Stanford
Emergence

Mara Steiu

Spotlight

I have pursued some of the toughest problems in K-12 since high school, ranging from financial literacy to entrepreneurship education. Nowadays, I'm convinced that some of the biggest K-12 challenges are in special education - 1 in 5 students have special needs (the rate is quickly increasing), approximately 1 in 2 schools have special education vacancies, and the compliance burden is crippling. This negatively impacts the outcomes of students with special needs, who see 20 points lower graduation rates relative to their general education peers.

How are you innovating to advance preventive medicine?

We are significantly improving the effectiveness and efficiency of special educators, using an evidence-based AI assistant. We have so far been adopted across 15+ states and helped support 10,000+ students. 

How has Emergence contributed to your work?

Emergence provided support with fundraising resources, mainly focused on networking. 

How did coaches, industry and investor collaborators impact your success?

I loved the strong, supportive, and extremely inspiring community! My coach was ready to help whenever I reached out. 

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