# Teach For America: Wendy Kopp

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2017-10-09
- Length: 43m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-10-09-teach-for-america-wendy-kopp

## Summary

Wendy Kopp, founder of Teach for America, explains how she launched the nonprofit from a Princeton senior thesis, securing seed funding from Ross Perot and leveraging corporate partnerships to recruit its first class of teachers. She details the organization's early struggles, including a near-collapse due to funding gaps and a staff mutiny over management structure, before scaling to a $300 million budget. The episode also features a postscript on Chris Waters, who founded Constructed Adventures, a personalized scavenger hunt business, after a viral Secret Santa experience.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-10-09-teach-for-america-wendy-kopp#t=0) Introduction: Wendy Kopp and the Origin of Teach for America
- [2:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-10-09-teach-for-america-wendy-kopp#t=151) The Thesis and Initial Funding Strategy
- [12:49](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-10-09-teach-for-america-wendy-kopp#t=769) Recruiting the First Class and Ross Perot's Support
- [23:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-10-09-teach-for-america-wendy-kopp#t=1408) The First Summer and Early Operational Challenges
- [26:17](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-10-09-teach-for-america-wendy-kopp#t=1577) Financial Crisis and Staff Mutiny
- [33:20](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-10-09-teach-for-america-wendy-kopp#t=2000) Scaling Impact and Addressing Criticism
- [39:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-10-09-teach-for-america-wendy-kopp#t=2369) Postscript: Chris Waters and Constructed Adventures

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)

## Most relevant to

founders before launch, early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Teach for America (product)
- Ross Perot (other)
- Princeton (other)
- Constructed Adventures (product)
- Chris Waters (other)
- U.S. Bank (company)
- Harvard Business School (other)
- Peace Corps (other)
- Business Roundtable (company)
- LA Unified School District (other)
- America's Promise (other)
- Teach for All (product)

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- [Founder + Funder: Fundraising, Founder-Investor Fit, and Building the Next Big Breakfast Brand with Emily Groden of Evergreen and Brian Bernstein of Rich Products Ventures](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-06-20-founder-funder-fundraising-founder-investor-fit-and-building-the-next-big-breakf) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
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- [#100 Toasting to 100 Episodes of The Startup CPG Podcast with Our Favorite Moments](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2023-07-25-100-toasting-to-100-episodes-of-the-startup-cpg-podcast-with-our-favorite-moment) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
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