Ep 31 Immigrant Entrepreneur Raised $12 Million for EdTech Startup Vlada Lotkina of ClassTag [Video]

In this episode, Vlada Lotkina, founder of ClassTag, shares valuable tips for first-time founders and fundraisers on successfully raising funds in a difficult category – education.

She covers strategies for scaling ClassTag’s user base to 5 million teachers and parents, convincing investors who initially said no, and selling the company smoothly after raising $12 million in venture capital.

Timestamps
00:00- Intro
04:25 – Challenges of scaling an EdTech company
06:27 – Fundraising strategy into raising $12 million in venture capital
19: 19 – Lessons learned in funding options
24:18 – Selling ClassTag
28:45 – Vlada’s advice for new founders
35:15 – Outro

This episode is sponsored by ThunderVC, an investment bank for founders by founders.

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ABOUT VLADA
Vlada Lotkina is an immigrant entrepreneur from Ukraine who was raised in an entrepreneurial family. Coming to the US, she chose to have a corporate career and rose the ranks before she founded ClassTag.

ClassTag is a FREE app that enhances parent-teacher communication. It brings everyone together through messages, announcements, videos, pictures, a library, a calendar, parent-teacher conferences, actionable engagement stats, and much more in one place.

Connect with Vlada on:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franklicea/
X: https://twitter.com/vlotkina?lang=en

Her podcast, CEO Unboxed, is available on:

Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ceo-unboxed/episodes/Welcome-to-CEO-Unboxed-e2ckena
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@vladalotkina

ABOUT FUNDRAISING DEMYSTIFIED
Our goal is simple: to equip you with the knowledge, inspiration, and guidance to navigate the labyrinthine world of fundraising. Whether you’re a budding entrepreneur seeking seed funding or an established founder looking to scale your business, this podcast will provide you with the tools you need to conquer the fundraising landscape.

Thank you for being a loyal subscriber to Fundraising Demystified. We appreciate your support and are excited to continue bringing you more inspiring stories from successful founders.

ABOUT JASON
Jason Kirby is the co-founder of Thunder VC. He is a serial entrepreneur with 4 multi-million exits and decades of experience in fundraising and business building. He has coached hundreds of entrepreneurs in his career on fundraising, investing, capital strategy, and business development.

You can reach out to Jason through:
Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonrkirby/