Karl Rectanus

Is this EdTech’s Esse Quam Videri Moment? A SxSWedu 2016 epiphany

Posted by Karl Rectanus | Mar 17, 2016

Editor’s note: Karl Rectanus, a longtime educator and CEO of edtech startup Lea(R)n, writes about the epiphany he experienced at South by Southwest, citing North Carolina’s state motto and his belief that edtech is here to stay. AUSTIN, Texas – Throughout the panels, conversations, and catalytic collisions of SxSWedu last week, the state motto of North Carolina kept popping into my head: Esse Quam Videri. “To Be, Rather Than To Seem”. The promise, potential, and portent of education technology has been future-focused ever since I started teaching almost 20 years ago — well after playing Oregon Trail and Lemonade Stand in...

Three Reasons You'll Hear of N.C.'s EdTech Industry in 2015

Posted by Karl Rectanus | Dec 30, 2014

Last summer, a colleague asked if I would help organize an education technology panel for a technology conference in North Carolina. I agreed, but two weeks later he said the organizing committee had decided there really wasn’t enough going on in this space to justify it. Astonished, I told him that this would be a missed opportunity for the audience, citing hundreds of millions of dollars in market cap and innovation within 20 miles of the event venue—plus the large contingent of leaders across the country with North Carolina ties. Flash forward to just a month ago: he...

Three Reasons You’ll Hear of N.C.’s EdTech Industry in 2015

Posted by Karl Rectanus | Dec 30, 2014

Last summer, a colleague asked if I would help organize an education technology panel for a technology conference in North Carolina. I agreed, but two weeks later he said the organizing committee had decided there really wasn’t enough going on in this space to justify it. Astonished, I told him that this would be a missed opportunity for the audience, citing hundreds of millions of dollars in market cap and innovation within 20 miles of the event venue—plus the large contingent of leaders across the country with North Carolina ties. Flash forward to just a month ago: he...

What Matters When Pitching to Investors: Lessons From Techstars Demo Day

Posted by Karl Rectanus | Nov 12, 2014

Karl Rectanus is CEO and founder of Lea(R)n, a Raleigh startup selected this fall to participate in the second-ever Kaplan EdTech Accelerator in New York City, powered by Techstars. You will never have this opportunity again. Never. This. is. it. The first impression. As entrepreneurs—especially those focused on growth—we have to recognize that every new interaction, whether a pitch to investors or a chance meeting as you wait for your latte, is a moment in time you will never get back. Incredibly scary and intimidating for some. A moment of excitement and opportunity for others. In cases where you’re pitching to...

Lea(r)n seeks quality control in booming ed-tech market

Posted by Karl Rectanus | Mar 21, 2014

(Editor’s Note: Karl Rectanus is an educator and social entrepreneur. He advises organizations on education innovation and policy, and recently co-founded Lea(R)n to change the way the world learns.) RALEIGH, N.C. – What if I told you North Carolina is primed to lead a $90 billion industry critical to...

Tortoises, rabbits and Triangle Startup Weekend

Posted by Karl Rectanus | Jul 8, 2013

Editor’s note: Karl Rectanus is a social entrepreneur and founder of TechExecutives, LLC, helping high impact leaders and high growth organizations in education, technology and the public sphere move from idea to execution. This weekend, my uncle was in town. He happens to be a brewmaster for a nationally recognized beer in your grocery aisle. Besides having taught many of today’s top brewers, he’s built breweries in North America, Asia, and even –wait for it – the British Virgin Islands. I know, tough gig, right? He’s a smart guy with a biology and history degree from Stanford, who has...