ecoEDI
Venture Overview
ecoEDI is an online platform that helps individuals earn college degrees and professional certifications in half the time and at significantly lower cost. The venture expands access to affordable higher education and workforce credentials.
Website: www.4ecoedi.com
Venture Issue Area: Education & Talent
Venture Headquarters: Orlando, FL
Venture Founder
Our founder and CEO, Renee Joseph, spent almost two decades in a battle to earn the college degree she felt she needed to pursue her dreams. A minority and low-income student raised in and out of the foster care system, Renee thought she was prepared for a challenging road through college. But she found herself stuck in a higher education system that was not equipped for the reality of her life, and she racked up student loan debt at four different for-profit universities. While building a successful career, raising two children, and caring for a mentally disabled younger brother, Renee eventually found a university that gave her the support, counseling, mentoring, and accountability that she needed. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in business and human resource management. Shortly after finishing that degree, she began an MBA program.
Renee also knew that both of her children would need a post-secondary education to achieve their dreams. With her own student loans to pay back and retirement to save for, it wasn’t going to be possible for Renee to pay for their educations via traditional paths. Research into affordable alternatives left her frustrated; it was difficult to understand her options, many weren’t truly affordable, and the education wasn’t always of good quality. And, Renee wondered, what about all the people who want to get an education but don’t have the support system that her children do?
That was the catalyst for ecoEDI, a college accelerator designed specifically with socioeconomically disadvantaged students in mind.
