Life-long Learning is a Great Opportunity for B-schools; Edtech & Brick-and-Mortar Universities will co-exist: Facebook, Twitter, Coursera Investor & GSV Founder Michael Moe tells MBAUniverse.com

Covid-19 was the inflection point for global Education Technology (Edtech) Sector. Last few years have seen plenty of hype and action in this sector. The man in the centre of it all is Michael Moe, a Silicon Valley Venture Capitalist, and an investor in tech giants. In his interview with MBAUniverse.com, on the sidelines of ASU+GSV & Emeritus Summit in Gurgaon, Moe shed light on the transformative potential of life-long learning, and the central role that B-schools can play. Moe's insights are particularly relevant as he shares his views on the future of education, including the impact of technology and the evolving role of traditional B-schools in a rapidly changing landscape.

Who is Michael Moe?

Let’s start with Michael Moe, the Founder and CEO of GSV Holdings (GSV), a top Silicon Valley based Venture Capital firm. Michael Moe’s GSV has invested in some of the biggest tech disrupters in last two decades including Facebook, Twitter, and Spotify. Today, Moe led GSV Ventures invests primarily in edtech companies around the world. His investments in global edtech sectors include Coursera, Course hero, Degreed amongst others. He has also invested in some leading edtech companies in India.

Michael Moe’s passion for higher education extends beyond investing. He is the co-founder of the ASU GSV Summit, a global conference for the education sector. Moe is also the Founder of GSV University and GSV MBA, an accredited graduate program for entrepreneurs. He has authored many books including “Finding the Next Starbucks”.

Michael Moe was in India recently for the second edition of the ASU+GSV & Emeritus Summit in Gurugram. MBAUniverse.com interviewed him to know his views on edtech and higher education sector, particularly on management education.

Why his views are important for Indian Education Sector?

With more than two decades of global investing experience in education technology sector, Moe sits at a vantage point. GSV has invested in Indian edtech companies including Physics Wallah, Simplilearn, Lead Schools and Apna.

Michael Moe is bullish on India, and says that there is immense potential in India. He has plans to make follow-up as well as new investments in India. "We're very active in India. There are 1.4 billion reasons to invest in India!” Moe told MBAUniverse.com referring to large Indian population that is hungry for growth and sees education as a big enabler.

Moe believes that Indian education system, much like most countries, has several gaps to address. Technology, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be a big game changer in the country as it is going to increase personalization for students, lower the cost and improve the learning outcomes, Moe explained. While gross enrolment in higher education in India has improved significantly in last two decades, it is still much lower than China and the United States, Moe said.

Moe believes that Indian edtech market is in consolidation phase. "I think Indian edtech market is in a consolidation phase where the weak companies are giving way to larger more efficient companies. It is a healthy phase for long term." Moe cautioned Edtech entrepreneurs chasing a unicorn status. "It's good to have high aspiration. Some founders think it's such a badge of heroism to have this crazy valuation, even though their business doesn't support it. You will see that it doesn't work out very well in long term," Moe commented.

How does Michael Moe view MBA Schools?

Given that Michael Moe has a bird’s eye view of the global higher education sector, MBAUniverse.com asked Moe for his views on MBA education and B-schools. Will Edtech players like Coursera and others disrupt traditional brick and mortal B-schools, we asked. Moe believes that both traditional B-school and edtech players will co-exist, and that B-schools have a great opportunity to deliver life-long learning to their alumni.

“Technology has disrupted the traditional business processes in a big way. The life cycle of skills is shrinking fast! In this backdrop, traditional B-schools and Universities have a great opportunity to fulfil the new skills requirements of their students and alums as they go higher up the ladder,” Moe told MBAUniverse.com.

Moe plans to invest more in the companies that he has already invested in India, and is also looking for newer opportunities. The 2nd Annual ASU+GSV & Emeritus Summit, where Moe was a keynote speaker, was held on February 12-14 in Gurgaon. Summit saw speakers from both Edtech and Brick and Mortar education system deliberating on the theme: ‘The Sun Rises in the East’. Outlining the rationale for the theme, GSV S said: For much of the past 500 years, the message for the brilliant and ambitious was “Go West, young man.” Demographics, economics, and geography will do a 180 on that, with the message for the next 500 years being “Go East.” India, Middle East/North Africa, and Southeast Asia have over 700 million people under the age of 15. Nearly 500 million people are projected to newly join the middle class in India in the next 10 years alone. The Singaporean model of prioritizing education above all else as the way to advance individuals and society is a contagion in the neighbourhood. Accordingly, there isn’t a more important place on the planet to plant the education flag than Gurgaon, India.

Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more updates