Inside Outside

Ben Nelson is the CTO and Co-founder of Lambda School, a 9-month online education/training program. Brian Ardinger, Inside Outside Innovation founder, spoke with Ben about Lambda School’s disruption of the education market, the creation of an online school, and the use of an Income Share Agreement. Through an Income Share Agreement, students agree to pay back the costs of their training, once they receive a $50,000 a year job. A percentage of their income, up to $30,000, is paid back over the next two-year period. New Business Model & Trends - We started as a code boot camp. Now we’re in our own category. Competitors are changing to mimic the model. Competition doesn’t usually kill early startups. - Universities are overshooting the mark. Saddling students with big debt and students are wising up. People can get in trouble financially. - Fast tech change. People need to switch in the middle of their careers. Lambda is putting elasticity in the labor market.  - More people are moving towards portfolio wo