Applications Open — Cohort 1

You already know
the problem.
Now build the
solution.

A 12-week coding bootcamp built for educators. Graduate into co-founder and founding team roles at edtech startups — via our exclusive graduate job board.

12
Weeks, cohort-based
100%
Graduates placed in edtech
3×
Avg. salary increase
The Problem

Edtech keeps failing.
Not because of bad code.

Venture capital has poured billions into education technology. Most of it has produced nothing students or teachers actually want to use. The pattern is consistent: brilliant engineers building for a classroom they've never sat in.

✕
Engineers who can build, but don't understand learning
They've never designed a lesson plan, managed 30 kids at once, or faced a curriculum coordinator.
✕
Founders who've studied education — from the outside
Research and observation aren't the same as lived experience. The gap is obvious to every teacher who's tried their product.
✓
What edtech actually needs: you
Someone who knows what a frictionless lesson flow feels like, what teachers dread at 11pm, and what would actually get adopted.
What We Teach

12 weeks. No fluff. Real skills.

A cohort-based intensive that takes you from classroom to codebase — and arms you with the product instincts to lead.

Weeks 1–4
⌨

Full-Stack Web Dev

  • —HTML, CSS, JavaScript fundamentals
  • —React & Next.js
  • —Node.js & REST APIs
  • —Database design with PostgreSQL
  • —Version control with Git
Weeks 5–8
◻

Product Design

  • —User research & interviews
  • —Wireframing & Figma
  • —UX principles for education
  • —Building & testing prototypes
  • —Accessibility & inclusive design
Weeks 9–12
◈

Startup Fundamentals

  • —Go-to-market strategy
  • —Fundraising & pitch decks
  • —Unit economics & pricing
  • —Building a team
  • —Demo Day presentation
Format
Cohort-based, fully remote
Time commitment
30–35 hrs/week
Class size
Max 20 per cohort
Mentorship
1-on-1 with edtech founders
The Job Board

Graduate as a
co-founder.
Not an employee.

Every Chalk Foundry graduate gets lifetime access to our exclusive job board — a curated network of edtech startups actively searching for technical co-founders and founding team members with education backgrounds.

✦Equity, not just salary — founding team terms
✦Pre-vetted startups with EdTech-native founders
✦Warm introductions, not cold applications
✦Roles matched to your teaching domain & tech skills
$1.2M raised · Remote
LearnLoop
Co-Founder & Head of Product
Grad Only
K–12Seed StageEquity: 8–15%
$500K raised · Remote / NYC
ClassFlow AI
Founding Engineer & Curriculum Lead
Grad Only
Higher EdPre-SeedEquity: 5–10%
$2.4M raised · Remote
TeachKit
CTO & Co-Founder
Grad Only
Professional DevSeedEquity: 10–20%

+ 40 more listings · Available to graduates only

Who This Is For

Built for people who know education
from the inside out.

🏫

Classroom Teachers

You've spent years watching students struggle with edtech that misses the mark. You know what a lesson plan looks like when it actually works. Now it's time to build it.

· K–12 teachers· College instructors· Special education teachers
📐

Instructional Designers

You understand how learning works at a systems level. You've built curricula from scratch, know LMS platforms inside-out, and see every gap in the tools you're forced to use.

· Corporate L&D pros· Curriculum developers· Training coordinators
📚

Curriculum Developers

You've been building learning products for others — without the equity. Your domain knowledge is a superpower in edtech, and you deserve a seat at the founding table.

· Content creators· Ed coordinators· Assessment designers
⚠

Not for: career-switchers with no education background, people looking for a slow self-paced course, or anyone hoping to freelance. Chalk Foundry is specifically for educators who want to found or co-found edtech companies.

Graduate Stories

From the classroom
to the founding team.

“

I spent 9 years teaching 6th grade math. I knew exactly why every math app failed my students — but I had no way to fix it. Chalk Foundry gave me the technical skills to build something better. Six months after graduating, I'm CTO at a math tutoring startup with $800K in funding.

M
Maria Santos
Former 6th Grade Math Teacher
Now: Co-Founder & CTO, MathPath
“

I was skeptical that 12 weeks would be enough to go from zero coding experience to launching a real product. I was wrong. The curriculum is brutal but efficient. Every concept connects back to things I already understood from instructional design. By week 8, I had shipped my first API.

J
Jerome Williams
Former Instructional Designer, State DOE
Now: Founding Engineer, CivicsLab
“

The job board is worth the tuition alone. I had three equity conversations in my first week of access, and two formal term sheets within a month. I joined a pre-seed edtech startup as a technical co-founder. I own a piece of something I helped build from day one.

P
Priya Nair
Former Curriculum Developer, Pearson
Now: Co-Founder, TeachKit
Pricing

An investment in your next chapter.

Chalk Foundry is selective and intensive. We price for access, not exclusion.

Standard
$7,500
full upfront

Best for applicants with savings or employer reimbursement.

  • ✓12-week intensive program
  • ✓All curriculum materials
  • ✓1-on-1 mentorship sessions
  • ✓Demo Day access
  • ✓Lifetime job board access
  • ✓Alumni network access
Apply for Standard
Most Popular
ISA Option
$0
upfront · pay after you land a role

Income share: pay 12% of salary for 24 months once you earn $60K+.

  • ✓Everything in Standard
  • ✓No upfront cost
  • ✓Pay only after placement
  • ✓Capped at $15,000 total
  • ✓Deferred indefinitely if income < $60K
  • ✓Priority job board matching
Apply for ISA

Scholarships available for underrepresented educators. Contact us to learn more.

Apply Now — Cohort 1 Open

The best time to build
was when you were teaching.
The second best time is now.

Applications for Cohort 1 are open. Spots are limited to 20. We review on a rolling basis — the sooner you apply, the better your odds.

No commitment required. We'll review your application and follow up within 3 business days.