Tahoe Strategies will focus on supporting small companies seeking rounds of initial investment
(TUSTIN, CA) May 11, 2016 — Education technology publishing icon Wendy LaDuke today announced the launch of a new company, Tahoe Strategies, which will focus on supporting innovative ed tech startups looking to build revenue trails, secure initial funding, and build dynamic go-to-market strategies.
LaDuke has been involved in publishing for more than 30 years, beginning in 1985 when she started working for her father, Edward Warnshuis, the founder of THE Journal. Most recently, she served as chief revenue officer for 1105 Media’s Public Sector Media Group and as Group Publisher for eSchool Media. Her tenure in education publishing has afforded her the opportunity to meet exciting people from around the globe who share her mission of innovating in education. Her retirement from publishing now allows her time to pursue her passion of providing meaningful support to these startups on a full-time basis.
“In my travels the past couple of years I have seen a void in two areas: 1) consumer companies that want to get into the education or b-to-b space, as well as b-to-b companies that want to get into the consumer space,” said LaDuke. “I have been very fortunate to find partners on each side that fill these gaps and form an effective bridge between the two. My nickname over the past year has become ‘The Education Yenta’. I see how things fit together and am able to connect the dots as I bring parties together, foster the relationships, and build effective go-to-market strategies—something I have been passionate about since joining my father, a true ed tech pioneer, in the 1980s.”
Tahoe Strategies’ mission is to bring to education the companies that can have a profound impact for all students, while helping young, passionate entrepreneurs who have a vision and need guidance on how to execute and position themselves with the right partners.
“My true passion is working with start-ups that require smaller rounds of initial investment,” said LaDuke. “They are well under the $5 million threshold of most investors, and often need coaching on how to build successful pipelines for revenue trails within our marketplace. If you have no revenue trail, there is no proof of concept for the business. I have been working with companies this past year implementing this approach, and we have been very successful.”
In addition to launching Tahoe Strategies, LaDuke has become a leader in the movement to address the imbalance between men and women in education leadership. With Girls Thinking Global and LRP Conferences, LLC, she has co-founded the inaugural Women Leaders in Education Conference, an event designed for K-12 education professionals to share strategies, learn from experts, and connect with colleagues. This first-of-its-kind event, which will take place July 31–August 1 in Boston, empowers women within education to grow personally and professionally.
About Tahoe Strategies:
Tahoe Strategies’ mission is to bring to education the companies that can have a profound impact for all students, while helping young, passionate entrepreneurs who have a vision and need guidance on how to execute and position themselves with the right partners.