What Ed Solutions does

EdSolutions is a New York-based education strategy and consulting firm founded in 1996 by Jeff Livingston, Beth Mejia, and Jay Bakhru. The company serves philanthropies, foundations, impact investors, and mission-driven education organizations operating across the U.S. P-16 education market, with an explicit focus on improving outcomes for underserved students including Black, Brown, English Learner, and students experiencing poverty. The founders previously held senior roles at major education publishers and consultancies — including McGraw-Hill Education, Pearson, Macmillan, Triumph Learning, Deloitte Consulting, Citigroup, and Educational Testing Service — and this collective background underwrites the firm's domain credibility in U.S. education publishing and edtech.

The firm's central asset is the proprietary, trademarked Market-Informed Impact® framework, which combines academic research on instructional approaches with market dynamics analysis (supply, demand, and uptake enablers). Around this methodology EdSolutions has built an integrated portfolio including Market Ecosystem Maps, the Why Markets Matter Cohort Learning Experience, Scale & Sustainability Planning engagements (8-, 10-, and 12-week formats), Market Landscapes Programs, Curated Product Demos, Program Officer Support, Strategic Consulting, and Active Learning Programs for Capacity Building. In 2024 the firm extended its product surface into early learning through a Gates Foundation partnership producing Early Learning Public Goods grounded in the 2024 NASEM preschool curriculum report, and extended its branded IP through founding partner Jay Bakhru's "Mission Meets Market" book and accompanying downloadable Sustainability Toolkit.

Revenue is generated exclusively through professional services: custom consulting engagements, cohort learning programs, workshops, retreats, and coaching for foundation program officers, nonprofit executives, and — increasingly — state and district early learning leaders. Services are quote-based with no disclosed pricing, and the go-to-market is sales-led and enterprise-oriented via direct engagement with foundation program officers and mission-based organization executives. The firm is founder-owned and privately held with no institutional investors, no funding rounds, no M&A activity, and no geographic expansion disclosed; headcount sits in the 11–50 range and the team currently spans roughly 18 named professionals across partners, senior directors, engagement managers, and research associates.

Name

Ed Solutions

Legal name

EdSolutions

Website

https://edsolutions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

EdSolutions is a New York-based education strategy consulting firm that helps U.S. philanthropies, foundations, impact investors, and mission-based grantees scale high-quality solutions in the P-16 education market using its proprietary Market-Informed Impact® framework.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Consulting and Strategy

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Access & EdTech for Equity (Low-cost Learning, Skills Platforms) (BPAGALAH)

Keywords

• Education market consulting
• Philanthropy advisory services
• Nonprofit strategy consulting
• Market research education
• Mission-driven organizations

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Strategic Consulting Engagements: EdSolutions generates revenue through customized strategic consulting engagements for philanthropies and mission-based organizations. Engagements include Scale & Sustainability Planning programs (8, 10, and 12-week options), Market Landscapes programs, and strategic consulting using the Market-Informed Impact® framework. Services are tailored to specific client needs and delivered through expert coaching, individualized business planning, and market-informed technical assistance.
2. Cohort Learning Programs: The Why Markets Matter Cohort Learning Experience navigates cohorts of grantees through the complex education market over several months. Includes diagnostic assessments, webinars, workshops, resources, and one-on-one coaching to help organizations achieve scalable growth while building capabilities in business and go-to-market planning.
3. Active Learning Programs for Capacity Building: Customized workshops, retreats, and coaching designed to build capacity for organizational leaders and staff to employ market dynamics to drive impact. Delivered by skilled practitioners well-versed in adult learning theory and the Market-Informed Impact® framework.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

EdSolutions is an education strategy and consulting firm that helps philanthropies, foundations, impact investors, and mission-based education organizations understand and act on education market dynamics to drive equity, scalability, and impact. Its core offerings include Market Ecosystem Maps, cohort-based learning experiences (Why Markets Matter), Scale & Sustainability Planning programs (8/10/12-week engagements), Market Landscapes analyses, Curated Product Demos, Program Officer Support, Active Learning capacity-building workshops, and Strategic Consulting—all delivered through its proprietary Market-Informed Impact® framework.

Product overview

EdSolutions is a consulting and strategy firm that operates as a unified service offering built around its proprietary Market-Informed Impact® framework. The core portfolio consists of market intelligence products (Market Ecosystem Map, Market Landscapes Program), grantee support programs (Why Markets Matter Cohort, Scale & Sustainability Planning), professional development services (Program Officer Support, Active Learning Programs for Capacity Building), and strategic consulting. These offerings work together as an integrated system: market research tools inform strategic planning engagements, which are then operationalized through cohort learning and coaching programs. EdSolutions also extends its reach through the Mission Meets Market book and Sustainability Toolkit, and has developed specialized Early Learning Public Goods in partnership with the Gates Foundation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Market Ecosystem Map Comprehensive 360-degree analytical view of an educational market revealing how supply, demand, and education enablers interact, helping philanthropies and investors size markets, identify buyers, understand purchase drivers, anticipate changes, and pinpoint where investment can most effectively move the needle for underserved students.
• Why Markets Matter Cohort Learning Experience Cohort-based learning program that navigates grantees through the complex education market over several months using the Market-Informed Impact® model, including diagnostic assessments, webinars, workshops, resources, and one-on-one coaching to help organizations achieve scalable growth.
• Scale & Sustainability Planning Program Individualized strategic engagement available in 8, 10, or 12-week program options that delivers Growth & Sustainability Plans, Market Entry Recommendations, Product & Market Development Plans, and Go-to-Market Plans to help mission-based organizations achieve scale and sustainability in their specific market segments.
• Market Landscapes Program Program providing essential insights into specific market segments, including market sizing, supply and demand criteria, and identifying enablers who could influence the uptake and implementation of education products and services.
• Curated Product Demos Live, interactive product demonstrations with immersive Q&A sessions led by market experts, providing clients with valuable insights into market-leading and cutting-edge educational products.
• Program Officer Support Professional learning programs for foundation program officers, including customized cohorts, convenings, workshops, retreats, and coaching designed to help program officers make more impactful investments for underrepresented students.
• Active Learning Programs for Capacity Building Custom workshops, retreats, and coaching designed to build capacity for organizational leaders and staff to employ market dynamics to drive impact, delivered by skilled practitioners well-versed in adult learning theory and the Market-Informed Impact® framework.
• Strategic Consulting Advisory services using the Market-Informed Impact® approach to assist investors in embedding market dynamics into strategic planning, including procurement, public-private partnerships, and thought leadership.
• Early Learning Public Goods High-quality preschool curriculum guidance and tools developed in partnership with the Gates Foundation, supporting state, district, and program leaders in strengthening curriculum guidance, selection, and implementation, grounded in the 2024 NASEM report on high-quality preschool curriculum.
• Market-Informed Impact® Framework EdSolutions' proprietary, registered-trademark framework that combines academic research on instructional approaches with market dynamics—including supply, demand, and uptake enablers—to help education leaders make better decisions about instructional materials.
• Mission Meets Market Sustainability Toolkit Downloadable toolkit with guided exercises, worksheets, and templates to help organizations create customized Sustainability Plans, including a Revenue Model Health Check and value proposition tools.

Quantifiable outcome

• EdSolutions claims their Market-Informed Impact® approach can accelerate impact and get organizations to scale to sustainability in less time, with fewer false starts.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Gates FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024EdSolutions partnered with the Gates Foundation to develop a suite of public resources supporting state, district, and program leaders in strengthening curriculum guidance, selection, and implementation for early learning. The partnership produced resources based on the 2024 National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine report on high-quality preschool curriculum.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bellwether Education Partners: Bellwether is a national nonprofit that provides research, consulting, and advisory services to education funders, policymakers, and nonprofits — directly comparable in mission, client base (foundations + mission-driven orgs), and equity focus to EdSolutions.
• FSG (Foundation Strategy Group): FSG is a global social-impact strategy consulting firm that advises foundations, corporations, and nonprofits on strategy, evaluation, and collective impact; matches EdSolutions in serving impact investors and mission-based organizations.
• Bridgespan Group: Bridgespan is a nonprofit consulting firm advising philanthropies and high-impact nonprofits on strategy and scaling; its education practice and foundation-heavy client base make it a close peer to EdSolutions' grantee and funder services.
• Education Northwest: Education Northwest is a nonprofit that conducts research, provides consulting, and delivers professional development to schools, districts, and states on equity-focused initiatives — comparable to EdSolutions' K-12 and early learning practice.
• Results for Development (R4D): R4D is a global nonprofit that designs and supports programs in education, health, and nutrition on behalf of foundations and governments — directly analogous to EdSolutions' foundation-led, mission-driven consulting work.
• Hanover Research: Hanover Research provides market research, benchmarking, and advisory services to K-12 districts and education organizations; overlaps with EdSolutions' Market Landscapes and market-intelligence offerings.
• Education First (EFT): Education First is a consulting firm that partners with foundations, districts, and states on education strategy and continuous improvement; its audience and service portfolio (research + advisory + capacity building) closely mirror EdSolutions' approach.

Broad incumbents

• WestEd: WestEd is a large nonprofit education research, development, and service agency offering evaluation, professional learning, and technical assistance; overlaps with EdSolutions' early learning and equity-focused consulting footprint.
• RAND Corporation Education and Labor Division: RAND is a large-scale policy research organization with a major education practice producing widely-cited studies for foundations and governments; tangentially comparable to EdSolutions' market-dynamics research but at much greater scale.

Others

• NewSchools Venture Fund: NewSchools is a venture philanthropy fund that backs education entrepreneurs and innovative schools — not a direct competitor, but a key ecosystem participant that channels grantees toward firms like EdSolutions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/edsolution-s
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ed Solutions