Chicago, IL | July 16, 2025 — Education Walkthrough, the classroom-observation platform used in more than 500 school districts, has been chosen for the first cohort of the Academy Group (AG) Ventures Incubator, a six-month program that positions students—not startups—as the core value proposition.
Why This Incubator Is Different
Founded in 2017 on the belief that “talent is ubiquitous, but opportunity is not,” the Academy Group supports Black and Latino students from fourth grade through early career with academic acceleration, paid internships, and wealth-building experiences. The idea was sparked by a single question from AG’s lead investor:
“Could Black and Brown young people from Chicago’s South and West Sides ever become investment bankers?”
AG’s answer—yes, when they have the same access to networks and resources as their affluent peers—has guided eight years of programming aimed at closing that “programmatic gap.
The new Ventures Incubator layers founders and mentors into that ecosystem. Seventeen mission-aligned startups will co-create products with AG scholars, ensuring commercial success and social impact go hand-in-hand.
“Most incubators treat founders as the main event. The Academy Group flips that script—students are the center, and founders are here to amplify their potential.”
Adam Russek-Sobol, Founder & CEO, Education Walkthrough
What Selection Means for Education Walkthrough
- Cohort collaboration: Education Walkthrough will join 17 other social-impact startups, learning side-by-side as each company scales its business and impact.
- Full-stack founder support: Founders receive capital-readiness coaching, pro-bono legal guidance, and direct access to AG’s network—all housed in a new office space on Chicago’s Near North Side.
- Chicago footprint & impact: The program creates a live testbed for expanding Education Walkthrough’s reach in Chicago classrooms, allowing the team to pilot new features with local schools, gather scholar feedback in real time, and deepen the platform’s city-wide impact.
About Education Walkthrough
Education Walkthrough is a cloud-based platform that streamlines classroom observations for K-12 leaders. Custom rubrics, one-tap evidence capture, and automated coaching reports help administrators turn data into actionable feedback that improves teaching and learning—fast. Learn more at educationwalkthrough.com.
About The Academy Group
The Academy Group unlocks opportunity for young people from resilient communities through a 14-year continuum of academic, professional, and wealth-building experiences. By coupling world-class education with real capital, AG equips its members to become economic and social change agents
Learn more about The Academy Group – https://theacademygroup.com/
