07: Lessons from a Failed M&A to a Successful Exit: The Founder Story Behind ClassTag
Vlada Lotkina, Founder of ClassTag
In this episode, host Bruce Eckfeldt talks with Vlada Lotkina, an entrepreneur whose journey from Ukraine to the U.S. is marked by resilience, bold decisions, and a transformative EdTech exit. Raised in a family of relentless entrepreneurs in post-Soviet Ukraine, Vlada developed an early fascination with creating value from chaos. After earning her MBA at Wharton and working at BCG and Dell, she reached a pivotal moment: leave corporate comfort or pursue her calling.
That calling materialized as ClassTag, an education technology platform inspired by her own frustrations as a parent. When her daughter's preschool communications relied on paper flyers and sign-up sheets, Vlada saw a broader issue in the K–12 system—one she knew she could solve. Despite early funding challenges and strong competitors, she forged ahead with conviction.
Vlada recounts the realities of building in the K–12 market—where money is scarce and parents often feel powerless to drive change. It wasn’t until she pivoted from a parent-focused product to a teacher-first approach that traction followed. Through brute-force outreach and deep empathy for educators, she grew the platform, hiring teachers to market to their peers. Eventually, ClassTag developed a unique monetization model through brand sponsorships and scaled to millions of users.
She also reflects on a failed M&A deal that fell apart just as the war in Ukraine broke out—disrupting her team and plans. That experience taught her to never take eyes off core growth, to expect volatility in private equity, and to protect her team from premature integration.
Ultimately, Vlada successfully exited the business through a strategic acquisition, enabling a smooth transition and setting the stage for her next venture. She now brings her insight to advising other founders, emphasizing the importance of “following the money,” finding aligned co-founders, and balancing idealism with clear monetization paths.
Key Takeaways
Personal conviction helped validate the problem when initial feedback was discouraging.
Early MVP failures taught resilience and forced creative pivots in product strategy.
Growth came through teachers marketing to teachers—not parents.
The business scaled with a unique media model, later bolstered by SaaS.
A failed M&A taught the importance of running the business regardless of deal progress.
Private equity deals often depend on external fund dynamics, not founder value.
Exiting with minimal earn-out allowed smoother transition and founder relief.
Future ventures are now guided by “following the money” and co-founder alignment.
Contact Information:
vlada@elev8orlab.com
https://www.elev8orlab.com/
