Emerge
Mike Damiano is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in leadership roles across various organizations in the education and technology sectors. Currently serving as Managing Partner at MD & Partners since March 2023, Mike focuses on bridging the gap between scale-ups and global market leaders. As a Venture Partner at Emerge Education, Mike contributes to addressing the skills gap through investment in innovative founders. Previous positions include Director of EMEA at Coursera, where strategic growth led to an IPO, and Managing Director International at Interfolio, responsible for international growth. Mike's career history at Blackboard spans multiple roles, including Vice President and Regional Vice President, where leadership influenced significant global account management and sales strategies. Educational qualifications include a Master's degree in Design Studies from St. Martin's College and a degree in Business Management from Aylesbury College.
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Emerge
Emerge - The first check for founders defining the future of work and learning Emerge is a global pre-seed fund backed by 100+ of the world’s best future of work and learning operators. Our vision is to democratise access to opportunity – by being a catalytic partner for early-stage founders, providing first-cheque financial support, ongoing expertise and access to a community who have ‘been there and built it’ with unrivalled market-specific know-how. Founded in 2014 as Europe’s only edtech specialist fund, Emerge now invests in B2B and B2C startups across all categories enabling people to grow and fulfil their potential, from early childhood, K12 and higher education through to lifelong learning, workforce development, career navigation and the future of work. Emerge has invested in over 80 companies, now valued at over $2b and impacting more than 31M people worldwide, including Yoto, Causaly, Colossyan, Edurino, Mattilda, Unibuddy, MyEdSpace and Solvely. Emerge invests anywhere between $250k and $2.5M at pre-seed and seed. The team welcomes direct applications - apply through our website. Read more about Emerge’s investment thesis and the startup ideas we’re excited by in our Fund II manifesto linked below.