You crushed the demo. The buyer smiled. They nodded. They even said, “This is exactly what we need.” And then… nothing. That silence isn’t harmless. Every “We’ll be in touch” costs you weeks of follow-up, lost momentum, and deals that should already be on your books. In Part 1, “Your Demo Is the Problem” with John Gamba, Entrepreneur in Residence and Director of Innovative Programs at Penn GSE, Josh and John exposed a hard truth: most EdTech demos fail before they even start. Founders pitch p...
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You crushed the demo. The buyer smiled. They nodded. They even said, “This is exactly what we need.” And then… nothing. That silence isn’t harmless. Every “We’ll be in touch” costs you weeks of follow-up, lost momentum, and deals that should already be on your books. In Part 1, “Your Demo Is the Problem” with John Gamba, Entrepreneur in Residence and Director of Innovative Programs at Penn GSE, Josh and John exposed a hard truth: most EdTech demos fail before they even start. Founders pitch p...
From “Great Pitch” to Signed Contract: Paul Vallas on the Buyer’s Lens That Closes Education Deals
Breaking the Grade
23 minutes
2 months ago
From “Great Pitch” to Signed Contract: Paul Vallas on the Buyer’s Lens That Closes Education Deals
What happens when you finally land the big meeting… and walk out with nothing but “We’ll think about it”? It’s the growth killer most founders don’t see coming—your pitch isn’t aligned with how education buyers actually make decisions. That’s why this live Breaking the Grade episode from ASU-GSV (the edtech conference each April in sunny San Diego) is such a win: I sat down with Paul Vallas——nationally recognized education leader, former superintendent of Chicago, Philadelphia, and New Orlean...
Breaking the Grade
You crushed the demo. The buyer smiled. They nodded. They even said, “This is exactly what we need.” And then… nothing. That silence isn’t harmless. Every “We’ll be in touch” costs you weeks of follow-up, lost momentum, and deals that should already be on your books. In Part 1, “Your Demo Is the Problem” with John Gamba, Entrepreneur in Residence and Director of Innovative Programs at Penn GSE, Josh and John exposed a hard truth: most EdTech demos fail before they even start. Founders pitch p...
