Episode Summary:
When Jamie Beaton co-founded Crimson Education, his goal was simple: help ambitious students get into the world’s best universities. Fast forward ten years, Crimson has 800+ staff, global offices, and a suite of education platforms spanning admissions coaching, an international online high school, and AI-powered study tools.
Jamie’s personal journey is just as remarkable—Harvard undergrad, four master's degrees, a JD from Yale, a PhD from Oxford, a Rhodes Scholar. His expertise? Elite admissions, scaling global businesses, and the changing economics of education.
In today’s episode, we cover:
• Why the traditional university model is broken and which institutions will survive
• How AI is making elite education accessible (and why most schools aren’t ready)
• Why New Zealand’s smartest students need to get out—and when to return
• The right way to build a world-class company, from hiring to leadership
• How top universities actually admit students (hint: it’s not just grades)
We also hear about Jamie’s biggest mentors, his leadership lessons, and the future of Crimson Education after its recent Series D.
Chapters:
01:11 The wildest education history: Harvard, Yale, Oxford & beyond
03:40 Crimson’s 10-year journey from a bold pitch to a global business
06:48 How the real college admissions process works (and what most Kiwis get wrong)
09:52 Buying vs. building: How Jamie makes big bets on acquisitions
14:55 The myth of online education and why self-motivation changes everything
18:08 How Crimson finds the next generation of ambitious Kiwis
25:17 The AI revolution: Private tutoring for everyone—at 1% of the cost
35:53 Is there a reckoning coming for the long tail of higher education?
44:02 Why Kiwis need to get out—and when to do it
56:06 The biggest leadership lessons Jamie had to unlearn
