From Curmudgeons to Evangelists

A Harvard economist/MacArthur Genius and game-changing former chancellor of DC’s public schools aren’t exactly typical in the VC world. 

Previously cynical about changing the education system, today Roland Fryer and Michelle Rhee bring their unique perspective to EdTech investing, having transitioned from reforming the system from the inside to disrupting it from the outside.

They’ll join us on StageX to explore their evolving views, their “Social Money Multiplier” (SMM) framework, and the innovative approaches that convinced them of technology’s potential to drive systemic change.

Don’t miss this thought-provoking conversation at the 2025 ASU+GSV Summit, April 6-9 in San Diego!

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Michelle Rhee is currently a Venture Partner at EO Ventures, investing in companies driving social mobility and impact. Previously, she served as Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of BuildWithin, a workforce learning platform transforming hiring and development, as well as CEO of StudentsFirst, an education advocacy nonprofit that successfully advanced 140+ pieces of new legislation across 18 states. Ms. Rhee was also DC’s first Chancellor under Mayoral control of the 50,000-student public school district. She also founded The New Teacher Project to help public school districts and states recruit and train teachers for hard-to-staff schools.

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Roland Fryer is a founding partner of Equal Opportunity Ventures, a VC fund that invests in early-stage companies increasing economic mobility across America. He is also the Henry Lee Professor of Economics at Harvard University. His research combines economic theory, big data, and randomized social experiments to help design policies that can increase opportunity in America.

Professor Fryer was awarded a MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship, the John Bates Clark Medal (given by the American Economic Association to the best American Economist under age 40), and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, among others. He was a member of the 2009 Time 100 (most influential people in the world) and has been featured in Esquire's Genius issue.