ASU+GSV Summit 2026 — Conference Plan
Dates: April 13–15, 2026 Location: Manchester Grand Hyatt, 1 Market Place, San Diego, CA 92101 Scale: ~7,000 delegates · 1,100+ EdTech companies · 700+ speakers · 65 countries
Overview
This is Schema's highest-density opportunity of the year to advance active deals, deepen relationships with Open edX ecosystem partners, and open conversations with confirmed Open edX users who have no CRM presence yet.
The conference overlaps with several live threads: the Axim/ASU/UNESCO mobile pilot, the Unicon partnership (brokered Feb 2026), the 2U design capacity conversation (stalled since Nov 2025), and a first in-person opportunity with 1EdTech. Six organizations attending are confirmed Open edX users with no existing Schema CRM contact — these are prospecting targets.
Priority sequencing: Axim and MIT are the anchors for Tuesday. ASU and Harvard are the focus for Wednesday. Learning Mate reception on Monday is the warm-up. Tier 4 prospecting fills gaps.
Pre-Conference Actions (Now → April 12)
These must be completed before arrival. Sorted by urgency.
| # | Action | Contact | Org | Why It Can't Wait |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Outreach — schedule in-person meeting | Peter Pinch | MIT | Highest CRM priority; mobile opportunities thread has been open since Sep 2025 |
| 2 | Outreach — schedule in-person meeting | Mary Ellen Wiltrout | MIT | High priority; Content Libraries feedback; same trip |
| 3 | Second outreach — no reply to Mar 17 | Anant Agarwal | Grady | Grady not in participant list; confirm or find him independently |
| 4 | Align internally with Ed Zarecor | Ed Zarecor | Axim | Before meeting Erlina + Elizabeth at ASU, need to know where Axim/ASU/UNESCO thread stands |
| 5 | First outreach — use summit as forcing function | Beatriz Arnillas | 1EdTech | Last contact Sep 2025; in-person meeting overdue |
| 6 | First touch — reference summit | Mark Haseltine | Curriculum Associates | Created in CRM Mar 19; no prior contact |
| 7 | Identify who from 2U is attending | — | 2U | Steve Tiszenkel confirmed not attending — find out who will be there |
| 8 | Identify specific contacts | — | QuestionWell AI / DeweyLearn | Both in Notion orgs; no CRM contacts — need names before arriving |
At the Conference
Tier 1 — Must-Have Meetings
Highest BD priority contacts who are confirmed attending. Block time for these on Tuesday.
| Contact | Org | Role | Last Contact | Agenda |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Pinch | MIT | — | 2025-09-24 | Mobile opportunities — where did MIT land? |
| Ed Zarecor | Axim | VP of Engineering | 2025-09-30 | Mobile roadmap, gamification, active SOWs |
| Jenna Makowski | Axim | Senior PM | 2025-09-30 | Modular Content, what's next for Schema |
| Eric Kuennen | Unicon | — | 2026-02-09 | Relationship anchor — brokered the intro |
| Kathryn Green | Unicon | — | 2026-02-09 | Relationship check-in |
| TBD from 2U | 2U | — | — | Steve not attending — confirm who will be there before event |
Tier 2 — High-Value Meetings
High BD priority contacts confirmed attending. Fill Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning.
| Contact | Org | Role | Last Contact | Agenda |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Falchi | Learning Mate | — | 2025-09-30 (outreach sent today) | Reception RSVP'd — warm setting; deepen relationship |
| Mary Ellen Wiltrout | MIT | — | 2025-09-30 | Content Libraries feedback; Open edX + Canvas usage |
| Erlina Mangan | ASU | Project Manager Senior IT | — | Mobile adoption — home turf; align on Axim/UNESCO thread |
| Elizabeth Gordon | ASU | Asst. Director, International Instructional Design | — | H5P + mobile pilot; align on Axim/UNESCO thread |
| Colin Fredericks | Harvard | Manager of Instructional Design | — | Open edX user; first substantive Schema conversation |
| Beatriz Arnillas | 1EdTech | — | 2025-09-30 | First in-person meeting |
Tier 3 — Warm Conversations
Worth the time if the opportunity presents itself. Don't schedule in advance; find at the event.
| Contact | Org | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Anant Agarwal | Grady (find independently) | edX founder; Grady not in participant list but he is likely present — use the opportunity |
| John Harper | Unicon | Solutions consultant; handles contracts and SOWs |
| Dan McCallum | Unicon | Chief Services Officer; 20 years at the org |
| Patty Wolfe | Unicon | Leads Greenfield, data/analytics, integrations; Axim work rolls up to her |
| Scott Dunn | Pearson | No prior contact; confirm interest and explore Pearson Ventures angle |
| Mark Haseltine | Curriculum Associates | First in-person meeting; Charter Oak context may be relevant |
| Charter Oak contact | Charter Oak State College | Vendor eval files sent March 19; follow through |
Tier 4 — Prospecting (Open edX Users, No CRM Entry)
These organizations are confirmed attending AND confirmed Open edX users. No Schema CRM contacts exist yet. Priority order below.
| Priority | Organization | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Western Governors University | Confirmed Open edX user (Confluence); major online institution |
| 2 | George Washington University | Confirmed Open edX user (Confluence) |
| 3 | Listed as Open edX user; highest potential scale | |
| 4 | Stanford Accelerator for Learning | Open edX adjacent; key network node |
| 5 | Teachers College, Columbia University | Open edX user |
| 6 | Georgetown University | Open edX user |
| 7 | Duke University | Open edX user |
| 8 | Boston University | Open edX user |
Also attending with no existing contacts: Microsoft, McKinsey & Company, Rice University / OpenStax, Berklee College of Music, Australian National University, University of Pennsylvania, College Board.
Day-by-Day Schedule
Monday, April 13 — Arrival + Learning Mate Reception
- Arrive and check in at Manchester Grand Hyatt
- Learning Mate welcome reception — warm reconnect with John Falchi (RSVP confirmed)
- Note context heading in: outreach sent to John today (March 25); use the reception to advance from "outreach sent" to an active conversation
Tuesday, April 14 — Tier 1 Core Meetings
Focus: MIT, Axim, Unicon, 2U
- MIT block — Peter Pinch (Tier 1) + Mary Ellen Wiltrout (Tier 2); back-to-back if possible
- Axim block — Ed Zarecor + Jenna Makowski; these two can be joint or separate
- Unicon block — Eric Kuennen + Kathryn Green anchors; add John Harper, Dan McCallum, Patty Wolfe as schedule allows
- 2U — Steve not attending; identify who will be there ahead of time
- Tier 3 targets (Anant Agarwal, Scott Dunn) if gaps appear
Wednesday, April 15 — Tier 2 + Prospecting
Focus: ASU, Harvard, 1EdTech, new contacts
- ASU block — Erlina Mangan + Elizabeth Gordon; do not approach without having aligned with Ed Zarecor on the Axim/UNESCO thread first (done Tuesday)
- Harvard — Colin Fredericks
- 1EdTech — Beatriz Arnillas; first in-person meeting
- Mark Haseltine — Curriculum Associates; first meeting
- Charter Oak follow-up — whoever is representing them at the event
- Tier 4 prospecting — WGU, GWU, Google, Stanford are the priorities; use floor time
Contact Reference: All CRM Contacts at Summit
MIT
| Contact | BD Priority | Last Contact | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Pinch | Highest | 2025-09-24 | Mobile opportunities thread open |
| Mary Ellen Wiltrout | High | 2025-09-30 | Open edX as library for Canvas; Content Libraries feedback |
| Dimitris Bertsimas | Medium | — | Open learning @ MIT; AI focus |
| Kaleb Abebe | Not set | — | — |
| Shelly Upton | Not set | — | — |
Axim Collaborative
| Contact | BD Priority | Last Contact | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ed Zarecor | Highest | 2025-09-30 | VP Engineering; mobile roadmap, gamification |
| Jenna Makowski | Highest | 2025-09-30 | Sr PM; Modular Content |
| Sarina Canelake | Highest | 2025-09-22 | Engineer; SOW-11/SOW-14, Enrollment Page Editor |
| Aamir Ayub | Not set | — | Not attending |
| Annie Cellini | Not set | — | Confirmed attending |
| Michelle Philbrick | Not set | — | — |
Unicon
| Contact | BD Priority | Last Contact | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Kuennen | Highest | 2026-02-09 | Brokered Unicon-Schema intro |
| Kathryn Green | Highest | 2026-02-09 | — |
| John Harper | — | 2026-02-09 | Solutions consultant; handles contracts/SOWs |
| Mary Gwozdz | — | 2026-02-09 | Software architect; primary Open edX contact at Unicon |
| Dan McCallum | — | 2026-02-09 | Chief Services Officer; 20 years at Unicon |
| Patty Wolfe | — | 2026-02-09 | Leads Greenfield, data/analytics, integrations; all Axim work rolls up to her |
| Jesper Hodge | — | 2026-02-09 | New hire; works with Mary Gwozdz; 50 mutual connections with Marco |
| Catherine (Unicon) | — | 2026-02-09 | Last name unknown — attended Unicon-Schema intro meeting |
2U
| Contact | BD Priority | Last Contact | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Tiszenkel | Highest | 2025-11-13 | Not attending — identify 2U rep going to summit |
| Xandi Wright | Low | — | Director of Learning Strategy |
ASU
| Contact | BD Priority | Last Contact | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Erlina Mangan | High | — | Senior IT PM; mobile adoption; Axim/UNESCO thread pending |
| Elizabeth Gordon | High | — | Asst. Dir. International Instructional Design; H5P + mobile pilot |
Harvard
| Contact | BD Priority | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Colin Fredericks | High | Manager of Instructional Design |
1EdTech
| Contact | BD Priority | Last Contact | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beatriz Arnillas | High | 2025-09-30 | Initial virtual meeting never scheduled; summit is the forcing function |
Learning Mate
| Contact | BD Priority | Last Contact | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Falchi | High | 2025-09-30 | Reception RSVP'd; outreach sent today |
Other Confirmed Attending
| Contact | Org | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Scott Dunn | Pearson | No BD priority set; explore Pearson Ventures angle |
| Mark Haseltine | Curriculum Associates | CRM created 2026-03-19; outreach sent — awaiting confirmation of attendance |
Contacts NOT at Summit (Do Not Pursue Here)
These are high-priority CRM contacts whose organizations are not attending. Note for post-conference pipeline prioritization.
| Contact | Org | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| Nina Huntemann | EDT&Partners | Blocked |
| Jake Felser | Reservoir | Blocked |
| Stacey Messier | CIC | Snoozed |
| Eric Bergman | Total Synergy / FactorAE | — |
Post-Conference Actions (April 16+)
| Deadline | Action |
|---|---|
| Within 48 hours | Log all meetings as Contact Updates in Schema CRM |
| Within 48 hours | Add new contacts from Tier 4 prospecting to CRM |
| Within 5 days | Send personalized follow-up notes — reference specific conversations |
| Within 5 days | Update Organization stages: Unicon, MIT, ASU based on outcomes |
| Within 5 days | Decide on Anant Agarwal / Grady follow-up based on whether you connected |
| Within 5 days | Warm lead prioritization from Learning Mate reception and MIT/Axim meetings |