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Expert persepectives driving innovation and success in education technology.
The Education Market Decoded: What Vendors Need to Know to Succeed - Series Introduction
Beth Davis, DSS VP & General Manager Climb CS US
10-24-2025
This post is part of our comprehensive 6 part series on Education SaaS channel sales:
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​The Education Market Decoded: What Vendors Need to Know to Succeed (this blog)
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Understanding The Higher Education Landscape Part I & Part II
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K12 Industry Insights
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EDU Events Insights
Why We’re Launching This Series
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I was so excited to join Climb EDU, formerly The Douglas Stewart Company, because this organization does something few distributors ever master — it translates complexity into clarity. Climb EDU combines its deep expertise in bringing technology solutions to market with a mission-driven commitment to improving student outcomes. By matching the right technology to the realities of institutional needs — across K-12, higher education, and the public sector — Climb EDU helps its partners achieve both impact and growth. ​
I’ve known the EDU team for decades, and I’ve always admired their white-glove approach to partnership — the way they treat vendors, channel partners, and resellers as true extensions of their team. The data-driven mindset Climb EDU brings to driving public-sector growth perfectly aligns with my own mission: to build bridges between companies and the education ecosystem that last long after the first purchase order.
The purpose of this series is to share knowledge about the education vertical after specializing in it for 75 years. The takeaways in this series are applicable to industry veterans and new entrants. Upcoming content will cover:
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Blog 2: How to navigate the EDU buying season
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Blog 3: Higher education market insights pt. 1 & 2
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Blog 4: K12 market insights
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Blog 5: EDU events insights
Why I’m Writing This
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I’ve spent my career at the intersection of education and technology — helping organizations translate innovation into measurable impact. At Adobe, I helped craft the education go-to-market strategy that still shapes how the company partners with schools and universities today. At Ellucian, the world’s largest provider of higher-education enterprise software, I led initiatives connecting data, analytics, and student success systems to improve institutional outcomes. With support from leading philanthropic partners including The Gates Foundation, and the Western Interstate Commission for higher Education (WICHE) helped shape the PAR Framework, one of the first national collaboratives to use predictive analytics to boost college completion, and later joined the SkillUp Coalition, a workforce development leader connecting millions of learners with training and opportunity.
Across each of these roles, I’ve seen one truth hold: real progress in education happens when technology and human insight work in tandem — and when partnerships are built not just to sell, but to last.
Why Education Is Different
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Having spent my career working with institutional leaders — provosts, CIOs, presidents, and district administrators — I’ve seen firsthand how different the education market is from every other sector. Decisions are multi-layered, funding is fragmented, and expectations from technology partners are sky-high.
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Education customers, as stewards of both public funds and student well-being, are rightly skeptical of “technology for technology’s sake.” Vendors who want to succeed here need to move beyond transactional thinking and build trust. That means evolving from “vendor” to “partner,” and from “product pusher” to “impact enabler.”
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That’s exactly why we’re launching this blog series — to help Climb vendors understand the realities of the education landscape and learn how to turn complexity into competitive advantage.
Why the Education Vertical Matters
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As our Vice President and General Manager of the Education Segment, Chuck Hulan, often says:​
​​“The education market isn’t just big — it’s built on relationships that last decades. Once you’re in, you stay in — if you deliver value.”
​Education is one of the largest and fastest-evolving technology markets in the U.S. Higher education alone accounts for more than $70 billion in annual IT spending, while K-12 contributes another $35–40 billion. Technology now touches everything — from learning management and security to device deployment and cloud infrastructure — and AI is accelerating that evolution.
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This is also one of the few markets where transparency works in your favor. Public datasets like IPEDS and NCES provide powerful visibility into institutional size, enrollment trends, funding mix, and technology adoption patterns. When vendors learn how to translate that data into strategy, they can identify which institutions are most poised to need — and afford — their solutions.
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This is a multi-billion-dollar opportunity, but it’s also a market that demands depth of understanding. Many vendors try to “spray and pray” their way into education, only to discover how differently these institutions buy. That’s where Climb EDU stands apart.
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By combining the scale and operational muscle of a world-class distributor with the insider expertise of a seasoned education partner, Climb EDU helps vendors access a market that can be both elusive and incredibly rewarding.
Why I Love This Work
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What’s most fascinating about education is that every decision is about possibility. Whether you’re talking to a CIO re-imagining infrastructure for hybrid learning or a district technology director trying to bridge the digital divide, every investment is ultimately about unlocking human potential. That’s why I’ve spent my career here — because the work is complex, the impact is cumulative, and the people who make it happen care deeply.
Key Insights into the Education Market
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The education sector operates on its own cadence and culture. Here’s what that means:
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Steady, predictable seasonality: Education budget cycles follow distinct patterns — July fiscal-year starts, January mini “back-to-school” peaks, and May/June year-end spending.
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Multi-stakeholder decision-making: Most purchases involve IT, academics, finance, and sometimes governing boards. Rarely does one person control the buy.
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Market variety: Public, private, for-profit, two-year, four-year, K-12, and system-level purchasers — each with different governance, funding, and technology priorities.
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Mixed funding models: Combinations of tuition, endowments, and state or federal funds create uneven spending patterns.
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Procurement protocols: Schools expect multiple quotes, competitive pricing, and clear value justification.
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Ease of use is paramount: Technology that’s easy to implement and support wins every time.
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These factors make education both a complex and highly strategic space — one where insight matters as much as innovation.
What This Means for Vendors
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To succeed in education, vendors must approach the market with precision, patience, and purpose.
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Engage multiple stakeholders: Develop campaigns that speak to IT, academics, finance, and enrollment — each with different priorities.
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Segment intelligently: Strategies that work for a flagship university won’t work for a community college or K-12 district. Adapt messaging and packaging accordingly.
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Design for funding fluctuations: Offer flexible payment structures and frame ROI in terms that align with institutional outcomes — like retention, enrollment, and efficiency.
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Navigate procurement effectively: Differentiate on value, fit, and support — not just price.
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Lead with simplicity: The best technology in education is that which makes life easier for educators and administrators alike.
Climb EDU: Your Strategic Partner in Education
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This is where Climb EDU provides a decisive advantage:
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Expertise in multi-stakeholder decision processes, procurement rules, and EDU-specific licensing.
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Market intelligence on spending cycles, funding dynamics, and emerging priorities such as AI, cloud modernization, and student success.
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Data-driven targeting. We help vendors use publicly available education data — from IPEDS, NCES, and other government sources — to segment opportunities and align outreach with institutions most likely to adopt.
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The scale and relationships of Climb, translated into education-focused strategies that drive results.
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Guidance on EDU-ready pricing, licensing, and campaign timing that aligns with academic calendars.
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Accelerated traction in education — without the years of trial and error it typically takes to get there.
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The education market rewards focus and insight. We help you build both.
Take the Next Step
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We’re offering a free EDU Readiness Assessment to help vendors understand how well their current strategies align with education-market dynamics.
Reach out to me directly to receive yours — and follow the rest of our EDU series for deeper dives into buying cycles, higher ed and K-12 trends, and the events that shape the market year-round.
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