In this insightful episode of The Innovators & Investors Podcast, host Kristian Marquez sits down with Kim Thanos, founder and CEO of Lumen Learning—a pioneering company transforming higher education by providing affordable, digital textbook alternatives aimed at increasing student success in critical gateway courses.

Kim shares the origin story of Lumen Learning, detailing how a grant from the Gates Foundation inspired a mission to help at-risk students overcome costly textbook barriers by leveraging openly licensed materials. Listeners will gain valuable perspectives on how Lumen has disrupted traditional textbook pricing models, the importance of engaging faculty and students directly for product innovation, and the strategic balance between grant funding and venture capital needed for scalable impact. Kim also dives into how generative AI is reshaping both content creation and course outcomes, preparing students for an AI-augmented workforce while addressing academic integrity challenges in today’s educational landscape.

This episode offers practical advice for entrepreneurs on raising mission-aligned capital, iterating with real customer feedback, and navigating the complexities of product-market fit and sales strategies, making it a must-listen for innovators and investors interested in edtech, social impact, and sustainable business growth.

Learn more about Kim's work at https://lumenlearning.com/

Connect with Kim on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kthanos/

Think you'd be a great guest on the show? Apply at https://finstratmgmt.com/innovators-investors-podcast/

Want to learn more about Kristian Marquez's work? Check out his website at https://finstratmgmt.com