Entrepreneurship & Innovation in K-12 Education

As the Director of New Markets on the New Ventures team at Nelnet Business Services, Jessica Charlsen is at the forefront of identifying emerging opportunities in K-12 education. With a strong focus on public schools, she and her team work to understand the evolving needs of administrators, teachers, and students—and develop solutions that make a real impact. In this conversation, Charlsen shares her thoughts on the trends shaping K-12 education, the balance between innovation and practicality, and the role of data in driving meaningful change.

Understanding public education requires listening to those on the front lines. Charlsen and her team take a hands-on approach to gathering insights.

“To identify trends in the market and to be able to really dig deeper in K-12, we’ve attended conferences, talked to people at the Department of Education, consulted national experts, and had direct conversations with school district administrators and teachers,” she explains. “We’re looking for trends in how they’re solving problems today and ways we can support teachers, students, and families—often through technology—to help ease some of the administrative burden they’re faced with every day.”

Nelnet’s FACTS has long been a trusted name in private K-12 education, but its expansion into public schools presents both opportunities and challenges. Charlsen is excited about the potential impact. Building credibility in public schools requires a different approach than in private education.

“The public-school space is so relationship-based. It’s a small world, and our team will have to demonstrate credibility quickly,” she says. “Authentic relationships are built on good people doing good work—following through on commitments, delivering intelligent solutions, and continuously growing alongside our customers. When we do that, we can make a significant impact.”

With emerging technologies like AI generating significant interest in education, Charlsen stresses the importance of problem-first thinking.

“AI is the hot topic everyone wants to talk about, and it can feel intimidating. But if you don’t have a clear understanding of the problem and how to solve it, you can’t understand how much technology—or what kind of technology—is needed,” she explains.

For her, the key is finding the right balance. “You need a strong grasp of what technology can do, what the risks are, and what the problems you’re solving are.” She emphasizes the importance of knowing where your customers are: “Know who your customers are and what they’re comfortable with. If you try and come too fast or too hard with something, it won’t get adopted. You have to be able to help people step into the technologies and understand what their day-to-day looks like.”

Data is a driving force in modern education, particularly in public schools where reporting and accountability are essential. Charlsen underscores its dual role.

“On the public-school side, data is being used to evaluate the efficacy of what’s being put in place… It’s essential to understand the required reporting needs at a state, district, and federal level to make sure whatever technology you’re building can keep up with those,” she says.

Beyond compliance, data must also serve educators and administrators by making their jobs easier—not more complicated. “If you’re adding something that’s requiring me now to put something in one system and then another system, and then another system, I’m adding more work and burden as opposed to making it easier. Even if my technology is great, if it’s asking the teacher or administrator to do more work to get this beautiful data together, it’s not helpful,” Charlsen notes. “At the end of the day what it will come down to is if [schools] are investing money, is that money being spent in the right way and is it making the improvements that it’s promising to make?” She emphasizes that the right data strategy ensures we can answer that question.

Launching new initiatives in education requires a deep understanding of the people they are designed to serve. Charlsen has learned that assumptions—especially those borrowed from the corporate world—don’t always translate.

“It’s important to lean on the people who are doing the work every day. It’s easy to say, ‘We should be doing this.’” She’s quick to point out that education isn’t structured like a corporate system—and there are good reasons why teachers and administrators make the decisions they do. She also notes the importance of building relationships because each district has differing needs: “There are commonalities, but there are also nuanced differences.”

Looking ahead, Charlsen sees immense potential in fostering collaboration across different areas of the education ecosystem.

“There are a couple different pockets of innovation—startups in the edtech space, universities, think tanks, corporations like us, policy directors, state leaders—and there are the people who are actually doing the work. Often, these groups aren’t coming together and talking,” she explains. “As Nelnet, we have a huge opportunity to take a leadership position and bring those people together to build solutions that make sense. Startups, for example, are doing really smart things, but don’t have the ability, time, or capacity to scale. We can add fuel to those because of our stability and help those startups grow in smart ways.”

She encourages education leaders to see today’s challenges as opportunities. “Chaos breeds opportunity. If we take a step back and ask, ‘How can we build for a better future?’ rather than just accepting whatever changes come our way, we can create something transformational.”

Jessica Charlsen’s approach to entrepreneurship and innovation in education is grounded in listening, problem-solving, and collaboration. By identifying real challenges, balancing technology with practicality, and fostering meaningful partnerships, she and her team at Nelnet Business Services are helping to shape the future of K-12 education.

As schools navigate an evolving landscape, the mindset of a leader—one rooted in curiosity, adaptability, and a commitment to impact—will be essential in driving meaningful progress.

At Nelnet, entrepreneurial minds like Jessica Charlsen’s thrive. Ready to turn ideas into impact? Explore careers at Nelnet and create your future with #LifeAtNelnet.