Jack Januszewski ’13 spends a lot of time thinking about the future, and the world is taking note. As a vice president in Spring Mountain Capital LP’s Social Impact group, Jack invests in early-stage companies that create technology solutions addressing health, educational and socioeconomic disparities in historically overlooked communities. For his leadership in that field, Jack was recently recognized by EdTech Chronicle as a Best in Education “EdTech Rising Star.” 

Jack was also interviewed in Authority Magazine as part of a recent series spotlighting tech leaders making significant, positive social impacts. The magazine interviewed “leaders of tech companies who are creating or have created a tech product that is helping to make a positive change in people’s lives or the environment.”

“As an investor, I’m not building a specific technology that might change the world,” Jack explained to Authority Magazine. “Rather, I am investing in a range of companies that I believe may do so.” One such example is IEP&Me, a Spring Mountain Capital portfolio startup that helps students, parents and educators collaborate more effectively on Individualized Educational Programs (IEPs). By simplifying the IEP process through a user-friendly digital platform, the company hopes to improve accessibility and advocacy in education.

Jack’s journey into the field of education technology, he explains in the article, was largely driven by an early experience he had. “One of my teachers back in middle school offhandedly suggested that I ‘might not be a math person’ when I was very young and struggling with the subject. This offhand remark, which I am certain was not meant in a malicious way, deeply impacted my perception of my own self-worth, my intelligence, my ability to persevere and had the effect of paving the road for the remainder of my educational career.”

Now working in financial services, Jack has proven that assessment wrong—and channels that experience into this work. “My goal in investing in education is to drive us toward a world where young students are not told they’re a specific ‘type’ of learner or that they are ‘more suited’ to one topic or another….Arming educators with tools that help them better identify the learning needs of individual students—something that can only be done through advancements in educational technology—is the only way to achieve this long-term goal of truly personalizing learning.”

Jack’s story is a reminder that a good investment can be more than financial—it can be deeply personal. Through his work supporting technologies that empower students and educators, Jack is helping build a future where every student has the tools to succeed, no matter their starting point.