Odyssey, an educational technology platform, has recently secured a significant boost of $10 million in a Series A round led by Tusk Ventures, a New York-based firm with participation from Andreessen Horowitz, Cubit Capital and Miami Beach, Fla.-based Bling Capital. This substantial investment paves the way for a brighter future in education, as Odyssey continues to revolutionize the way families of K-12 students connect with state agencies and educational vendors for school tuition, tutors, software, and curriculum funding.
Founded by Joe Connor, Odyssey streamlines application management and payment processing. The company aims to enable access to high-quality education across the U.S., regardless of income or zip code. By partnering directly with state agencies and educational vendors, the firm helps streamline the process of empowering parents to find the tools necessary for their children to succeed. The application process is a testament to its commitment to efficiency and user-friendliness. It takes less than five minutes to apply and features the industry’s first and only real-time digital identity verification. Eligibility is determined in less than one second, with support for various verification options, including API integration. This mobile-first technology is easy to use and customizable for any commonly spoken language, ensuring a seamless and inclusive experience for all users.
The Odyssey platform supports numerous state programs, including Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) and microgrant programs. It works with states to help them implement a turnkey solution for these programs and handles all aspects of the program, from marketing and applications to payments and customer support. Its passionate team of developers, e-commerce and finance leaders, customer success experts, and former educators is dedicated to building tech solutions that empower parents to choose the best education for their children.
Tusk Venture Partners was cofounded by Bradley Tusk, a high-profile strategist who has advised billionaires Elon Musk and Michael Bloomberg (on his mayoral campaign in New York City), as well as startups such as Uber and Tesla. He is also the founder of political consulting firm Tusk Strategies, which, among other things, seeks to repair America’s “broken” democracy. Early in his career, he ran a consulting business that accepted equity in exchange for fees. Tusk received his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School and his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.
