John Danner

Using AI to help kids

📍 San Francisco, California, United States🔄 Updated September 2026💼 26 investments📅 13 years investing🗓 Last invested Nov 2020𝕏 @upgrade_to_unlock
VC🌍 United States20+ investments
26
Total investments
12
Early stage
3
Mid stage
1
Late stage
13y
Years active

Portfolio

19 investments · sorted by recency
All investments
Early stage
Mid stage
Late stage
Investor and Advisor
Nov 2020
Live, cohort-based courses from true industry experts. The best way to learn.
Investor
May 2020
MarketerHire is a network of pre-vetted, freelance marketers. Our mission is to connect top marketing talent with experience from global brands and hot startups with businesses quickly and seamlessly. In 2023, MarketerHire was named an Inc 5000 honoree, ranking #183 of the 5000 fastest-growing private companies in America. https://www.inc.com/profile/marketerhire
Investor and Advisor
Jan 2020
GetSetUp is on a mission to help the third of the world’s population who are over 55 to learn new skills, connect with others and unlock new life experiences. Older adults have incredible knowledge to share and new mountains (literally and figuratively) to climb, but until now they haven’t had their own place to pursue their passions and continue creating, growing and giving back. GetSetUp is already the largest and fastest growing online learning community of older adults. We have over 2.2 million members, in 160 countries and offer the most advanced, interactive learning platform for older adults. And, we’re not stopping there. Join us as we build this revolutionary platform and community to empower millions more older adults across the world.
Investor and Advisor
Nov 2019
HaikuJAM is a mobile game that promotes self-care through collaborative writing. The app is used by ~1M people across 163 countries. It has been profiled in Vice, The New York Times, BBC, Forbes, The Guardian, The Huffington Post amongst others. Alongside the app, HaikuJAM runs a community and arts space, a gift shop and hosts events around the world for as many as 3000 people. In January 2020, HaikuJAM raised $3.4M from Lightbox Ventures, Social Capital, and others, to supercharge its new product, INSPO - the world's fastest consumer research tool. The private beta is already inspiring Baskin Robbins, Tinder, Barbie, Nivea Men, Dentsu and more. INSPO is launching in 2020. Brands can join the waitlist at inspo.haikujam.com Born in London and now based in a colourful cottage in Mumbai, HaikuJAM is led by an international team that's on a mission to unleash inspiration.
Investor and Advisor
Nov 2019
Beanstalk brings beloved kids characters to life using real time animation and AI. Learn more at https://beanstalkai.com
Investor and Advisor
Jun 2019
Sora is a live, virtual project-based high school designed to accelerate students towards their wildest dreams. Our non-traditional curriculum is designed around your students interest and learning style. We give students at Sora real agency and responsibility in their learning, which means theyre much more engaged than in traditional programs. Students truly have a say in their education in terms of what they study, how they learn a subject, and in what format they can demonstrate their knowledge. We help students explore their interests and, once theyve narrowed in on a field, help students accelerate towards their learning goals. Our educational philosophy on project-based learning and real-world application allows students to do more hands-on work and build a strong portfolio of experience for future job and college applications. We connect students to experienced industry mentors for them to learn from. For college-bound students, we prepare students for college applications and help them explore their next step after graduation. Ultimately, our mission is to prepare students for their future careers, not just how be a good test-taker.
Investor and Advisor
Mar 2019
Prenda provides inspiring adults with the structure and support needed to empower young learners. We offer support, tools, funds, and training to guides who run microschools, typically from their homes or local community centers. Certified teaching professionals from Prenda monitor student progress and help guides respond to student educational needs appropriately. We believe every human is a natural-born learner, explorer, and scientist, and children will flourish in the right environment. Join us on our mission to empower learners.
Investor and Advisor
Mar 2019
We prepare tomorrow's tech leaders for today's jobs. The SV Academy Tech Sales Fellowship takes students from an internship to a great job in tech in as little as 4 weeks. Kick-off your career without worrying about financial limitations. Our mission is to democratize access to the tech industry for young professionals from different backgrounds - 60% of our graduates are women, 40% are African American/Latinx, and 70% are first-generation college students. We welcome all backgrounds and experience levels - invest in your future today. Apply today: https://sv.academy/apply
Investor and Advisor
Nov 2018
We make software to bring simplicity, beauty, and joy to the world.
Investor and Advisor
Sep 2018
Kunduz is a global ed-tech startup aiming to make educational resources more accessible for everyone and democratize test prep and learning.

 Kunduzs flagship Q&A product is a mobile platform that helps students get their questions answered through its tutor network and proprietary AI technology. So far, 35,000 professional tutors answered 40 Million questions from millions of students through Kunduz in two countries. 

 Kunduz was founded and scaled by a group of friends in Istanbul. Now, it has teams in Turkey, India, and the United States. Kunduz has been funded by renowned Silicon Valley investors such as Y Combinator, Social Capital, First Round Capitals Dorm Room Fund, prominent ed-tech angels, and family offices across the world.
Investor and Advisor
Aug 2018
Lingokids is the #1 entertainment platform for young kids. Enjoyed by over 20 million families each month, it offers more than 4000 interactive games, songs, and shows loved by kids and trusted by grown-ups around the world. Created by parents and educators, it stands as the ultimate destination for kids fun without compromise. Designed to be ad-free and age-appropriate, Lingokids delivers a premium, handcrafted experience that’s KidSAFE certified, with learning by default. More than 200 million downloads worldwide and over 50 awards have established Lingokids as the standard for kids entertainment.
 Partnerships with Disney, Blippi, NASA, BBC Earth, and more bring world-class content together, all in one trusted place for kids.
Investor
Aug 2018
Lingokids is the #1 entertainment platform for young kids. Enjoyed by over 20 million families each month, it offers more than 4000 interactive games, songs, and shows loved by kids and trusted by grown-ups around the world. Created by parents and educators, it stands as the ultimate destination for kids fun without compromise. Designed to be ad-free and age-appropriate, Lingokids delivers a premium, handcrafted experience that’s KidSAFE certified, with learning by default. More than 200 million downloads worldwide and over 50 awards have established Lingokids as the standard for kids entertainment.
 Partnerships with Disney, Blippi, NASA, BBC Earth, and more bring world-class content together, all in one trusted place for kids.
Investor and Board Member
Jun 2018
At Bloom Institute of Technology (also called BloomTech), our mission is to provide learners with a direct, low risk path to a higher income.
Investor and Advisor
Jun 2018
ErudiFi is a mission-driven technology company expanding access to education financing across Southeast Asia. Through our platforms — Danacita in Indonesia and Bukas in the Philippines — we partner with universities and vocational institutions to offer students affordable tuition installment plans. By bridging the financial gap to quality education, ErudiFi empowers students to achieve their aspirations, catalyzing generational transformation and driving long-term social mobility. - Supported 60,000+ students in pursuing higher education - Financed over US$60 million in tuition fees - Backed by Monk’s Hill Ventures, Qualgro, UBS Optimus, and Y Combinator (W18)
Investor and Advisor
Mar 2018
Juni Learning is on a mission to help students achieve their dreams. Juni is backed by Forerunner Ventures, Index Ventures, Y Combinator Co-founder Jessica Livingston, Arielle Zuckerberg, and more. The company is headquartered in San Francisco and was featured in Forbes, Fortune, WSJ, Fast Company and TechCrunch. Juni Learning offers its flagship Juni courses, with award-winning curriculums in Coding and Math. These 1:1 courses are taught by instructors from top universities, who inspire students to delve deeper into the topics that will best prepare them for the future. Juni Learning is also the company behind AceIt, an AI-powered SAT & ACT online practice tool. Students can prep smarter with unlimited questions and personalized guidance, at their command. We’re hiring, come join us: https://junilearning.com/careers
Show all 19 investments ↓
Experience · 36 entries
All (36)
Investments (26)
Founder (8)
Board (2)
2025
2024
Co-Founder and Chairman
Jan 2024
ai software for teachers
early stageEducation
Co-Founder and Chairman
Jan 2024
2020
Investor and Advisor
Nov 2020
Live, cohort-based courses from true industry experts. The best way to learn.
Investor
May 2020
MarketerHire is a network of pre-vetted, freelance marketers. Our mission is to connect top marketing talent with experience from global brands and hot startups with businesses quickly and seamlessly. In 2023, MarketerHire was named an Inc 5000 honoree, ranking #183 of the 5000 fastest-growing private companies in America. https://www.inc.com/profile/marketerhire
Show all 36 entries ↓
Investment activity
2013–2020 · 26 investments
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