College Won’t Get You a Job — Here’s What Will | Troy Williams, Achieve Partners

Описание: In this episode of Venture 2 Victory, host Tim Tonella sits down with Troy Williams, Managing Director at Achieve Partners and one of the most respected names in EdTech venture capital. With a background that spans founding Questia, leading Macmillan’s digital transformation, and backing platforms like Packback and Ready Education, Troy offers rare insight into how education is evolving — and what that means for students, parents, and founders alike.

Troy challenges the status quo of higher education, arguing that colleges have drifted from their core purpose of education toward a hollow focus accreditation. He makes a powerful case for short, fast, job-aligned programs over traditional 4-year degrees, especially for students without financial safety nets.

And as a founder-first investor, he reveals how his fairly long diligence process builds lasting, trust-based relationships with entrepreneurs far beyond term sheets.

👉 If you’re a founder, parent, or student questioning the ROI of a traditional 4-year college degree, this is a must-watch conversation.

CHAPTERS

00:00 – Cold Open: “College isn’t job training”
00:48 – Intro to Troy Williams & Achieve Partners
03:30 – What “Founder-Friendly Investor” Really Means
06:00 – Building Trust Over 18 Months
10:53 – Post-exit relationships & long-term mentorship
13:00 – Why term sheets don’t tell the full story
17:19 – Is College Still Worth It?
21:50 – The Future of Degrees, Philosophy vs. CS
26:00 – Social capital & the hidden value of college
30:41 – Who Should and Shouldn’t Go to College
33:21 – The dropout dilemma & institutional change
35:33 – Where the Real EdTech Opportunities Are
39:00 – Can AI Really Replace Teachers?
42:14 – What Does “Victory” Mean to Troy?

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ABOUT THIS PODCAST AND INTERVIEW HOST

Welcome to our channel. I'm Tim Tonella, CEO of MatchStar Venture Search, a 25-year national executive search firm serving the venture capital and private equity technology space. My team and I have placed over 1,000 leaders into some life transforming companies!

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