15 Years, $1.4 Billion: The "Tiny" Bets That Paid Off Big

For 15 years, 4.0 has been obsessed with the beginning.

We are the place for the first check. The first pilot. The first scary moment of putting an idea into the world. 

We have always championed the "Tiny" fellowship, the belief that a $5,000 grant and a focus on listening and testing in your community can change everything.

But because we focus so heavily on the start of the journey, we haven't always paused to measure the destination.

Recently, our research team at the University of Delaware's Center for Research in Education and Social Policy (CRESP) set out to answer a simple question: What is the cumulative economic footprint of the 4.0 alumni network?

We expected the number to be big. We didn't expect it to be this big.

Today, we are sharing that number for the first time: 4.0 alumni have generated over $1.4 Billion in revenue and public funding. 

Here is the breakdown of that impact, and why it challenges everything we think we know about "scaling" in education.

1. Schools: Building $524 Million in Permanent Community Assets

In the startup world, success is often measured by an "exit." But for schools, success is measured by endurance.

The $524 million figure represents the massive amount of public funding and grants our school founders have secured to build permanent institutions in their communities.

Crucially, 4.0 was the start of this journey. Before these schools could secure charters or millions in state funding, they had to prove their models worked.

Bricolage Academy didn't start with a $10 million annual budget; it started as a "pop-up" using a tiny 4.0 grant to test its concept.

That early validation allowed them to eventually secure the charters and public trust needed to grow.

Today, that initial risk capital has multiplied into over $97 million in cumulative funding for Bricolage alone, resources that now flow directly into teacher salaries, facilities, and student services every single year.

2. Non-Profits: The $625 Million Powerhouse (Not a Charity Case)

We often think of for-profit tech companies as the "money makers" and non-profits as the "charity cases." The data says otherwise. Non-profits are actually the dominant economic force in the 4.0 portfolio, generating over $625 million in value.

These organizations are the connective tissue of the education system. They are ventures like ArtsNola ($58M), which ensures arts education survives budget cuts, or hybrid models like Prenda ($62M), which started as a code club in a library and grew into a movement that unbundled the classroom for thousands of families.

Investing in non-profit leaders isn't "charity," it is investing in the backbone of the education economy. The data proves that these organizations are not just surviving; they are the primary drivers of scale, stability, and long-term value in our communities.

3. For-Profits: Driving $246 Million through Targeted Innovation

When 4.0 founders choose the for-profit route, they don't just chase growth; they focus on solving specific, scalable classroom challenges.

This sector accounts for nearly a quarter-billion dollars in impact, led by alumni who used the 4.0 methodology to solve specific problems they faced in the classroom.

The standout story here is Formative (formerly GoFormative). Founders Craig Jones and Kevin McFarland bypassed flashy features to solve a singular pain point: the critical delay between teaching a lesson and realizing, often too late, that students didn't understand it. By prioritizing real-time visibility over speculation, they built a piece of essential classroom infrastructure that generated over $76 million in value.

De-Risking Works

If you look at this $1.4 Billion figure, you might see a venture capital portfolio. But we see something different.

We see the power of de-risking. 

Every single one of these multi-million dollar institutions started as a tiny, low-stakes experiment.

• Bricolage was a pop-up.
• Prenda was a library volunteer gig.
• Formative was a teacher’s side project.

By forcing founders to start small, listen to their communities, and prove their value before they scale, we didn't just save money. We built a pipeline of organizations that are built to last.

To our funders and partners: Thank you. This $1.4 Billion is your return on investment.

To our alumni: Keep going. You are reshaping the economy and education, one tiny pilot at a time.

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