 01 Apr 2025 | 00:29:17 | |
What if students could earn school credit, get paid, and build a house—all in one semester? Aaron Frumin, founder of unCommon Construction, is making that a reality. Based in New Orleans, unCommon Construction is a nonprofit apprenticeship program that places high school students on job sites, where they learn hands-on construction skills while developing the soft skills they need to succeed in life and work. From teamwork and communication to resilience and professional attitude, students walk away with much more than a paycheck—they leave equipped to take on life’s challenges and seize new opportunities. Aaron’s journey started far from the job site. After dropping out of college and joining the Red Cross post-Katrina, he discovered a calling to serve. That calling eventually led him from the classroom to the construction site, and finally to founding unCommon. The organization blends education with real-world experience. Aaron shares how a need to leave a positive “thumbprint” on the world drives his work.
Episode Highlights: 01:57 Aaron's Journey: Volunteering After Hurricane Katrina 07:25 The Birth of unCommon Construction 10:11 A Day in the Life of a UCC Student 14:29 Impact Stories: Transforming Lives Through Construction 18:50 Expanding the Vision: The unCommon Community Center 20:01 Mentorship and Pitch Improvement 27:19 Key Takeaways Links & Resources:
About 4.0:
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