The 2024 ASU+GSV Summit and AI Revolution Show brought together thousands of educators, administrators, edtech founders and investors, big tech companies, and students shaping the future of education in the age of AI.
30 Stanford graduate-level students attended the two conferences from April 13th to 17th, 2024, complementing their classroom experiences with hands-on learning from keynotes, speaker panels, product demos, and networking events.
Hear from 11 of the scholars below on how their experience at ASU+GSV shaped their perceptions and influenced their entrepreneurial projects:
Samin Khan, Master of Education Data Science ‘25
During my visit to the ASU+GSV and the AIR Show in San Diego, I had the rewarding experience of connecting with influential Stanford alumni in the edtech industry. Among them were partners at Reach Capital, known for their significant contributions to educational technology through venture capital. I also had an engaging conversation with the CEO of TeachFx about the potential of AI to analyze classroom audio recordings and deliver actionable insights that empower teachers.
The summit proved to be an excellent platform for learning and networking. I highly recommend it to fellow Stanford students interested in edtech. It’s a distinctive venue that offers a firsthand look at how bright minds are shaping the future of education.
Anchal Sayal, Master of Learning Design and Technology ’24
At ASU+GSV, one of my most memorable moments was meeting and learning from the CEO of Savvas Learning. Her comment, “No child wakes up in the morning and says, ‘I love my chatbot,’ they say, ‘I love my teacher,'” led us to have a meaningful conversation about the ongoing need for real teachers to enhance student outcomes. This moment encapsulated what it meant to be at the ASU+GSV Summit. The entire EdTech world was there, and I had the opportunity to meet in person with many of the people I had been following online.
I also enjoyed the Stanford-Reach Capital mixer, where I had an in-depth conversation with Reach Capital’s Co-founder and Managing Director. After sharing my career aspirations with her, she recommended that I connect with one of her portfolio companies, Derivita, which led to my summer internship as a product management intern!
Lina Li, Master of International Comparative Education ‘24
At ASU+GSV, I felt immersed in edtech product solutions and valuable networking opportunities. It was a great learning experience to hear from the perspectives of different stakeholders in the edtech field, including school districts, teachers, parents, investors, policymakers, and edtech founders. I got to discuss my entrepreneurial idea with the CEO of Noodle and was very inspired by his suggestions.
AI was certainly the key area of discussion throughout the conference, but my main takeaway is innovative technology itself is never the solution. It’s only an accelerator tool that requires human insights to fully benefit society. I’m grateful that I got to see so many possibilities in edtech products influencing the future of education, but I also realized that it’s important for every founder to be authentic, stay close to the 5 whys, and understand the market of education deeply at the pedagogical level not just the marketing level.
Doug Phipps, Master of Education and Master of Business Administration ‘25
ASU+GSV was a great opportunity to meet thousands of changemakers in the education and edtech spaces and to get to know new Stanford education folks. I met many folks doing inspiring work that aligns with the work I plan to do this summer and after graduation.
This summer, I’m working on a nonprofit education idea through Stanford GSB’s Center for Social Impact. At ASU+GSV, I connected with philanthropists who were eager to chat with me about my idea and met mentors who had done theater education work similar to the work I’m aspiring to do and offered me counsel on how to run an effective pilot program.
Chinat Yu, Master of Learning Design and Technology ‘24
It was a privilege to meet the founder of Simplilearn and engage in insightful discussions about the future of digital education. Networking with dynamic edtech leaders was truly inspiring. The USS Midway mixer was a highlight. I connected with industry innovators such as the founders of AI Blocks and Code To The Future. These conversations left me energized and full of ideas for potential collaborations.
Marcos Rojas, PhD of Learning Science Design and Technology ‘27
The conference was an enriching experience and highlighted a significant need for more scholars in educational technology. In my opinion, rather than distancing ourselves, we need to engage actively in this area to critically evaluate and provide feedback on ongoing developments. This involvement is crucial for ensuring that the advancements genuinely benefit learners.
Alexa Sparks, Master of Education Data Science ‘25
What surprised me about ASU+GSV is that the real learning was rarely in the session rooms. It was in the hallways, happy hours, and one-to-one meetings with people passionate about edtech. I quickly realized that, as much as ASU+GSV is about technology and education, it’s also about the business of edtech. Having the opportunity to engage with investors, fellow edtech founders, district leaders, and teachers over the course of five days prompted me to reflect upon the alignment of for-profit motives in a sector where fostering educational equity is a primary goal.
Attending the conference also reinforced the importance of a research base supporting edtech tools moving forward. As a student at Stanford’s Graduate School of Education and the cofounder of an edtech company, I took for granted the number of tools marketed to schools without any evidence to support how they would improve learning. Attending the conference taught me that having a strong research base to support our tool gives us a competitive edge in an increasingly crowded market.
Emily Liu, Master of Learning Design and Technology ‘24
Attending ASU+GSV was an amazing opportunity to dive into the major edtech trends and working solutions of the day. I heard great, diverse perspectives from founders, educators, and researchers alike, and felt especially compelled by discussions about no-code platforms, the impact of AI on how we conceptualize and assess creativity, and approaches to supporting student mental health and wellbeing across a range of contexts. I also loved connecting with and learning from other students, especially those working in different spaces. My knowledge and views of the edtech world – especially regarding reinforcing the current dominance of AI – have been broadened and enriched.
Bruno Lam, Master of Learning Design and Technology, ‘24
Attending ASU+GSV was a great way to connect what we’re learning at Stanford’s Graduate School of Education with the broader education technology sector. Trading classroom lectures for conference panels for a week, and being able to hear from prominent edtech practitioners – many of whom whose work I’ve been following from afar for a long time – helped cement the momentum that this sector is building.
One of my main takeaways is best characterized by this quote: “Excel is not a skill.” This thought-provoking quote came from a panel discussing how we can best serve adult learners, my area of interest. According to the speaker, we should rather call the skill “organizing and visualizing data using charts through Excel.” This naming convention stresses the importance of contextualizing skills when teaching them. My main takeaway is that when we try to analyze the skills that the workforce will need to gain, we need to apply a much higher level of granularity.
Yukiho Ishigami, Master of Education and Master of Business Administration ‘24
The ASU+GSV Conference was a great learning experience to network with impactful edtech leaders and acquire insights on the latest topics.
I learned that AI in education is already a saturated space with many companies making similar attempts, and there have been quite thorough discussions on the benefits and concerns of using AI in education. I’m curious about what the landscape will look like in a couple of years and who will positively impact education. Also, I felt we should continue discussing non-AI topics, such as degrees v.s. skills, meeting the needs of diverse learners, improving public education, and diversity, equity, and inclusion in education leadership.
Dominik Moehrle, Master of Education Data Science ‘25
ASU + GSV 2024 was the best event for meeting the leaders in my field of interest. One highlight was the keynote by Sal Khan, whose insights into the future of education were inspiring and thought-provoking. At the final Cooley + Bertelsmann event, I met education leaders from across the world and stayed closely connected with one throughout the last weeks. ASU + GSV 2024 was one of the biggest highlights of my master’s, and I can only strongly recommend that any peers at Stanford attend as well.