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PenPal Schools isn't accepting new investments

PenPal Schools’ deadline was May 1, 2019

Follow the company to stay updated on their progress, including future investment opportunities


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PenPal Schools

A collaborative learning community spanning 150 countries
Social Impact Latinx Founders Education
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$71,423
Raised
238
Investors
Successfully funded and closed on May 1, 2019.
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Open for investment

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Closed on May 1, 2019. Information may not be up-to-date. Campaign closed on May 1, 2019. Information displayed may not be up-to-date.

Documents

Republic (OpenDeal Portal LLC, CRD #283874) is hosting this Reg CF securities offering by PenPal News, Inc.. View the official SEC filing and all updates:
Official SEC Logo Form C SEC.gov
Company documents
PenPal Schools Crowd SAFE ppnformcacombined.pdf formccombined.pdf
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Hear from some of the 238 investors in PenPal Schools


Show more

Deal highlights

  • Connecting over 320,000 students from over 7,000 schools in 150 countries
  • 78 paying schools and districts (average deal size = $1,770 / year)
  • Named Best Education Technology of 2017 by Common Sense Education
  • Recognized by President Obama as a leading social enterprise
  • Led by an experienced entrepreneur whose previous company generates $5M annual revenue
  • Partnered with leading publishers including Time Inc, Via Afrika, and Films BYkids
  • $1.25M raised to date from Stanford, Floodgate, Techstars, Capital Factory, Dreamit, Honeycomb Portfolio and more

“Why do we have to learn this?” It’s the question that haunts every teacher. When schoolwork doesn’t seem relevant, students quickly lose interest and stop learning. And with information just a Google search away, memorizing facts for tests seems more pointless than ever.

This lack of student motivation has led to a crisis in our education system, with students failing to meet grade level targets across all ages and skills.


Innovative schools are starting to change 

Fortunately, many schools across the US and around the world have recognized that a system based on memorization and testing is not effective. Innovative teachers are leading a movement towards project-based learning, where students demonstrate their learning not by passing a test, but by creating original work. When done well, project-based learning not only motivates students to learn the required content and skills, it also helps them to develop creativity, communication and collaboration skills. 

With over 320,000 participating students in more than 150 countries, PenPal Schools is leading the project-based learning revolution.  

Explore a map of participating schools in 150 countries

Students on PenPal Schools don’t just write to each other - they collaborate globally to design robots, create films, explore careers, and find local solutions to global problems. Sound like fun? It is! 

Meet more teachers and PenPals from around the world

Students on PenPal Schools are so engaged and motivated in their learning that PenPal Schools has earned high-profile press and won numerous prestigious awards, including Best Edtech of the Year by Common Sense Education (a big deal). PenPal Schools was also recognized by President Obama (a bigger deal) as an outstanding social enterprise - an organization that uses a for-profit business model to create positive change.



How Penpal Schools works 



These screenshots are nice, but to really get a feel for PenPal Schools you should see a demo. Pick a topic of your choice and preview it to see the quality of the content and technology. The demo looks pretty good on a phone, but it's optimized for a laptop - the way 90% of our students use it. 


Demo PenPal Schools 


The market 

As you may already know, the K-12 education industry is very large. In the United States alone, there are over 98,000 public schools and 33,000 private schools serving a total of over 56 million students. These schools spend a total of $12.4 billion per year on instructional supplies.

What you may not know, unless you spend a lot of time in schools, is that classrooms today look very different than they did just a few years ago. Schools everywhere recognize the need for students to practice using technology, and are replacing worn out textbooks with digital instructional materials. Today, 98 percent of US school districts provide internet access for students. 

Just as classrooms are shifting from textbooks to technology, so are the budgets of schools and school districts:


In addition to what they purchase, schools and districts have also changed how they purchase. In the past, large textbook publishers sold their products by schmoozing administrators with fancy dinners or golf outings. This was great for administrators, but often forced students and teachers to use ineffective products. Fortunately, today schools and districts demand free trials (pilots) of digital resources to make sure that they are effective. This is great for students and teachers, as well as for the companies that have built the products that they love. Like, for example, PenPal Schools.



Penpal Schools' business model fit perfectly with this teacher-driven purchasing system

Teachers can complete any two topics for free on PenPal Schools. After completing their free trial, teachers are given the option to encourage their principal to purchase a license for the school (we don’t believe in charging teachers).


Since implementing this system in 2017, PenPal Schools has sold licenses to 75 schools and 3 districts:

The sales pipeline for 2019 is very strong, with revenue expected to surpass expenses in March based on sales to individual schools alone. In addition, news of PenPal Schools has reached administrators from some of the largest school districts in the US, and pilots are currently underway with 8 districts representing a combined total of 591 schools. Students and teachers from these districts are already using PenPal Schools and sharing their feedback with district administrators, who will make purchases in the Spring for the 2019-20 school year.


What's next 

Spring 2019 - PenPal Schools will hire additional account managers to increase sales and manage existing relationships. These account managers will field inbound leads generated from free trials while also focusing on business development with large school districts.

Summer 2019 - PenPal Schools will introduce a mobile app for parents. The free version of this app will enable parents to see the amazing projects that their children create with peers around the world. For a small monthly fee, parents will be able to enroll their children in additional topics beyond those selected by the teacher. Premium subscribers will also have access to advanced analytics and recommendation features, made possible by the thousands of assessments that students receive from peers and teachers.


This freemium parent app will enable PenPal Schools to enter the fast-growing home education market. With US children ages 8-12 spending an average of 6 hours per day online, parents are increasingly willing to pay for educational apps to ensure that screen time is well-spent. While reliable statistics for the size of the home education market are not yet available, the impressive valuations for companies focused on sales to parents, such as ABCmouse and Classdojo, demonstrate the common belief amongst education investors and analysts in the strength of the home education market.


Investors 

PenPal Schools has raised a total of $1.25M from a mix of angel and institutional investors.


Meet our team


Join us in making education global, fun, and engaging for students everywhere!

We are especially excited to invite educators to invest in PenPal Schools! Our program has grown and evolved thanks to the support of some truly amazing teachers and administrators. We are so grateful for all you have done for us and for your students, and we are thrilled to offer you the opportunity to share in our success. - Joe

Deal terms


Valuation cap

$12,000,000

The maximum valuation at which your investment converts into equity shares or cash.
Learn more

Discount

20%

If a trigger event for PenPal Schools occurs, the discount provision gives investors equity shares (or equal value in cash) at a reduced price.
Learn more.

Minimum investment

$50

The smallest investment amount that PenPal Schools is accepting.
Learn more

Funding goal

$1.07M

PenPal Schools must achieve its minimum goal of $25K before the deadline. The maximum amount the offering can raise is $1.07M.
Learn more

Deadline
PenPal Schools needs to reach their minimum funding goal before the deadline ( ). If they don’t, all investments will be refunded.
Learn more
Type of security

Crowd SAFE

A SAFE allows an investor to make a cash investment in a company, with rights to receive certain company stock at a later date, in connection with a specific event. · Learn more

How it works

Documents

Republic (OpenDeal Portal LLC, CRD #283874) is hosting this Reg CF securities offering by PenPal News, Inc.. View the official SEC filing and all updates:
Official SEC Logo Form C SEC.gov
Company documents
PenPal Schools Crowd SAFE ppnformcacombined.pdf formccombined.pdf

Bonus perks

In addition to your Crowd SAFE, you'll receive perks for investing in PenPal Schools.
Invest
$1,000
Receive
  • Sponsor a school! Includes unlimited free access for a school of your choice for an entire year! During teacher training we will publicly thank you for your sponsorship (unless you prefer to remain anonymous).
Invest
$2,000
Receive
  • Sponsor two schools!
Invest
$5,000
Receive
  • Sponsor five schools!
Invest
$10,000
Receive
  • Sponsor ten schools!

About PenPal Schools

Legal Name
PenPal News, Inc.
Founded
Aug 2012
Form
Delaware Corporation
Employees
6
Website
penpalschools.com
Social Media
Headquarters
Google Map location of of PenPal Schools
411 West Monroe Street , Austin, TX
Headquarters
411 West Monroe Street, Austin, TX, United States 78704

PenPal Schools Team
Everyone helping build PenPal Schools, not limited to employees

Profile picture of Joe Troyen
Joe Troyen
Founder & CEO
Joe is a proven entrepreneur whose prior venture (Healthtech) now generates over $5M in annual revenue. He has 10 years of experience leading teams to create software in investment banking, healthcare, retail, and education.
Profile picture of Miguel Vazquez
Miguel Vazquez
Co-Founder & CTO
Miguel is a highly skilled full stack developer. Prior to PenPal Schools, he owned a development agency where he led a team of 4 software engineers. He also helped a startup develop a video streaming system which currently holds a patent.
Profile picture of Mark Danforth
Mark Danforth
Co-Founder & Chief Learning Officer
Mark spent six years in public education where he served students and families in Oakland, California as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, and school leader. Mark holds a Master’s in Education from the University of San Francisco.
Profile picture of Jessica Altounian
Jessica Altounian
Community Manager
Jessica is a community developer and educator with prior experience as a special education teacher in New York City. Jessica holds a Master’s in Education from Long Island University in Brooklyn, specializing in adolescents with special needs.
Profile picture of Frank Gonzalez
Frank Gonzalez
Software Engineer
Frank is a seasoned full stack developer and current front end engineer. He is also a lead Engineering Instructor and curriculum developer at Hello World, an organization that teaches 3rd-12th grade students web development, game design, and CS.
Profile picture of Maggie Brown
Maggie Brown
Senior Account Manager
Prior to PenPal Schools, Maggie worked for two different startups focusing on the intersections of social impact, sustainable solutions and global connections. She has 5 years of sales experience as well as roles in program and project management.
Profile picture of Josh Baer
Josh Baer
Advisor
Founder & Executive Director of the Capital Factory
Profile picture of Charles Thornburgh
Charles Thornburgh
Advisor
Founder & CEO of Civitas Learning
Profile picture of Justin Siegel
Justin Siegel
Advisor
Founder & CEO of MocoSpace
Profile picture of Azita Ardakani
Azita Ardakani
Advisor & Director
Founding Parter of Honeycomb Portfolio
7 more team members
Joe Troyen
Founder & CEO
Miguel Vazquez
Co-Founder & CTO
Mark Danforth
Co-Founder & Chief Learning Officer
Jessica Altounian
Community Manager
Frank Gonzalez
Software Engineer
Maggie Brown
Senior Account Manager
Josh Baer
Advisor
Charles Thornburgh
Advisor
Justin Siegel
Advisor
Azita Ardakani
Advisor & Director

Press

A Conversation About Creating A Global Classroom | Gettin...
Getting Smart Getting Smart
·
Jun 11, 2017

Holly's students have participated in several PenPal Schools VR projects, including a VR Field Trip to Pakistan. PenPal S...

Austin company helps students to connect with peers aroun...
KVUE KVUE
·
Jun 7, 2017

It continues to get easier and easier for people to communicate and work with people across the globe, and one Austin-bas...

Students take a virtual field trip to places textbooks can't
KXAN KXAN
·
Apr 24, 2017

Kylie McGivern and Paul Shelton - AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The distance from Austin to Pakistan is just over 8,000 miles, but tha...

Pen Pal Programs Connect Students From Different Backgrounds
Education Week - Teaching Now Education Week - Teaching Now
·
Jan 27, 2017

What comes to mind when you think of the word "pen pal"? It may conjure up images of licked stamps and an envelope waitin...

PenPal Schools Review for Teachers | Common Sense Education
Common Sense Education Common Sense Education
·
Jan 22, 2017

Teachers looking to go beyond think-pair-share and jigsaw readings for student collaboration can try PenPal Schools proje...

How PenPal Schools could change what we expect from educa...
Gigaom Gigaom
·
Dec 1, 2015

There was a time, back in the early 90's, in the days of AOL, You've Got Mail, and dial-up modems, when something of a ut...

PenPal Schools Wins Dell World Pitch Slam - EdSurge News
EdSurge EdSurge
·
Nov 8, 2014

PenPal Schools has good news to write to their friends about. The Austin, TX-based startup won the Dell World 2014 Pitch ...

Featured Activity: International Pen Pals
National Geographic Education Blog National Geographic Education Blog
·
Sep 30, 2014

Scott Tuffiash, this week's Educator of the Week, connects his journalism students with peers in Lebanon through PenPal S...

An Austin startup is connecting students around the world...
Austin American-Statesman Austin American-Statesman

Joe Troyen got the idea for his Austin startup a decade ago, when he was a college student studying in Spain.He loved lea...

Show all
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PenPal Schools

PenPal Schools successfully raised $71,423 from 238 investors on May 1, 2019
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Benjamin , Mario, Bruce, Pamela, Melvin, and 233 others invested. 47 Reviews
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