I broke from the usual path early. At 16, I was done with school—walked away during the pandemic when the world turned upside down. That disruption opened a door: I started working full time at a boutique consulting firm, conducting research and analyzing data. By 18, I was a corporate development analyst at a public healthcare company, parsing markets, chasing opportunities. Those roles showed me what works—what scales, what stalls—but one truth stood out: our education system’s broken. It takes your prime years—when you’re wired to learn, explore, build—and delivers little you can use. It’s a relic from a faded era.
The closer I looked, the clearer the failure became. We give kids their best shot to grow—when they’re hungry to absorb, push, create—and it slips away into a system out of touch. College costs have outrun inflation four times over (My eLearning World 2021), leaving the average borrower with $37,338 in debt for a decade (Education Data Initiative 2023). Yet 36% of grads say their degree wasn’t worth it (Strada 2023), and 70% of employers prize skills over diplomas (McKinsey 2023). It’s not just inefficient—it’s obsolete.
That’s why we built Eclipse. It’s a full ecosystem—think structured degrees from real universities, flexible credits enabling students flexibility, and high school acceleration like dual enrollment, all in one. We map every step of a student’s path, weaving in transfer credits to slash time and cost, built for Gen Z and Alpha who’ll shape tomorrow. But education isn’t just about knowledge—it’s about who you know and who you learn from. Eclipse connects students to mentors, industry leaders, and peers on the same fast track, building a network that moves with them. I saw it myself—politics and markets taught me more than classrooms ever did, but the real leverage came from the people I worked with. Most don’t get that chance. Eclipse changes that, offering real credentials, real skills, and real connections—degrees, trades, ventures—aligned with a world that moves fast.
Higher ed’s lost its bearings—mired in bloat, detached from reality. Eclipse strips it back: clear goals, real outcomes. Learning becomes something you wield, not a trophy to collect. Take a 16-year-old I know, homeschooling through the chaos. On Eclipse, his bachelor’s lines up—courses, tests, credits—done by 18, not 22. He’s not just finished; he’s ready—tied to jobs, networks, options. The old way? Four years high school, four more college, $44k/year at private schools. Eclipse cuts that down—faster (up to four years), cheaper (aiming for $4.9k/year), sharper (tailored, practical).
Kids want this: 70% favor real experience over degrees (Insider Intelligence 2023), 80% see tech skills as the future (Dell Technologies 2018). Parents too—73% seek alternatives (ECMC 2022). Homeschooling’s tripled, dual enrollment’s at 2.5 million (2022-23), online learning’s hit 53% (2024). Yet college costs crush—62% of borrowers feel it mentally (Experian 2023). Gen Alpha’s next—2 billion, digital-first, expecting more. Eclipse delivers.
We’re not tweaking; we’re rethinking. Eclipse fuses the best—schools, content, training, mentors—into one platform, seamless and modern. I lived this—jumped young, thrived, guided peers with my co-founder. It worked, but it lacked scale. Now Eclipse does—one hub, all tools, for today’s students. We’re testing with homeschoolers—feedback’s strong, word’s spreading. High schools, school choice, partnerships follow. The market’s alive: $218B now, $668B by 2033 (13.24% CAGR). We’re just starting.This isn’t about fixing the old system—it’s about handing the next generation a future they can build, not wait for.
