Dive Brief:

• The Silicon Valley Education Foundation (SVEF) is shifting from helping companies get feedback to assisting them in actually proving their products are effective.
• SVEF is using its experiences guiding companies in the 2014 and 2015 iHub Pitch Games, which it hosted in partnership with New Schools Venture Fund, to inform how they might provide proof of efficacy.
• The startups involved will move through iHub's "codified feedback" process, which promises to provide hard data in understanding if projects are actually accomplishing their missions.

Dive Insight:

The education marketplace is inundated with new startups, but what is often missing for educators and administrators is knowledge of not only whether or not the product works, but if it sets out to solve its mission. Schools are tight on budgets so knowing what you're getting is key. EdSurge gives the example of a product that is meant to get students excited about math, asking whether it really makes sense for that program to have a pre- and post-test. While that may be the norm with many products today, that doesn't necessarily get kids amped about a subject, so staying true to your mission is key.