Aanand Radia

Aanand Radia is a Managing Director at Achieve Partners, a New York-based private equity and venture firm that invests in technology-enabled services and software across the education spectrum, from K-12 through higher education and workforce development. He was previously a Managing Director at University Ventures, the predecessor organization to Achieve Partners, where he helped lead investments in companies such as Galvanize, Revature, and several student finance-related ventures. Achieve Partners was founded in 2019 and has grown to manage multiple fund strategies with hundreds of millions in assets under management.

Before joining University Ventures in 2014, Aanand spent three years (2011-2014) as a private equity investor at BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, where he focused on Financial Services and Special Situations investments. Prior to BlackRock, he worked at EdisonLearning (formerly Edison Schools), an early pioneer in the charter school movement and diversified K-12 education technology and services company, where he focused on corporate strategy, business development, hybrid/blended learning product development, and new product and finance initiatives. He began his career at Patriot Capital, a middle-market private equity firm with investments across various industries.

Aanand holds a B.S. in Economics from Carnegie Mellon University. He also attended The Governor's Academy. His career trajectory reflects a deep, sustained commitment to the intersection of education, workforce development, and technology-enabled business models, with expertise spanning early-stage venture through scaled private equity buyouts.

Aanand's investment focus sits squarely at the intersection of education, workforce development, and technology. At Achieve Partners, the overarching thesis is that the future of learning and earning must be re-engineered through cutting-edge technologies and novel business models that bolster skill development and secure the future of work. The firm pursues this across several strategies:

Aanand personally focuses on deal sourcing, execution, and portfolio company management, serving on or having served on boards of numerous business services and technology-enabled companies including Genuent (now INSPYR Solutions), SkillStorm, Optimum Healthcare IT, and UltraViolet Cyber.

• Workforce / Apprenticeship Fund: Acquiring scaled business services companies in skill-gap sectors (IT, healthcare, cybersecurity) and accelerating growth by building "Last-Mile Training" -- purpose-trained, entry-level talent delivered at scale to clients on a try-before-you-buy basis.
• Edtech Buyout Fund: Acquiring 8-10 edtech companies at reasonable entry multiples, typically 5+ years old with $5-20M in revenue, cashflow positive, growing, and led by mission-driven founders.
• K-12 Education Fund ($167M): Helping K-12 schools and universities evolve their approach to technology and improve learning outcomes for students.
• Apprenticeship-First Investing ($180M): Dedicated to creating faster pathways to good jobs and boosting economic mobility via next-generation apprenticeship programs in skill-gap sectors.