Reimagining Learning through Purpose
Jessie Woolley-Wilson, CEO and President of Dreambox Learning | Season 2, Episode 3

DreamBox Learning’s CEO and president Jessie Woolley-Wilson joins host and Omidyar Network partner Shripriya Mahesh for episode three of the Founder’s Corner podcast. During their conversation, Jessie discusses the advice she received from Reed Hastings about a better way to set mission and vision, why bridging passion and purpose in her work has helped build great teams, and her family’s immigrant story, which still inspires her to this day.
Jessie explains why unlocking the learning potential of every child may be the key to unlocking human potential. She also shares:
- Advice for young professionals on asking for what they deserve in pay and in work;
- The importance of ditching hubris and staying open to feedback as a startup leader;
- How to hire in a competitive market by attracting talent through mission;
- Why giving employees room to choose their own experiments is highly beneficial.
Jessie is a two-time recipient of EdTech Digest’s EdTech Leadership Award. Seattle Business Magazine awarded Jessie with the 2015 Executive Excellence Award in the CEO of the Year category, and Forbes placed her on its “Impact 15” list for being a disruptor in education. Prior to DreamBox, Jessie held leadership positions at top EdTech companies, including Kaplan, LeapFrog SchoolHouse, and Blackboard, where she worked in the K–12 group.
Jessie’s insights into leadership and learning serve as true guideposts for what it takes to steer a successful startup venture.
Subscribe to Founder’s Corner on iTunes, SoundCloud, or Overcast, and learn more about DreamBox Learning here. Join the conversation with Shripriya Mahesh and Jessie Woolley-Wilson on Twitter at @OmidyarNetwork #ONFoundersCorner.
Omidyar Network’s Emerging Tech team invests in early-stage startups that aim to build great for-profit businesses that can change the world and achieve positive societal benefits at scale.
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