Bridge Growth Partners, a leading technology investment firm, announced today that it has appointed Jonathan Harber as Senior Advisor. Mr. Harber will bring his expertise, insights and relationships from more than 30 years as a pioneer in education technology to work with Bridge Growth to identify and evaluate investment opportunities.
Mr. Harber was the CEO and Co-Founder of SchoolNet, a company that helped school systems use data to increase academic achievement. In 2011, SchoolNet was acquired by Pearson (NYSE:PSO), a global education and publishing company, where Mr. Harber served as CEO Pearson K12 Technology. Mr. Harber currently serves on the Board of Finalsite, which is backed by Bridge Growth. Finalsite is the leader in marketing and communications solutions for K-12 independent and public schools.
"Jonathan is recognized as an innovative leader in education technology," said Alok Singh, CEO of Bridge Growth Partners. "Our relationship began when Jonathan advised Bridge Growth on our investment in Finalsite. Since then, our full team has worked closely with Jonathan on the Finalsite Board and as an advisor looking at new investment opportunities. Together, we hope to expand Bridge Growth's footprint in the education technology sector."
"I am delighted to join Bridge Growth as Senior Advisor," said Mr. Harber. "I have immense respect for the team, and I am excited to help them pursue new investments within education technology."
About Jonathan D. Harber
For over 30 years, Mr. Harber has been a pioneer in education technology. Mr. Harber was previously the CEO and Co-Founder of SchoolNet, Inc., a company that helped school systems use data and assessment to increase academic achievement. Following SchoolNet's acquisition by Pearson in 2011, Mr. Harber then served as CEO Pearson K12 Technology. In this role, he was responsible for Pearson's K12 Technology businesses, including PowerSchool, SchoolNet, and formative assessment, managing a team of 1,000 employees and serving over 25 million students.
In addition to the Board of Finalsite, Mr. Harber serves on the Board of Synapse, an enterprise platform for corporate Learning and Development Departments. He is the founding Chairman of the Launch Expeditionary Learning Charter School in Brooklyn offering an education rooted in project-based active learning and character development. Mr. Harber serves on the Board of Directors of The Fund for Public Schools, an organization dedicated to building public-private partnerships in support of the New York City Department of Education. He is Chairman of StartEd, an organization that offers executive education to edtech startups and produces EDTECH WEEK. Mr. Harber is also an Adjunct Professor of Edtech Entrepreneurship at NYU Steinhardt.
Mr. Harber received his M.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he completed a thesis on education technology at the MIT Sloan School of Management and the MIT Media Lab. He received his B.A. with Honors in Cognitive Science from Wesleyan University.
About Bridge Growth Partners
Bridge Growth Partners, LLC is a private equity firm that targets investments in the technology and technology-enabled services sectors. Bridge Growth Partners brings together in one team premier investment, financial, strategic, and operating business building talent. The firm is committed to relationship-based investing, with a focus on supporting growth, operational excellence and world-class governance at its portfolio companies to create value for investors. For more information about Bridge Growth Partners, please visit http://www.bridgegrowthpartners.com.
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