Daniel Crook is a software engineer, EDtech entrepreneur, and data infrastructure strategist whose career has moved between the classroom, the boardroom, and some of the largest technology companies in the world.
He began his professional life in schools, developing an early and practical understanding of how educational systems actually function before pivoting into senior roles in big tech. During the pandemic, he returned to education with a clear mission: to build the infrastructure layer that edtech had long neglected.
He is the founder of SchoolHarbor, a data infrastructure company purpose-built to give K–12 districts the foundation they need to make intelligent, data-driven decisions at scale. Daniel grew SchoolHarbor from the ground up, eventually transitioning from the CEO role to a board position as the company matured. He is also co-founder of AEG Systems, a venture built in close collaboration with Dr. Michael Conner over the past three years. AEG Systems powers the Agile Diagnostic and AI Platform, which is now being used by districts across the country to assess readiness and drive smarter adoption of AI tools.
Beyond his company work, Daniel advises EDtech companies and early-stage founders on product strategy, with a particular focus on building for administrative leaders rather than the overcrowded student-facing tool market. His perspective is shaped by direct experience across the full stack of educational technology, from classroom implementation to enterprise data architecture, and he is one of the most clear-eyed voices in the space on the gap between AI potential and AI readiness.
In this conversation, listeners gain a practical framework for why data infrastructure, specifically the data warehouse and genuine interoperability, is the non-negotiable prerequisite for effective AI in education, and what school leaders need to build before the next wave of agentic AI arrives.
