Dive Summary:

• Presenting the keynote address Thursday at the SXSWedu conference, Bill Gates said that the U.S. education system needs more entrepreneurs entering the space to foster innovation.
• From 1995 to 2011, only 1% of venture capital was invested in education companies, and that lack of interest parallels the decline of America's education system.
• Looking to entice entrepreneurs, Gates said that state and local education funding is shifting toward companies with innovative, technologically driven services, and that the cost of hosting and distributing content is cheaper than it has ever been.

From the article:

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has invested more than $250 million in U.S. schools, but according to Bill Gates, who spoke Thursday at the SXSWedu conference in Austin, that's not nearly enough. "Is the overall investment in education commensurate with its importance?" he asked. "Absolutely not." ...