Company: Educents, Oakland, CA, U.S.A.
Company Description: Educents is one of Oakland's fastest growing ed-tech startups. Founded in 2013, Educents employs 10 people and has reached over a million teachers, parents and homeschoolers and helped them save over 500,000 on educational products!
Nomination Category: Company/Organization Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: New Company of the Year

Nomination Title: Educents

Describe for the judges the activities and accomplishments of the nominated organization since the beginning of July last year (up to 525 words):

Educents launched in April 2013 and in that time has reached over 1 million parents and teachers and has saved them over 500,000 in just six months. We have taken a market (education) that is notoriously expensive, and slashed prices. Coming from an all women's college (Mills College), the two co-founders believed it was important to provide access to more affordable education. With teachers spending more than $1,000 per year (on average) of their own money on supplies and learning materials for the classroom, we wanted to take a model that has worked with consumer goods, and mold it to fit the education industry. Not only have we saved teachers and parents hundreds of thousands of dollars, we've also helped businesses reach teachers that they may have not otherwise been in contact with. By being the intermediary and negotiating large discounts with publishers and manufacturers, we provide first run (not old stock or used items), quality items that teachers can use in their classrooms for years to come.

What is truly amazing about Educents is that in just 6 months it has made such a huge splash in the industry - with grassroots marketing and word-of-mouth only - we've reached over 1 million teachers, parents and homeschoolers who need our help and we've grown from 2 employees to over 10 and have produced over 1 million in revenue, giving 10% back to women's education scholarships in the Bay Area, and specifically, in Oakland, CA.

All 4 members of our management team are women (2 of which are also mothers)

Provide a brief biography of the person or persons who lead the nominated company (up to 125 words):

Kate Whiting & Kaitlyn Trabucco are the two women who started Educents. With a background in Education and Marketing, the two set out on a mission: To provide affordable education to everyone. With the idea that they could change the world, they learned how to program, they hired a team of women (and two men), and set off to make a difference in the world. Both have their MBA's from Mills College (an all-women's college in Oakland, CA) and have a deep passion for Education and specifically, women's education. Kate serves on the board of the Mills College Alumnae Association and Kaitlyn volunteered for one year in Port Au Prince, Haiti to help women start their own businesses.

The CEO (or other principal manager) of this company is a woman, and at least 40% of the management team is comprised of women.