• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechEducation

Jeff Bezos and Eric Schmidt Are Pumping Millions into an Ed Tech Startup

Robert Hackett
By
Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
Down Arrow Button Icon
Robert Hackett
By
Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 27, 2016, 9:00 AM ET
Smithsonian Hosts Naturalization Ceremony And Honors Jeff Bezos With Its Bicentennial Medal
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 14: Amazon Founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos delivers remarks during a naturalization ceremony on the 100th anniversary of Flag Day at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History June 14, 2016 in Washington, DC. During the event, Bezos was also presented with the James Smithson Bicentennial Medal. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)Win McNamee—Getty Images

Education has always mattered to Tom Davidson.

To this day, the chief exec at EverFi, an education software startup based in Washington, D.C., boasts about an initiative he backed in the ’90s as a member of the state legislature in Maine that provided laptops to every seventh grader in the state. (He ran for office while still a student at Bowdoin College in 1994—and won.)

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Davidson’s enthusiasm for technology in schools has not diminished. On Wednesday, his company will announce a $40 million series C funding round led by a couple of tech tycoons and other firms: Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon (AMZN); Eric Schmidt, CEO of Alphabet (née Google) (GOOG); and venture capital firms New Enterprise Associates and Rethink Education.

Founded in 2008, EverFi has raised $61 million to date including the latest round. Other participants include Advance Publications, Rethink Impact, and existing investor Allen & Co.

“We’re trying to get the private sector to really engage in local education,” Davidson says of his venture.

Indeed, the company has partnered with organizations ranging from the NHL to the NFL, while tapping also into the corporate social responsibility arms of big companies like Intel (INTC), American Express (AXP), and U.S. Bank (USB), to get its learning software into school systems across the country.

Earlier this month, Davidson participated in an eduction task force at Fortune’s Brainstorm Tech conference in Aspen, Colo. You can read more about the results of that summit here.

For more on technology in education, watch:

Beyond its network of 20,000 K-12 schools in the United States and Canada, EverFi also sells its product—called Foundry—to universities such as Harvard, MIT, the University of Michigan, and Stanford University. These institutions use the company’s tech to meet compliance requirements by educating students on subjects such as alcohol abuse and sexual assault.

EverFi recently agreed to buy LawRoom, a competitor in the colleges market. Davidson says he plans to use some of the latest fundraising round to complete that acquisition.

Although Davidson declines to reveal the company’s revenue, he says the business is profitable. About a third of the business focuses on corporate sponsorships for schools, he says. Another third involves selling its prevention programs to universities. And the remaining third goes to companies seeking to teach their employees about topics like personal finance and workplace behavior.

Davidson sees this last portion as a big growth area for the firm. Customers currently include Acxiom (ACXM), Barracuda Networks (CUDA), Samsung (SSNLF), and SurveyMonkey (SURVEYMONKEY).

“It’s a big opportunity,” he says. “And it’s getting more complicated on all sides of the ball every day.”

About the Author
Robert Hackett
By Robert Hackett
Instagram iconLinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Jensen Huang says some CEOs have a ‘God complex’ when it comes to AI apocalypse warnings, which can create shortages of critical workers
AIchief executive officer (CEO)
Jensen Huang says some CEOs have a ‘God complex’ when it comes to AI apocalypse warnings, which can create shortages of critical workers
By Jason MaMay 2, 2026
19 minutes ago
Photo of several people working on a presentation together
AICareers
Big Tech is shelling out up to $1 million for new hires who will never have to write a line of code
By Sydney LakeMay 2, 2026
2 hours ago
dario
CommentaryAnthropic
Anthropic’s most powerful AI model just exposed a crisis in corporate governance. Here’s the framework every CEO needs.
By Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Stephen Henriques, Dan Kent and Holden LeeMay 2, 2026
5 hours ago
Photo of vegan cheese products
AITech
A Mark Cuban–backed vegan cheese company trained AI to scrutinize cardboard boxes. It’s saved $400,000
By Jake AngeloMay 1, 2026
24 hours ago
Young trade worker learning on job
SuccessHiring
Forget Big Tech: Small businesses will hire nearly 1 million grads in 2026—and some of the hottest roles are gloriously AI-proof
By Emma BurleighMay 1, 2026
1 day ago
Andrew McAfee
SuccessCareers
MIT AI expert warns automating Gen Z entry-level jobs could backfire—and cost companies their future workforce
By Preston ForeMay 1, 2026
1 day ago

Most Popular

Scott Bessent on financial literacy: 'it drives me crazy' to see young men in blue-collar construction jobs playing the lottery
Personal Finance
Scott Bessent on financial literacy: 'it drives me crazy' to see young men in blue-collar construction jobs playing the lottery
By Fatima Hussein and The Associated PressMay 1, 2026
1 day ago
China dominates the world's lithium supply. The U.S. just found 328 years' worth in its own backyard
North America
China dominates the world's lithium supply. The U.S. just found 328 years' worth in its own backyard
By Jake AngeloApril 30, 2026
2 days ago
A Chick-fil-A worker got fired and then showed up behind the register to allegedly refund himself over $80,000 in mac and cheese
Law
A Chick-fil-A worker got fired and then showed up behind the register to allegedly refund himself over $80,000 in mac and cheese
By Catherina GioinoMay 1, 2026
23 hours ago
Current price of oil as of May 1, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of May 1, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 1, 2026
1 day ago
Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne—whose stake would be worth up to $400 billion had he not sold it in 1976—says that at 91, he has no regrets
Success
Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne—whose stake would be worth up to $400 billion had he not sold it in 1976—says that at 91, he has no regrets
By Preston ForeApril 27, 2026
5 days ago
The U.S. economy is booming — just not where 50 million Americans live
Commentary
The U.S. economy is booming — just not where 50 million Americans live
By Derek KilmerMay 1, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.