panOpen – Dr. Brian Jacobs

By Catherine on September 30, 2015

 

Dr. Brian Jacobs

 

Venture

https://panopen.panopen.com/

panOpen curates OER. The materials are peer reviewed and customizable, and the platform can also be used to create quizzes, and provide student analytics as well as chat. Instructors can use panOpen to find high quality resources or share their own curated content with their colleagues. The idea behind the company is to provide a new alternative to textbooks for higher education. There is a small fee associated with the platform, although it is less than a university textbook.

They recieved significant funding from several companies, and were able to raise $750 000 in seed funding, and more recently completed an investment round of $1.5M led by Zen Group, LLC.

Founder and Team

The CEO and founder of panOpen is Dr. Brian Jacobs. He began his career as an academic but has since moved into educational technology ventures. panOpen is his second venture, which he began to help instructors use the potential of open source materials. He is in a good position to understand the problems with textbooks (and student reluctance to use them) as he has a background in teaching in higher education. He is also clearly interested in educational technologies since this is his second venture and he is passionate about the venture because he left his previous venture to start this one. Plus his previous venture was a success so he has experience in starting up and running a company.

The CPO, Joshua Mullineaux, also has previous experience with educational ventures having previously co-founded two other ventures. They also have a Development Editor, Dr. Kate Forrester, a Software Engineer, Roger Blancarte, and a Content Intern, Sonam Wang (Wong). The team appears to be well rounded with some looking at content and other at the technological aspect.

Reflection

I thought this venture was interesting. Since starting my online classes, I have really enjoyed not having textbooks but a series of online readings instead. This company shows how you can identify a pain point (students’ not purchasing textbooks) and then adapt an existing resources (OERs) to create an innovative solution. To be successful, you need to be able to combine these two things to get your idea and then have the business know-how to develop and run a successful business and create a strong team.

Rating
Average: 4.3/5 Stars
 
 
 
 
 
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2 Oct Posted on panOpen – Dr. Brian Jacobs

Dr. Jacobs’ previous experience as a post-secondary educator gives him a great deal of insight into the need, demonstrated by faculty and students, for improved access to scholarly articles and resources. The success of his previous learning technology venture is a good indicator that he possesses the skills and traits required to thrive as a leader. However, it is the sizable monetary support that panOpen has garnered through funding and investments, that truly speak to Jacobs’ ability to sell his product and himself as a passionate entrepreneur. He is aware of the high quality content being produced by scholars, scientists, and innovators at various post-secondary institutions. Furthermore, it is clear that he recognizes the value in creating pathways for ongoing curation, exchange, and review of these resources between such institutions. He has used the existing concept of Open Education Resources, in order to address the issue of cost associated with textbooks, thus creating a more economical solution for post-secondary students, while making high quality academic content more accessible! I feel that Dr. Jacobs certainly represents a strong role model for today's entrepreneurs.

2 Oct
2 Thumbs Up!
Natalie Shearer @nshearer

Dr. Jacobs’ previous experience as a post-secondary educator gives him a great deal of insight into the need, demonstrated by faculty and students, for improved access to scholarly articles and resources. The success of his previous learning technology venture is a good indicator that he possesses the skills and traits required to thrive as a leader. However, it is the sizable monetary support that panOpen has garnered through funding and investments, that truly speak to Jacobs’ ability to sell his product and himself as a passionate entrepreneur. He is aware of the high quality content being produced by scholars, scientists, and innovators at various post-secondary institutions. Furthermore, it is clear that he recognizes the value in creating pathways for ongoing curation, exchange, and review of these resources between such institutions. He has used the existing concept of Open Education Resources, in order to address the issue of cost associated with textbooks, thus creating a more economical solution for post-secondary students, while making high quality academic content more accessible! I feel that Dr. Jacobs certainly represents a strong role model for today's entrepreneurs.

2 Oct Posted on panOpen – Dr. Brian Jacobs

panOpen founder, Brian Jacobs, doesn't have the sexiest float in this parade, but he's getting my vote anyway. In a market that is crowded with opportunistic ventures that follow the path of least resistance and chase the easiest money, Jacobs seems to be working towards a constructive, forward-thinking solution. I like that his values seem to remain firmly rooted in a not-for-profit, open-source, and collaborative space. His thoughtful, intelligent, and considered approach is one I'd aspire to emulate. (I also think there might be a future in OERs or in some collaborative curriculum tool that eventually grows out of that space.)

2 Oct
1 Thumbs Up!
meril rasmussen @meril

panOpen founder, Brian Jacobs, doesn't have the sexiest float in this parade, but he's getting my vote anyway. In a market that is crowded with opportunistic ventures that follow the path of least resistance and chase the easiest money, Jacobs seems to be working towards a constructive, forward-thinking solution. I like that his values seem to remain firmly rooted in a not-for-profit, open-source, and collaborative space. His thoughtful, intelligent, and considered approach is one I'd aspire to emulate. (I also think there might be a future in OERs or in some collaborative curriculum tool that eventually grows out of that space.)

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