John Gamba on What EdTech Needs to Get Right About AI, Scale, and Learning Outcomes at Catalyst @ Penn GSE
Edtech Insiders
How the Competition Supports Founders
John describes semifinalist supports, Catapult accelerator focus, and research‑to‑practice expectations for ventures.
John Gamba is Entrepreneur in Residence at Catalyst @ Penn GSE, where he mentors education entrepreneurs and leads the Milken-Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition. Over 17 years, the competition has awarded $2M to ventures that have gone on to raise more than $200M in follow-on funding, with a strong focus on equity and research-to-practice impact.
The 2026 Milken-Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition is now open for applications. The application is simple and due by February 11. Apply here.
💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode
- How the Milken-Penn GSE Competition supports high-impact edtech founders
- Why research-to-practice is critical for scalable education innovation
- How AI in education is moving from experimentation to institutional adoption
- What it takes to center equity while building sustainable edtech businesses
- Why learning outcomes matter more than funding or reach alone
✨ Episode Highlights
[00:02:15] The evolution of the Milken-Penn GSE Competition
[00:09:26] From AI pilots to learning-science-driven implementation
[00:13:35] Responsible AI and avoiding “AI junk food” in education
[00:25:42] Keeping equity at the core of edtech innovation
[00:29:44] Measuring real impact beyond capital raised
[00:39:54] Why AI benchmarks and standards are the next frontier
[00:44:36] How founders can engage with Catalyst and Catapult
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