OM DENNE EPISODE
This week on Solve for X, host Dr. Rick Fernandez sits down with Ryan Patenaude, Founder and Managing Director of RP Impact Partners and co-founder of FEV Tutor.
Ryan shares the full journey from growing FEV Tutor from $0 to $50M without outside investment to now helping edtech companies scale the right way. Grounded in a family of educators, his work has always centered on equity, access, and delivering real outcomes for students.
Rick and Ryan dive into what it actually takes to build, scale, and sell an edtech company, and why many companies get it wrong in today’s market. From the “false reality” created during COVID funding to what districts actually need now, this conversation is packed with hard-earned lessons on strategy, partnerships, and long-term impact.
If you’re building in edtech, leading a district, or trying to navigate what comes next in K–12, this episode offers clarity on where the market is heading and how to win by doing the right work.
What You’ll Learn
- How Ryan helped grow FEV Tutor from startup to $50M without outside capital
- The real gap tutoring was solving for underserved students
- Why tech-enabled services beat pure software in high-impact interventions
- Lessons from building, scaling, and eventually selling an edtech company
- Why mentorship and learning from the right people accelerates growth
- What the edtech market got wrong during COVID and ESSER funding
- Why today’s market demands outcomes, not features
- The shift from vendor selling to strategic partnerships with districts
- Common mistakes edtech companies make in messaging and go-to-market strategy
- Why net revenue retention matters more than just landing new deals
- What it takes to build trust and long-term partnerships with school districts
Episode Timestamps
05:51 "Equitable Tutoring for All Students"
07:24 "Urgency in Education Leadership"
11:52 "Lessons on Growth and Investment"
15:55 "Building Networks Through Curiosity"
18:15 "Rebuilding Schools Through Leadership"
23:13 "Second Chance for Greater Growth"
25:38 "Bittersweet Journey of Selling Business"
30:15 Edtech's Post-Pandemic Reset
32:11 "Seizing Opportunities in EdTech"
34:53 Strategic Partnerships in EdTech
39:38 Regional Strategy & Revenue Retention
44:02 "Doing Well While Doing Good"
Connect with Us
- Host’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-rick-fernandez-40692434/
- Company’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/powerschool-group
Special Thanks
To Ryan Patenaude for sharing an honest and insightful look into building, scaling, and evolving in edtech, and for continuing to support companies and districts focused on real student impact.
Stay Connected
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