- Member of two NCAA championship water polo teams
- Had an aborted 3-week stint as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Philippines
- Has swum from and around Alcatraz over 20 times
- Was married at a hunting lodge
Jim Lobdell
Jim is an accidental entrepreneur and an even more accidental investor. After graduating from Stanford, he was driven to make a difference in the world and took to being a public high school teacher. His classroom was a lively, noisy testament to the power of hands-on learning, which he later codified as History Alive! when he co-founded Teachers’ Curriculum Institute, which he operated for 16 years. Two subsequent education startups later, he joined Reach as a venture partner to help like-minded founders pursue their mission.
Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.
Investment Portfolio
Expanding access to high-impact tutoring and small group instruction
Live and online wellness training for teachers
Sparking students’ curiosity through AI native interactive lessons
Building a world where every student loves learning math.
High-quality instructional materials that support rigorous, authentic, and unforgettable learning experiences
Communication and portfolio assessment platform for preschools.
Learn Foundational Life Skills Through Immersive Play
Harnessing AI to unleash parents’ untapped teaching potential
Social-emotional learning and school-based mental health solution.
Helping global teachers achieve greater professional and financial growth in their careers.
Analyzing classroom dialogue to empower teachers with feedback on student engagement
