# Jennifer Carolan

> Jennifer Carolan is co-founder and general partner at Reach Capital, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm she helped build from the ground up to become the most active dedicated edtech investor in the US. A former K-12 history teacher in Chicago who spent nine years learning venture capital at NewSchools Venture Fund, she has since deployed four funds totaling over $500M across 100+ education technology companies. Her portfolio has produced five unicorns including ClassDojo and Handshake, and she continues to teach at Stanford while backing the entrepreneurs she believes are removing the obstacles standing between people and opportunity.

- **Role:** Co-founder and General Partner at Reach Capital
- **Organizations:** Reach Capital, NewSchools Venture Fund, Stanford University, BookNook, Desmos, Outschool, Stellic, Derivita
- **From:** Chicago, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BA in Political Science, History and Secondary Teaching Certificate, Loyola University Chicago, MA in Curriculum and Teacher Education, Stanford University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Reach Capital, the most active dedicated edtech venture fund in the US, Deployed four funds totaling over $500M with 100+ portfolio companies, Portfolio has produced 5 unicorns including ClassDojo, Handshake, Newsela, and Outschool

## Career timeline

- **1997-2000** — Taught US history in Chicago traditional public school district schools
- **2000** — Relocated to Silicon Valley to pursue studies at Stanford University
- **2001-2004** — Taught US History at Palo Alto Unified School District while studying at Stanford
- **2006** — Joined NewSchools Venture Fund, founded by John Doerr and Brook Byers
- **2006-2010** — Served as Teaching and Learning Specialist at NewSchools Venture Fund
- **2010-2012** — Served as Associate Partner at NewSchools Venture Fund
- **2011** — Co-founded NewSchools Seed Fund, one of the first dedicated edtech seed vehicles
- **2012-2015** — Served as Managing Director of the Seed Fund at NewSchools Venture Fund
- **2015** — Co-founded Reach Capital with $53M debut fund (Reach I)
- **2018** — Launched Reach Capital Fund II ($82M)
- **2020** — Launched Reach Capital Fund III ($165M, largest to date at launch)
- **2023** — Launched Reach Capital Fund IV ($215M)
- **Ongoing** — Teaches on the Stanford Lean Launchpad ENGR 245 (DeepTech & EdTech) team
- **2025** — Named 2025 Power of Women honoree at ASU+GSV Summit

## Achievements

- Co-founded Reach Capital, the most active dedicated edtech venture fund in the US
- Deployed four funds totaling over $500M with 100+ portfolio companies
- Portfolio has produced 5 unicorns including ClassDojo, Handshake, Newsela, and Outschool
- Portfolio has seen 1 IPO and 21 acquisitions
- Named 2025 Power of Women honoree at ASU+GSV Summit
- Co-founded NewSchools Seed Fund in 2011, one of the earliest dedicated edtech seed vehicles
- Led over 50 investments personally, sitting on boards of Nearpod, Seesaw, Desmos, Outschool, Stellic, Derivita and others
- Co-created and taught 'Innovations In Teaching' course at Stanford University
- Served on Stanford Digital Education Advisory Council
- Written for EdSurge on edtech trends, efficacy, and investment strategy

## Latest updates

- **2025-04** — Named 2025 Power of Women honoree at ASU+GSV Summit
- **2024-09** — Reach Capital invested in Bumo (Seed Round)
- **2023-04** — Reach Capital raised $215M Fund IV (Reach IV)
- **2021-09** — TechCrunch covered Reach Capital's edtech-powered returns, highlighting 5 unicorns and strong exit track record

## Links

- Website: https://reachcapital.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jcarolan
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/jencarolan

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/jennifer-carolan
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-18