Sarah Chou on Finding Product-Market Fit in the Education Industry - at YC Edtech Night

Summary

Sarah Chou, founder of Informed K12, shared her experience of finding product-market fit after an early pivot and her strategies for selling to K-12 schools and districts. Here are the key points:

Informed K12 automates business workflows for school districts, helping them bring paperwork processes online.
Sarah and her co-founder initially wanted to build a QA system for schools, but after realizing the lack of interest, they pivoted to create Chalk One, a platform that automates business workflows for K-12 school districts.
They received feedback from teachers who said they would never use their product, leading them to pivot and come up with a different idea that is now widely used in schools and districts.
They spent two weeks talking to as many people as possible, offering help to teachers and brainstorming ideas, before narrowing down their options to focus on paperwork.
It took them a long time to acquire their first customers, as they struggled to get teachers to pay for their app due to the dispersed nature of the problem in school systems.
Sarah discussed the challenges of selling to K-12 schools and districts, including the need to identify the right decision-makers.
Chief business officials and assistant superintendents were the primary purchasers of their product, as they often sign a lot of forms.
Sarah emphasized the importance of consistent sales and a repeatable sales process in determining product-market fit.
Building trust with school leaders, parents, and students is crucial, as each party has unique needs and contexts.
Sarah also talked about the challenges of fundraising and the need to balance it with product development and go-to-market strategy.
She highlighted the importance of having a clear and rehearsed story about the company, as well as the element of luck and networking in the process.
Sarah encouraged entrepreneurs to focus on building solutions that address the needs of K-12 school districts for increased efficiency and effectiveness in the education sector.

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