May 27, 2025 (press release) — Tulane Ventures has announced a lead investment of $250,000 in Hilight, a data-driven platform addressing the costly challenge of educator and staff turnover in U.S. schools. This investment is part of a larger $1 million funding round aimed at scaling the peer-to-peer recognition-based retention solution. According to the Learning Policy Institute, the costs of training, recruiting, and hiring when a teacher leaves a school can reach up to $25,000. In contrast, the preventive investment in Hilight represents a small fraction of that expense and can significantly reduce these attrition-related expenses.
At the heart of this venture is Claire Smith, a New Orleans local and a former Teach for America educator. Her experiences in Louisiana classrooms inspired the creation of Hilight. In less than three years, the company has expanded to 135 school sites across 12 states. Its mission is to provide school leaders with real-time engagement analytics from staff members that can significantly reduce attrition rates and improve overall performance.