Since founding Innovare, I’ve been navigating an environment in which equity is lacking. I’ve seen that there are very few people of color and women who are leading tech ventures, and I’ve also met very few venture capitalists who are willing to invest in education technology in general. However, my participation in LEANLAB has given me concrete tools to resist against inequity in the entrepreneurship space and society at large, and to continue to be optimistic about my venture’s impact on education despite these challenges.

Specifically, as a result of the programming and relationships I have built, I feel better prepared to take Innovare on a path toward a successful exit. Thanks to the Village Capital curriculum and complementary tools such as the VIRAL pathway, I can clearly articulate to investors what level my venture is in, and what milestones need to be achieved to reach the next level, in key venture planning areas such as team, value prop, business model, etc.

Moreover, the research toolkit and knowledgeable staff we’ve been exposed to has better prepared me to lead my team toward ensuring that our products add measurable value to the work and lives of the stakeholders we serve. By building personalized software that builds the capacity of school leaders to be self-reflective while they drive continuous improvement in their organizations, we know that our work is directly contributing to equity, making communities stronger, and innovating for good.

In sum, my participation in LEANLAB reaffirmed my choice to be an impact-focused entrepreneur, and gave me the user-centered approach, support network, and business acumen to navigate the complex entrepreneurial ecosystem, and make Innovare an active contributor toward equity.

About AJ DeLeon, CEO
A former educator, school improvement coach, data strategist in Chicago Public Schools, and consultant at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, AJ is Innovare’s internal strategist and team leader. AJ was recognized as a 2016 EPic alumnus of Education Pioneers, is an inaugural fellow of The Surge Institute, and is an admirer of the art of Frida Kahlo.

About Innovare
Software solution that guides education ecosystem leaders to achieve their impact goals