Stand Together Ventures Lab Invests in LearningSpring as School Choice Expands

Investment aims to simplify K-12 school choice for families, schools, and states amid nationwide policy shifts.

Apr. 7, 2026 at 12:36pm

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A brightly colored, high-contrast silkscreen print of a single, iconic school backpack repeated in a tight grid pattern, conceptually representing the growing importance of school choice for American families.As school choice policies expand nationwide, a new investment aims to simplify the process for families navigating their educational options.Arlington Today

Stand Together Ventures Lab, an early-stage investment firm, has announced its investment in LearningSpring, a school choice management platform that aims to simplify the process for families, schools, and states. This comes as school choice policies, including education savings accounts (ESAs), vouchers, and scholarship programs, have expanded across 34 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico, with 75% of U.S. parents considering or enrolling their children in new or different schools.

Why it matters

The investment reflects the growing importance of school choice as a defining issue for American families. As policy has moved faster than the infrastructure to support it, LearningSpring's platform aims to empower families to navigate the complexities of school choice by unifying school discovery, eligibility, enrollment, and funding in one place.

The details

LearningSpring's platform allows families to browse and compare schools across public, charter, private, microschool, and hybrid models, check their eligibility for ESA, scholarship, and voucher programs, and manage applications and funding through the platform's Education Freedom Wallet. For scholarship-granting organizations (SGOs), LearningSpring provides family application management, donor portals, funds disbursements, and audit-ready compliance reporting.

  • School choice policies, including ESAs, vouchers, and scholarships, have expanded across 34 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico.
  • 75% of U.S. parents - about 46 million nationwide - considered, searched for, or enrolled at least one child in a new or different school, the highest level recorded in five years.

The players

Stand Together Ventures Lab

An early-stage investment firm that backs entrepreneurs solving the country's most pressing problems.

LearningSpring

A school choice management platform that simplifies K-12 school choice for families, schools, and states.

Jonathan Jou

Managing Director, Head of Investments for Stand Together Ventures Lab.

Cecilia Retelle Zywicki

CEO and Co-founder of LearningSpring.

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What they’re saying

“Families want more than proximity when it comes to choosing a school for their child. LearningSpring is building the infrastructure that turns school choice policy into a real, accessible experience for families.”

— Jonathan Jou, Managing Director, Head of Investments for Stand Together Ventures Lab

“As a mom, I have experienced how confusing school choice can be when families are left to navigate policy on their own. Families are our north star, and our conviction is simple: School choice should mean clarity, not confusion.”

— Cecilia Retelle Zywicki, CEO and Co-founder of LearningSpring

The takeaway

This investment in LearningSpring highlights the growing importance of school choice as a defining issue for American families, as policies have expanded rapidly across the country. By providing a platform to simplify the school choice process, LearningSpring aims to empower families to navigate the complexities and find the best-fit learning options for their children.