# Rupa Gupta

> Rupa Chandra Gupta is the cofounder and CEO of Sown To Grow, a K-12 edtech platform that puts students in charge of their own learning through goal-setting, progress tracking, and structured reflection. A former Bain consultant turned school administrator, she co-founded the company in 2015 after witnessing firsthand the gap in tools that gave students genuine ownership over their education. Sown To Grow has raised over $5M in venture funding and serves districts across the United States, with measurable outcomes including record-breaking graduation rates in Stockton Unified School District.

- **Role:** Cofounder & CEO at Sown To Grow
- **Organizations:** Sown To Grow, Oakland Public Education Fund, San Jose Unified School District, Bain & Company, The Bridgespan Group
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BS in Chemistry and Business Administration, UC Berkeley, MBA, Stanford University, Masters in Educational Leadership, The Broad Residency
- **Known for:** Co-founded Sown To Grow in 2015, which has raised over $5M in total venture funding, Sown To Grow helped Stockton Unified School District achieve its highest-ever graduation rate while reducing chronic absenteeism and suspension rates, Ranked 2nd among 91 active competitors in the K-12 social-emotional learning space

## Career timeline

- **Early 2000s** — Began career in management consulting at Bain & Company
- **Mid 2000s** — Joined The Bridgespan Group as nonprofit consultant
- **~2010-2014** — Joined San Jose Unified School District; served as Administrator of Redesign for Ohlone Middle School and Manager of Strategic Projects, leading personalized learning and criterion-based grading initiatives
- **2015** — Co-founded Sown To Grow with Dennis Li, building a student goal-setting and reflection platform
- **2016** — Sown To Grow raised its first Seed round (January 2016)
- **2016-2018** — Published multiple articles on EdSurge covering growth mindset, personalized learning, and edtech equity
- **2024** — Sown To Grow raised $1.89M in latest venture round (August 2024)
- **Ongoing** — Serves as Secretary at Oakland Public Education Fund; leads Sown To Grow team of ~30 serving K-12 districts nationwide

## Achievements

- Co-founded Sown To Grow in 2015, which has raised over $5M in total venture funding
- Sown To Grow helped Stockton Unified School District achieve its highest-ever graduation rate while reducing chronic absenteeism and suspension rates
- Ranked 2nd among 91 active competitors in the K-12 social-emotional learning space
- Published influential EdSurge articles read widely in the edtech community on growth mindset, personalized learning, and technology equity
- Built a 30-person company serving districts across the United States
- Secured funding from America's Seed Fund, National Science Foundation, and Amazon Web Services
- Serves as Secretary on the board of the Oakland Public Education Fund

## Latest updates

- **2024-08** — Sown To Grow raised $1.89M in its latest venture funding round
- **2024** — Rupa announced K-12 conference appearances and continued expansion of Sown To Grow's district partnerships
- **2024** — Sown To Grow team grew to approximately 30 employees serving districts across the United States

## Links

- Website: https://sowntogrow.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/rupac
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/sowntogrow

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/rupa-gupta
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-13