Why We're the Right Founders

Aspire was founded by Earl and Alisha Harris — award-winning AI innovators, Google for Startups alumni, Techstars founders, and most importantly, parents of two K–12 students living in Surprise, Arizona. We're not outsiders looking in. We're in the classroom as parents, sitting in meetings with teachers, partnering with school leaders — and standing on the front lines of AI innovation.

Long before AI was trending, we spent years building practical, high-impact systems — including advanced risk-detection tools used by major healthcare institutions to combat burnout. We understand how to take AI from ideation to implementation — safely, ethically, and effectively.

But when we looked at our own children’s schools, we saw something urgent:

- Teachers scrambling to write AI policies
- Taskforces forming without practical AI expertise
- Educators exhausted and left to navigate AI on their own
- And students falling behind — not because they lacked potential, but because the system lacked support

We didn’t just observe. We showed up. We volunteered. We joined district conversations. We hosted free AI workshops, and even co-created an AI solution that is being used by K-12 schools here in Arizona. And after a year of listening and learning, the message was clear: Arizona’s schools weren’t just unprepared for AI — they were being asked to figure it out alone.

_{“Aspire Together was born out of urgency and love — urgency to act before our students fall further behind, and love for the educators shaping their future.”}

As equal stakeholders in education, we believe real change doesn’t come from the outside — it comes from collaboration. That’s why Aspire isn’t a product. It’s a mission: To help schools integrate AI responsibly, practically, and with purpose — not dumped on overwhelmed teachers or lost in top-down policy.

We bring deep AI expertise — but more importantly, deep respect for the work educators already do. We know that the only way to get this right is to build alongside schools, not around them.

Aspire isn’t here to sell answers. We’re here to co-create lasting solutions — with educators, for students, and for the future they deserve.