How Will Coronavirus Impact Education Technology Investments in 2020?

With coronavirus cooping people up in their homes and disrupting businesses across every industry, buckle down for leaner times. Conserve cash. Reduce spend. That’s the message that Sequoia Capital, one of the most active venture capital firms in the business, expressed in a note to its portfolio on March 5. On the flip side, investors like Sequoia have plenty of “dry powder,” the industry parlance for cash on hand. According to PitchBook, private equity firms are sitting on $2.4 trillion. Axios reported that venture firms have cumulatively raised $100 billion over the past two years, and many are “open for business” and actively investing. Count education-focused firms among them. Several established U.S. groups, including Owl Ventures and Rethink Education, raised new tranches of money in the past year; Reach Capital is planning to raise its third fund. New groups have emerged, too, including Achieve Partners and two separate funds from Western Governors University.